Man, 59, charged by AFP after allegedly assaulting cabin crew over bathroom dispute on Brisbane-bound plane
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ABC News
2 hours ago
- ABC News
TV star Matt Wright's Supreme Court trial: Covert recordings capture TV star asking friend to 'torch' evidence, jury hears
Covert recordings of Matt Wright, which prosecutors alleged capture him instructing a friend to "torch" evidence following a fatal 2022 helicopter crash, have been laid out for jurors in his Supreme Court trial. The celebrity crocodile wrangler has pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice in the wake of the crash that killed his Netflix co-star Chris "Willow" Wilson and seriously injured pilot Sebastian Robinson. Mr Wright is not accused of any wrongdoing in relation to the crash, with the charges confined to his alleged attempts to frustrate the investigation that followed. The court previously heard Mr Wright was allegedly concerned any investigation would expose "systemic under-recording" of flight hours, a practice prosecutors said was common in the industry. On Thursday, Crown prosecutor Jason Gullaci SC told the jury the recordings captured Mr Wright "putting the hard word" on Mr Robinson to doctor the helicopter's records while he was laid up in a Brisbane hospital following the crash. He said while "there were plenty of people who were doing this under-recording" in the NT, the case was "about the allegation the prosecution makes of [Mr Wright] then doubling down on that and trying to hide it". In another recording, Mr Gullaci said Mr Wright was captured discussing the destruction of the flight records with a friend, saying "they are starting to put the pressure on everyone" and "they will start squealing". "[Mr Wright's friend] then says, according to the prosecution case, 'Whatever, boys, lawyer up boys,'" he said. Mr Gullaci said the Crown alleged other recordings captured Mr Wright saying "just torch it" and "I reckon CASA are chasing the original to set us up". In reply, defence barrister David Edwardson KC said Mr Wright "emphatically denies" the allegations and "the credibility of Sebastian Robinson and his extended family is seriously in issue". "Members of the jury, by his pleas of not guilty to all three counts, Matt Wright denies that he did any such thing," he said. Mr Edwardson said much of the prosecution's case was based on its interpretation of what were "extremely poor" quality recordings. He said Mr Wright had personally shown investigators the flight records before his wife, Kaia Wright, uploaded a copy to police. The lawyer also offered a "word of warning" that jurors "must confine your task to what you hear in this courtroom and nothing else". "There has been an extraordinary amount of public interest in this case and this helicopter crash generally," Mr Edwardson said. The first witness called in the trial on Thursday was Darwin businessman and crocodile farmer Mick Burns, who fought back tears as he recounted the day of Mr Wilson's death. Mr Burns said he flew to the crash scene with Mr Wright and accompanied Mr Wilson's body back to Darwin before speaking with his parents. "I remember that somebody gave me Sebastian Robinson's phone but I can't remember who that was," Mr Burns said. "I gave it to his mother, at the hospital, Darwin hospital, it was that night." Former NT Police officer Neil Mellon also testified on Thursday, telling jurors he flew out to the scene of the crash with Mr Wright, becoming visibly emotional in court as he recalled placing Mr Wilson in a body bag. Mr Mellon said he handed Mr Wilson's phone to chopper pilot Mick Burbidge who then made a reference to Mr Wilson's wife, Danielle Wilson. "It was a fleeting comment, it was just — and again, it didn't pique my interest, I didn't pay any attention to it — it was almost a, 'Haha, oh, Dani doesn't need to see what's on that,'" he said. Mr Mellon said Mr Burbidge told him months later the phone was "gone" and "in the ocean". The jury then heard a recorded statutory declaration Mr Wright made in the days after the crash, in which he told detectives the crocodile egg-collecting was "the only operation in the world that consists of what we're doing". "As much as the lads see it as a fun adventurous day, it's also a serious operation that we're doing," he said on the recording. When he arrived at the scene, Mr Wright said "everyone was pretty distraught" and "Willow was there with a tarp over him". "It just looked like Seb [Robinson] had done everything he could in our training," he said. The trial continues in Darwin on Friday.
News.com.au
7 hours ago
- News.com.au
World Cup host Morocco under pressure to save stray dogs
Animal welfare groups have accused Morocco of culling stray dogs as it prepares to host football's 2030 World Cup, but the kingdom denies the accusations, vowing to protect the canines. Advocates have charged that Morocco was indiscriminately ridding its streets of strays ahead of the global sporting event it will jointly host with Portugal and Spain. Authorities in the North African country, however, insist they had endorsed a non-lethal method known as TNVR -- to trap, neuter, vaccinate, and then release the dogs -- aimed at reducing public health risks while controlling the stray population. And a bill aimed at protecting street animals was adopted earlier this month, still pending parliament review. It would set fines of up to $1,500 or jail terms of up to three months for harming stray dogs, according to a copy of the bill seen by AFP. Yet the culling accusations persist as online videos show dogs being shot or poisoned with strychnine, a toxic alkaloid which is sometimes used as a pesticide. In the videos from across the country, some of the dogs appear to already have marks on their ears indicating they had been sterilised and vaccinated. Mohammed, a resident of Tangiers in Morocco's north who refused to give his last name for fear of retribution, said he witnessed a dog he had often seen in the neighbourhood where he works get poisoned and killed. "I heard her cry before I saw her die," he recalled. That dog, too, had its ear tagged, he said. - 'Bad image' - An online petition launched by the International Animal Coalition to end the "violent killing of dogs on the streets and beaches of Morocco" has gathered nearly 75,000 signatures. In June, an activist interrupted a FIFA Club World Cup match, invading the pitch with a sign that read: "Morocco: stop shooting dogs and cats". France's Brigitte Bardot Foundation, created by the movie star in 1986 to promote animal protection, has called on FIFA to block Morocco from hosting the 2030 tournament. Moroccan Interior Minister Abdelouafi Laftit has decried "media attacks" against the government with "wrong and out-of-context information". Advocates say Morocco has around three million stray dogs, but no official figures exist. Each year, there are about 100,000 stray dog bites nationwide, according to official data. In 2024, authorities said 33 people died from rabies, which is often transmitted by unvaccinated animals. "Local officials still see dogs on the streets as presenting a bad image," said Salima Kadaoui, 52, who launched the Hayat project, using the TNVR method to help control the stray dog population in Tangiers and aiming at eradicating rabies. - Rabies 'police' - Kadaoui commended government efforts to protect animals, saying she was "fully available" to work with authorities and build up on the success of Hayat -- meaning "life" in Arabic -- which has treated more than 4,600 dogs in Tangiers alone since 2016. She said it was "essential" not to kill TNVR-tagged dogs and to return them to the same place. "They're like police against rabies. If a rabid dog shows up, they drive it away and protect the community." The government has invested more than $24 million in creating clinics capable of implementing TNVR en masse, said Mohammed Roudani, head of hygiene and green spaces at the interior ministry. One clinic is already active in Al Arjat, near the capital Rabat, where veterinarian Youssef Lhor said more than 500 dogs had been treated this year and nearly half of them released back to the areas where they had been captured. A young female dog, tagged "636", was recovering at the clinic after being sterilised, and will soon be released. "Sometimes people tell us: 'You took the dogs away, why are you bringing them back?'" said Lhor, highlighting the need for public awareness on the issue. Moroccan authorities have developed a mobile app explaining what these clinics do, and allowing users to report sightings of stray dogs. Kadaoui said it was important to educate people on proper behaviour around strays and to warn against myths, like the idea that spitting on a dog bite could heal the injury.
News.com.au
7 hours ago
- News.com.au
Woman chained to bed, only allowed to leave to eat, police allege
A woman was chained to her bed, unlocked only to eat and use the toilet, so she didn't 'sneak out of the house to have sex with other men', police will allege in a case against her boyfriend who is now facing a raft of domestic violence charges. Broadie McGugan escaped from her alleged attacker Zane Woodward on Tuesday while she was at an ATM machine, hiding in a nearby chemist before making it to a nearby police station. Woodward was charged 24 hours later at his home and refused bail to appear in court later this month. Police will allege Ms McGugan was involved in a relationship with 34-year-old Woodward since September 2024. Sometime in June or July this year Woodward started chaining her to the bed by her right ankle at night, to prevent her from 'sneaking out' to have sex with other men, police allege. The chain consisted of a 'heavy set, metal chain link which was fashioned into a cuff and padlocked to her right ankle', according to police. 'This cuff was then padlocked to a chain that was secured to the bed frame,' Woodward is accused of taking Ms McGugan's mobile phone, wallet and keys, isolating her from her family, friends and work. Police will allege Woodward's behaviour continued to escalate and over the last week he started chaining the victim up during the day. Woodward had to unlock the chain to allow her to use the toilet or to eat food, according to police documents. He would occasionally deny her from using the toilet and would keep her chained up while he left the house, they said. About 2pm on Tuesday the alleged victim managed to escape from Woodward when he took her to the ATM in Central Ave, Oak Flats to check a bank balance. She fled and hid in a pharmacy and managed to flag down a customer to help her while Woodward allegedly drove laps of Central Ave looking for her. After reporting the matter to police the alleged victim was taken to Shellharbour Hospital where it was discovered she had numerous broken ribs, bruising and fractured eye socket which medical experts said were a couple of weeks old. The next day Woodward was arrested at his address and taken to Lake Illawarra Police Station where he was charged with kidnap with intent to commit a serious indictable offence, two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm – DV, take and detail a person with intent to obtain advantage, common assault and intimidation.
