All the witnesses and evidence aired so far in Netflix star Matt Wright's criminal trial
The TV personality is facing allegations he tried to hinder investigations into a fatal helicopter crash during a crocodile egg-collecting mission in remote Arnhem Land.
The crash on February 28, 2022, killed his close friend and Netflix co-star, Chris "Willow" Wilson and seriously injured pilot Sebastian Robinson.
Mr Wright has pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice, in the aftermath of the accident.
The cause of the chopper accident is not the subject of Mr Wright's charges, but a lot of the evidence centres around that event.
Here's a breakdown of the key players in the trial, the charges and the evidence heard so far.
Matt Wright starred in National Geographic's Outback Wrangler series. ( Supplied: National Geographic, Outback Wrangler )
The trial is against Matt Wright, the star of Netflix series, Wild Croc Territory, and National Geographic's Outback Wrangler.
Mr Wright is also behind NT adventure tourism company, Wild Territory, which offers helicopter rides, airboat tours and accommodation.
His company Helibrook has been mentioned during the trial, with Sebastian Robinson and Chris Wilson both employees at the time of the chopper crash.
Mr Wright was present at the crash scene, after he flew himself, crocodile farmer Mick Burns and off-duty police officer Neil Mellon to the remote swamp.
The court also heard claims Mr Wright "was an anti-vaxxer", and COVID-19 restrictions at the time meant he couldn't travel to Arnhem Land for crocodile egg-collecting missions.
Mr Robinson has told jurors Mr Wright was a "standover sort of person" and that his employees "idolised" him and wanted to make themselves "look good in front of him". Matt Wright walking into the NT Supreme Court alongside his wife Kaia Wright. ( ABC News: Pete Garnish )
Mr Wright has been supported by his wife Kaia Wright each day in court.
You might recognise her and the couple's two young children from the Netflix show the family stars in, Wild Croc Territory. Sebastian Robinson Sebastian Robinson gave evidence via videolink. ( ABC News: Mary Franklin )
Sebastian Robinson was piloting the chopper when it crashed in 2022 and was left seriously injured.
The jury's heard Mr Robinson was an experienced pilot and licensed aircraft engineer who owned his own helicopters, but mostly worked for Matt Wright's company Helibrook in the months before the accident.
He suffered a traumatic brain injury and multiple spinal fractures in the crash, rendering him paraplegic. Sebastian Robinson gave evidence via videolink. ( ABC News: Mary Franklin )
Mr Robinson said that while he had no memory of the crash due to his injuries, he accepted he "must have intentionally disconnected" Chris Wilson from the sling that was suspending him 25 metres above the ground.
He told jurors he was Helibrook's Head of Airworthiness and Aircraft Maintenance Control, but that the position was unpaid and "Matt controlled all aspects of his aircraft regarding maintenance scheduling".
Mr Robinson gave evidence throughout the second week of the trial. Chris 'Willow' Wilson Chris Wilson was a young father who starred in Wild Croc Territory. ( Supplied )
Chris "Willow" Wilson was collecting crocodile eggs during the 2022 flight that ultimately took his life.
In the first week of the trial, the jury heard Mr Wilson was attached to a sling that allowed him to be lowered onto crocodile nests from the airborne helicopter.
The prosecution described it as "risky and dangerous work".
Pilot Sebastian Robinson told the court — while he has no memory of the crash due to his traumatic brain injury — he must have "intentionally disconnected" Mr Wilson's sling before he fell 25 metres to his death. Chris Wilson was a young father who starred in Wild Croc Territory. ( Supplied )
Before the fatal accident, Mr Wilson had starred alongside Matt Wright in TV shows Outback Wrangler and Wild Croc Territory.
Mr Wilson's wife, Danielle, has been attending every day of the Supreme Court trial in Darwin. Danielle Wilson's husband was killed in the 2022 chopper crash. ( ABC News: Dane Hirst ) Mick Burns Mick Burns is well known in the Top End's crocodile farming industry. ( ABC News: Dane Hirst )
Crocodile farmer Mick Burns was the first witness to take the stand in this trial.
He attended the crash site soon after the accident with Matt Wright and off-duty police officer Neil Mellon.
Mr Burns runs the business that contracted the fatal crocodile egg-collecting mission — which farms crocs for meat and sells their skins to luxury fashion brands like Hermes. Mick Burns is well known in the Top End's crocodile farming industry. ( ABC News: Dane Hirst )
Under questioning from the prosecution regarding the crash scene in 2022, Mr Burns said he didn't see anyone go near the downed aircraft's cockpit.
He told jurors he saw helicopter pilot Michael Burbidge look in its fuel tank and asked him if there "was any fuel", to which he replied "yes". Neil Mellon Neil Mellon was not on duty when he agreed to attend the crash scene with Matt Wright. ( ABC News: Dane Hirst )
Former NT police officer Neil Mellon, who extracted Chris "Willow" Wilson's body from the harness, was the second witness to give evidence before the jury.
Mr Mellon said Mr Wright had asked him to attend the crash and he agreed because of his experience with specialist policing. Neil Mellon was not on duty when he agreed to attend the crash scene with Matt Wright. ( ABC News: Dane Hirst )
Mr Mellon told jurors he removed Mr Wilson's phone from his body and passed it to Mick Burbidge, who then made a passing comment that widow Danielle Wilson "doesn't need to see what's on that".
He said Mr Burbidge told him months later the phone was "gone" and "in the ocean".
The jury's heard Mr Mellon later resigned from the police force following charges over his role in the phone's disposal. Michael Burbidge Michael Burbridge is the director of Remote Helicopters Australia. ( ABC News: Dane Hirst )
Michael Burbidge was piloting another chopper on the crocodile egg-collecting mission and was the first to arrive at the crash scene.
He told jurors he "got rid of" Chris Wilson's phone after ex-police officer Neil Mellon handed it to him, saying Matt Wright had nothing to do with it.
The jury's heard Mr Burbidge was charged over his role in the phone's disposal, to which he pleaded guilty. Michael Burbridge is the director of Remote Helicopters Australia. ( ABC News: Dane Hirst )
The jury also heard a covert recording of a call between Mr Wright and Mr Burbidge after the crash, in which the pilot told Mr Wright engineers had written in the crashed chopper's logbook about when "the clocks been off".
He denied ever speaking to Mr Wright about disconnecting the Hobbs meter, which records an aircraft's flight hours, in Mr Wright's helicopters.
A month before the fatal accident, Mr Burbidge and fellow pilot Sebastian Robinson agreed to call off a separate crocodile egg-collecting mission due to safety concerns. Jock Purcell Jock Purcell appeared in the Wild Croc Territory TV show. ( Supplied: Channel 9, Wild Croc Territory )
Jock Purcell worked for Matt Wright as a crocodile egg collector and a pilot in the years leading up to the accident.
Mr Purcell starred in Wild Croc Territory, and told jurors he also worked as an airboat driver and tour guide in another of Mr Wright's businesses. Jock Purcell appeared in the Wild Croc Territory TV show. ( Supplied: Channel 9, Wild Croc Territory )
While waiting for CareFlight to arrive at the remote crash scene, he said nobody approached the downed chopper or checked its fuel tank.
Mr Purcell later said someone, he didn't recall who, lifted the dash of the crashed chopper and — after checking it himself — he confirmed the Hobbs meter was connected.
Responding to the prosecution's questions, Mr Purcell admitted he had failed to record flights more than 10 times before the fatal accident.
He told jurors he had disconnected the Hobbs meter in the past, and seen Mr Wright do so previously as well. The prosecution Jason Gullaci SC is the Crown prosecutor in the Supreme Court trial. ( ABC News: Dane Hirst )
Jason Gullaci SC is the Crown prosecutor in the case against Matt Wright.
In his opening address, Mr Gullaci told jurors Mr Wright had been involved in the "systemic under-recording" of flight hours for the helicopter before the fateful crocodile egg-collecting trip.
He alleged Mr Wright's concern that the under-recording would be revealed motivated him to engage in a cover-up. Jason Gullaci SC is the Crown prosecutor in the Supreme Court trial. ( ABC News: Dane Hirst )
Mr Gullaci told jurors Mr Wright went into the downed helicopter after arriving at the scene, "play[ed] around with the dash" and removed some items.
The prosecution's also alleged Mr Wright lied when he told police there was half a tank of fuel in the helicopter's tank when he checked it at the scene.
Mr Gullaci alleged Mr Wright, by sending a friend to visit Sebastian Robinson in hospital, tried to "get his hands on documents that allow him to control what might be said to investigators". The defence David Edwardson KC (left) is the defence lawyer for Matt Wright. ( ABC News: Dane Hirst )
Prominent barrister David Edwardson KC and solicitor Luke Officer are representing Matt Wright, who they say "emphatically denies" the allegations against him.
We've heard the defence question the strength of the prosecution's evidence, including the reliability of key witness testimonies. Matt Wright pictured walking to court with his wife Kaia Wright and legal team. ( ABC News: Dane Hirst )
Mr Edwardson also described the prosecution's allegations that Mr Wright had deleted items from Mr Robinson's phone as "an absolute falsehood".
Mr Edwardson has said much of the prosecution's case was based on its interpretation of what were "extremely poor" quality recordings.
Matt Wright is charged with three counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice. He has pleaded not guilty.
The court heard allegations the chopper had enough fuel to make the trip. ( ABC News: Randi Dahnial )
Charge one alleges Mr Wright lied in a police interview about checking the helicopter's fuel tank at the scene of the crash.
The prosecution said while Mr Wright told police the chopper had half a tank of fuel, covertly-recorded conversations allegedly recorded him admitting "I didn't see f***in' any fuel in the tank, zero".
Sebastian Robinson told jurors the chopper did not run out of fuel and said a photo from the day of the crash, shown to the jury, showed the tank was "three quarters full".
Timothy Luck, another witness who had piloted Mr Wright's aircraft in the past, said he'd filled up the chopper "completely" at Mount Borradaile minutes before the crash. Charge two The court heard Matt Wright visited the injured pilot in hospital. ( ABC News: Randi Dahnial )
Charge two relates to allegations Matt Wright visited crash survivor Sebastian Robinson in hospital and asked him to doctor flight logs.
The prosecution alleges Mr Wright's requests, between March 3 and 13, 2022, were made in an attempt to hide the true amount of hours the chopper had flown before it crashed.
The court's heard allegations Mr Wright had deleted notes and texts from Mr Robinson's phone and asked him to "manipulate" flight hours, but the pilot told him "no". Charge three The Crown is using evidence from secret audio recordings. ( ABC News: Randi Dahnial )
Charge three relates to conversations prosecutors say Matt Wright had between September 21 and 25, 2022.
One is a secretly-recorded midnight conversation in which the prosecution alleges Matt Wright's directed an associate to burn the downed chopper's maintenance document.
Prosecutors say Mr Wright can be heard saying: "Just torch it … I've got to send it to CASA (Civil Aviation Safety Authority) or the ATSB (Australian Transport Safety Bureau)".
The helicopter was found damaged and in an upright position. Photo taken by Careflight and supplied by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau on April 19, 2022 ( Supplied: Careflight )
A Hobbs meter is used in an aircraft to track its time in the air or how long the engine's been running.
The fewer hours that are logged, the less frequent the aircraft is required undergo costly maintenance.
The prosecution's case centres on allegations Helibrook had a culture of "systemic under-reporting" that Mr Wright feared "could be used as a way to blame him for the accident".
Prosecutors allege Mr Wright checked the downed chopper to see whether the Hobbs metre was attached.
In a phone call to his co-star Jock Purcell — covertly recorded months after the crash and played to the jury — Mr Wright allegedly said "the Hobbs had been touched".
Sebastian Robinson told jurors it was "very common" for Mr Wright's employees to disconnect his helicopters' Hobbs meters and neglect to record flight hours.
Mr Robinson said it was a practice he was familiar with in the industry, before working for Mr Wright. Secret recordings The prosecution has been sharing evidence from secret recordings, taped covertly inside Matt Wright's home. ( Supplied: Pexels / dlxmedia.hu )
The prosecution has been airing evidence from secret recordings, taped covertly inside Matt Wright's home between six and nine months after the crash.
According to the Crown, Mr Wright was heard instructing associate Jai Tomlinson to "torch" helicopter-maintenance forms — which investigators had been looking for — more than six months after the crash.
"Just burn the c**t," Mr Wright is alleged to have said.
Another secret recording allegedly captures Mr Wright telling his wife, Kaia Wright, "I don't write shit down. I don't even have a f***ing log book" of flying hours.
Mr Wright's defence team said he "emphatically denies" the prosecution's cover-up allegations, and said the secret recordings were "extremely poor" quality.
The prosecution has also played a secret recording from Mr Wright's visit to pilot Sebastian Robinson in hospital. Cocaine use Alkaloid substance as cocaine white powder lines with Euro notes is seen in this photo illustration. On 9 August 2023 in Brussels, Belgium. (Photo illustration by Jonathan Raa/NurPhoto via Getty Images) ( Getty Images: Jonathan Raa/NurPhoto )
The jury's heard a blood sample taken from pilot Sebastian Robinson after the crash contained traces of cocaine.
However, in its opening statement the prosecution said the evidence would show it was below the "prescribed amount for enforcement" under aviation regulations and would not have affected pilot's control.
The defence alleged Mr Robinson had been consuming cocaine at a birthday party two days before the crash, but the injured pilot said he had no memory of that gathering.
Mr Robinson denied the prosecution's suggestion he'd been "a raging cocaine junkie" and "a drug dealer" but admitted to "trafficking" small amounts of cocaine to friends and others.
Pilot Jock Purcell told jurors Mr Robinson had a reputation as a "party animal" and was a "regular and frequent user of cocaine". Logbooks Generic image of some kind of logbook or admin documentation. ( Supplied: Pexels / Connor McManus )
Evidence heard about helicopter flight records relates to Matt Wright's second and third charges.
The jury's heard claims Tim Johnston, a colleague of Matt Wright, visited the injured pilot Sebastian Robinson in hospital and "pressured" his brother to hand over a flight logbook.
Jurors heard Mr Robinson's mother then rang Mr Johnston and asked him to hand back the logbook, which he did.
Mr Johnston gave evidence that he was given the pilot's diary, but gave it back after he said Mr Wright told him he'd "done the wrong thing".
The court's also heard allegations Mr Wright visited Mr Robinson in hospital and asked him to to take "15 to 20 hours off" the crashed chopper's flight records.
The prosecution's also aired bugged phone calls in which Mr Wright is alleged to have instructed an associate to "torch" helicopter maintenance forms.
The prosecution's case centres on allegations Mr Wright's company Helibrook had a culture of "under-reporting" flight hours, that the Netflix star feared "could be used as a way to blame him for the accident". Covid-19 rule-breaking A spot for a vaccination check in queue. ( ABC News: Danielle Bonica )
The court's heard claims Matt Wright was an "anti-vaxxer", in testimony by pilot Sebastian Robinson.
The injured pilot told jurors Mr Wright was not allowed to go on crocodile egg-collecting trips on Aboriginal land at the time of the crash due to Covid restrictions in place then.
In visiting the hospital, Mr Robinson also alleged the TV star broke Covid restrictions, due to him being unvaccinated. Fuel tank Petrol pump generic image. ( Supplied: Marek Studzinski on Unsplash )
Evidence heard about the level of fuel in the chopper at the time it crashed relates to Matt Wright's first charge.
The prosecution's alleged Mr Wright lied in a police interview about checking the downed chopper's fuel tank.
The evidence includes covertly-recorded conversations in which Mr Wright allegedly contradicts his statement about the level of fuel in the tank.
Pilot Sebastian Robinson has told jurors he "knew in his heart" that the helicopter did not run out of fuel during the crash, and described other accounts as "rumours and whispers".
Another witness, Timothy Luck, said he was "very confident" he refuelled the chopper at Mount Borradaile shortly before the crash.
The ABC has launched a new podcast, The Case Of, which has kicked off with twice-weekly episodes on Matt Wright's criminal trial.
ABC Northern Territory court reporter Olivana Lathouris, along with Stephen Stockwell, unpack the prosecution's case against Mr Wright and how his legal team will defend the charges.
If you have any questions you'd like them to answer in future episodes, you can email thecaseof@abc.net.au.
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'Denial of natural justice' Ms Burrows told the court on Wednesday that Lehrmann was the victim of procedural unfairness because the findings of Justice Lee were different to the case put forward at trial. 'It's a really, serious unfair denial of natural justice if Mr Lehrmann goes through a trial where it's said 'you are accused of A, B, D, E to Ms Higgins, this is the way it happened. And the judge finds 'well I don't find any of those A, B, C, D, E',' Ms Burrows said. However Justice Michael Wigney replied: 'That's not what happened. He did a find … it was A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I … A number of the matters alleged and particularised were found.' Ms Burrows further argued that it was pleaded by Ten and Wilkinson as a 'violent rape' but Justice Lee found it was a 'non-violent rape'. Justice Craig Colvin replied: 'I'm not sure he found a non-violent rape and I'm not sure that's a concept that I understand.' Ms Burrows told the court that Lehrmann was 'taken by surprise' that Justice Lee made findings that differed from Ms Higgins' account and 'he came up with a different version, a softer version.' 'Australia's most hated man' In his judgment, Justice Lee found that Lehrmann could have only been awarded $20,000 had he won the trial. However Ms Burrows said he should be awarded a substantial amount if he had the findings overturned on appeal. She has pointed to media coverage of the trial, 'social media insults he gets' and other 'harassment'. 'He's pretty much become the national joke,' Ms Burrows said. 'As I previously submitted to this court, he's probably Australia's most hated man.' Ten attack's Lehrmann's 'astonishing' claim Dr Collins on Wednesday attacked Lehrmann's argument that he might have given different evidence had he known the findings that Justice Lee was going to make. At trial, Lehrmann told the court that he had no sexual contact with Ms Higgins at Parliament House. Ms Burrows told the court on Wednesday that he was the victim of procedural fairness and was surprised by Justice Lee's findings. But Dr Collins attacked that argument as 'astonishing' given that he has persistently claimed that he did not have sex with Ms Higgins. 'Our learned friend said today at the bar table that well the unfairness resides in the fact they might have called further evidence, although she backed away from that when questioned about that evidence might have been,' Dr Collins said. 'There were only two people in the room. 'But she said Mr Lehrmann's evidence might have been different. 'That's, with respect, an astonishing submission. 'It could only be that had the pleading alleged a sexual assault in which consent was in question, he would have conceded having sexual intercourse with her and argued that he had her consent or thought he had her consent.'

News.com.au
4 hours ago
- News.com.au
Jordan Spencer: Woman pleads guilty to Shepparton fire attack on Paris Carpio
A woman who set a 20-year-old on fire has made a shock claim about what she used to carry out the horror attack. Jordan Spencer, 34, doused Paris Carpio with petrol in the front yard of her Shepparton home in January last year before igniting the young woman with a lighter. Spencer, a mother of five, appeared in the Victorian Supreme Court on Thursday for a pre-sentence hearing after pleading guilty to a charge of intentionally causing serious injury in circumstances of gross violence. She would not meet the eye of three members of Ms Carpio's family as she entered court flanked by two custody officers and was seated in the dock. Previously, the court was told Ms Carpio was visiting family and friends in the northern Victorian city on January 15 when she encountered Spencer's boyfriend Rob McLaren while drinking with a friend at Rigg Reserve. Mr McLaren, who is not accused of any wrongdoing, took Ms Carpio's e-scooter and rode off when she'd walked to a nearby milk bar to purchase cigarettes at 5.20pm. About 15 minutes later, Ms Carpio attended Spencer's home 'upset and clearly intoxicated' looking for Mr McLaren, yelling that she wanted her e-scooter back. She spoke to Spencer, who said Mr McLaren wasn't there, and later smashed a window and attempted to force her way into the home. Ms Carpio left after Spencer called triple-0 but returned less than an hour later after spotting Mr McLaren riding the streets on her device. She broke a glass panel near the front door, with Spencer urging her to come inside, saying 'I'll give you what you deserve'. Just before 6.30pm as Ms Carpio was backing away Spencer exited the house, flinging a bowl of petrol at the young woman and repeatedly attempting to ignite the lighter. Outlining the facts of the case, Crown prosecutor John Dickie said CCTV recorded that Spencer 'watched Ms Carpio burning' before picking up her lighter and going inside. Ms Carpio suffered severe burns to her upper body and was rushed to hospital in Melbourne in a critical state, while Spencer walked to a neighbour's house and attempted to blame her victim. Inside her home police discovered a jerry can with two litres of petrol on a kitchen bench and the jet lighter on the dining table. In recorded jailhouse calls, Spencer blamed Mr McLaren for 'causing the whole instigation of the f--king argument' and claiming she was 'f--ked' because he hadn't removed the CCTV recording. 'Yeah, well you didn't come to fix what you started so I had to,' she said. The court was told Spencer maintains the bowl of petrol and lighter had been placed by the front door by Mr McLaren as a home defence tool. She claimed she didn't know what was in the bowl but had been instructed by Mr McLaren to use it if threatened. Justice Andrew Tinney described this claim as 'highly implausible', noting that while there had been a spate of fire attacks in recent memory, they were 'in the heat of the moment' incidents. 'I've never heard of the proposition of protecting a drug house by having a bowl of petrol … it just sounds pretty outlandish,' the judge said. The court was told Spencer had been using methamphetamine in the days leading up to the attack. Called to give evidence on Thursday, clinical psychologist Courtney Steffens said she believed the offending was influenced by Spencer's drug use, traumatic background and diagnoses of complex PTSD and borderline personality disorder. She said she'd assessed Spencer and formed the view that the 'severely disproportionate' reaction was a fear response, linked to concern for her safety and that of her children. 'Because of the impulsivity and emotional dysregulation she didn't think fully about the consequences of her actions,' the psychologist said. This was challenged by Mr Dickie, who argued that Spencer was intent on setting fire to Ms Carpio and motivated by anger towards her. 'I would not be prepared to solely conclude that,' Ms Steffens said. 'My impression was that she was experiencing emotional dysregulation … she was in a state of fear.' In a statement to the court, Ms Carpio, now 22, said her life had been changed forever by an 'act of cruelty and inhumanity' perpetrated by Spencer. 'My family was told multiple times that I might not survive. They watched over me helpless, praying that I would wake up,' she said. 'I am here today, but survival came at enormous cost physically and emotionally and psychologically.' Ms Carpio said before the incident she was a 'joyful person', loving life and feeling comfortable in her own skin. 'Jordan Spencer stole that from me. She didn't just hurt my body, she destroyed a part of my spirit,' she said. 'Every day is a battle to stay alive, to stay hopeful, to believe in something better, but that battle is exhausting. 'No sentence Jordan Spencer receives will ever truly be enough. There is no number of years in prison that can erase the suffering I've endured, the pain, the fear, the depression, the disfigurement, the stolen sense of self.'