Helicopter pilot injured in Outback Wrangler crash makes drug admission as text messages on his phone are read out to court: 'Want bags'
Sebastian Robinson was left a paraplegic after the February 2022 crash that killed Outback Wrangler co-star Chris 'Willow' Wilson in Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory.
Mr Robinson is giving evidence in the Supreme Court in Darwin at the trial of Wright, who has pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice.
Prosecutors allege the TV star was worried crash investigators would discover flight-time meters were disconnected regularly to extend flying hours beyond official thresholds and paperwork was falsified.
Mr Wilson fell to the ground from a sling beneath the chopper while collecting crocodile eggs in remote swampland.
The aircraft then crashed, seriously injuring Mr Robinson, who is giving evidence by video link from his wheelchair.
He previously told the court Wright asked him to manipulate the hours on his aircraft while the pilot was lying seriously injured in hospital.
The 32-year-old also admitted that he used cocaine about twice a year.
But senior defence counsel David Edwardson KC on Thursday read out text messages extracted from Mr Robinson's mobile phone by police, detailing regular exchanges with friends about the supply of the drug.
Mr Edwardson previously alleged Mr Robinson was a cocaine-using 'party animal' in the lead-up to the crash.
The text messages from November 2018 to August 2021 included lines from friends asking him if he was 'getting more coke' or could he 'get good stuff for Chrissy party' and did he have 'some Charlie'.
One message read 'footy players in town and want bags', with Mr Edwardson asking Mr Robinson if that referred to Richmond and whether he planned to supply them with cocaine.
Mr Robinson said he could not recall that message, adding he had never flown helicopters while high.
In response to Mr Edwardson's line of questioning, he also said: 'Are you implying that I'm a drug dealer? No'.
In another message exchange, Mr Robinson said he was 'crook as a dog' with a friend texting back, 'snorting too much coke out of Matty's arse'.
Wright chuckled in the dock when the message was read out.
Jurors were on Thursday also played a phone video of Mr Robinson appearing to pour Bundaberg rum into a cup for an Aboriginal ranger in alcohol-restricted Arnhem Land, saying: 'I'll sort you out.'
Another video showed him with a ranger holding what appeared to be a joint, with Mr Robinson saying 'that's some strong shit'.
A photo also showed Mr Robinson with a wooden pipe, which he told the court wasn't for marijuana.
'Hand on my heart that was a tobacco pipe,' he said, declining to admit he smoked cannabis.
Mr Robinson admitted he smoked a hemp vape for nerve pain while he was recovering in hospital after the crash.
The jury earlier heard that Wright visited Mr Robinson while he was heavily sedated in hospital 10 days after the crash and asked him to manipulate flying hour records.
Mr Robinson said he declined to do so.
The charges against Wright do not relate to the cause of the accident and the prosecution does not allege he is responsible for either the crash, Mr Wilson's death or Mr Robinson's injuries.
The trial continues.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
4 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Watch the tense moment a father comes face to face with the monster who killed his three kids in the Oatlands crash tragedy - and his VERY surprising reaction
The father of three children tragically killed when a drunk driver ploughed into them in the Sydney suburb of Oatlands has met their killer behind bars. Danny Abdallah embraced Samuel William Davidson - a man who was drunk, high on drugs and speeding when he hit a group of seven children out getting ice cream - as the two met inside Cessnock Correctional Centre for a Spotlight interview. Abdallah siblings Sienna, 8, Angelina, 12 and Antony, 13, along with their cousin Veronique Sakr, 11, were killed instantly in the crash while another in the group of seven, Charbel Kassas, 11, was badly injured and spent two months in a coma. Danny and his wife Leila have previously explained how they forgave Davidson so as not to 'hold onto hate' for the the sake of their remaining children but just how deep that runs was revealed in the extraordinary meeting. Davidson had been sentenced to 20 years in prison with a non-parole period of 15 year but Danny revealed that, if it were up to him, he would see him released tomorrow. 'Whether it's 100 years or one day, it's not going to make me feel any different,' Danny said. He explained his focus was on his children and that whether Davidson was in jail or not made no difference but that he understood 'justice was more for the community to see that this type of behaviour is punished'. Danny prayed with Davidson while visiting him in jail after having previously revealed how he converted to Maronite Catholicism, which Danny's family follow. Davidson also apologised to Danny, his family, emergency service workers who attended the scene, neighbours who witnessed the crash and the wider community before he shared a warning to not get behind the wheel while intoxicated.
Telegraph
5 hours ago
- Telegraph
BBC calls police after Strictly cocaine investigation
The BBC has called in police after its investigation into alleged cocaine use on Strictly Come Dancing by two stars. Bosses launched an inquiry into the apparent drug use in what is the latest controversy to hit the Saturday night prime-time show. The Metropolitan Police is now investigating, ahead of the start of the 23rd series next month, the Sun on Sunday reported. 'It's a significant new development in the BBC's recent string of crises that they have now got the police involved in investigating allegations surrounding Strictly,' a source said. 'This is a very dramatic turn of events. 'Despite all the show and its team have been through over recent months, it's hugely controversial that you've now got Scotland Yard detectives probing Strictly. 'This is their biggest prime-time family entertainment show, so it's not a good look for the BBC.' Corporation bosses appointed law firm Pinsent Masons earlier this month to investigate the claims. Ongoing investigation into bullying The allegations were first made by Russells, another law firm, in March on behalf of Wynne Evans, a former contestant on the show, who was dropped by the BBC after apologising for using 'inappropriate language' during the launch of the Strictly tour. Others have also reported drug use on the show, with a celebrity allegedly claiming it was 'well known on the show that two stars took cocaine'. This is despite an ongoing investigation into bullying and inappropriate behaviour on the show over the past 14 months. A Met Police spokesman said: 'On Monday 4 August, the Metropolitan Police received a third-party allegation. 'The police investigation is in its early stages. No arrests have been made at this time.' Alleged drug use is the latest scandal to shake Strictly in recent years. Last year, Amanda Abbington, an actress who starred in Sherlock, alleged she was subjected to 'inappropriate, mean, nasty bullying' by Giovanni Pernice, a former Strictly dancer, while she was a contestant in 2023. In a review published last year, the corporation found no findings relating to physical aggression, but complaints of verbal bullying and harassment were upheld. The fallout from the review sparked the BBC to update its duty of care practices on the show and led Strictly to chaperones being present when celebrities and dancers were practising their routines. Italian dancer Pernice, who rejected 'any claim of threatening or abusive behaviour', welcomed the conclusion of the BBC review. Abbington left the dance show early, citing 'personal reasons' before alleging 'inappropriate behaviour'. Separately, Evans, the Welsh opera singer known for starring in adverts for GoCompare, was dropped by the corporation for using 'inappropriate language' during the launch of the Strictly tour. Evans went on to accuse Strictly of being 'fundamentally flawed in its duty of care', alleging the BBC had engaged in a series of 'lies and cover‑ups in order to absolve themselves of any wrongdoing'. He previously said he had never approved of the statement that was issued by the BBC in January in which he apologised for making an 'inappropriate and unacceptable' comment.
Daily Mail
5 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Notorious Kinahan drug cartel introduces McDonald's-style franchise system to flood the streets of Ireland with cocaine
Ireland's notorious Kinahan drugs cartel has introduced a fast-food-style franchise system in its efforts to continue dominating the cocaine trade. The drugs syndicate has muscled its way back to being the dominant force in the Irish cocaine scene in recent months, reasserting itself as the main supplier to almost all major criminal organisations across the country again. Such is their stranglehold on the trade, that many of the gangs who filled some of the holes left by the mobsters when they fled to Dubai in the mid-2010s to exploit the lack of extradition agreement between the UAE and the EU, are also now back on board. Representatives from narcotics networks in Dublin and beyond are believed to have travelled to Dubai to meet high-ranking members of the Kinahan cartel to arrange future shipments directly from them. Those said to have travelled to the Middle East are a Clondalkin gang known as 'The Family' as well as another group who operate from Cabra, who have long been involved in major drug trafficking operations, according to The Times. It is reported that this power play by the Kinahans will now see them operate like a franchise, flooding cocaine to gangs through the streets of Ireland akin to how fast-food suppliers deliver produce to stores in an attempt to eliminate competition. The move may explain the recent decrease in gangland feuds and murders across Ireland, with the street price of the Class A drug also remaining at a stable level after a sharp increase last year. The Kinahan's new network structure is believed to be a repeat - or is at least similar - to how the cartel up bulked itself up during its original network before a series of global law enforcement operations targeted its leadership. Drugs kingpin Thomas 'Bomber' Kavanagh, who ran the UK arm of the Kinahan catrel, is one of the major players to be brought down in recent times. He was jailed for 21 years at Ipswich Crown Court in March 2022 after pleading guilty to conspiring to import class A and B drugs and money laundering offences in July 2020. Fearing the same fate, the cartel's leader Christy 'Dapper Don' Kinahan, 68, and his two sons Daniel, 48, and Christopher Jr, 44, have already devised a contingency plan should the gardai attempt to extradite them from their base in Dubai. The Irish government signed two treaties with UAE representatives which allowed them to extradite suspected organised crime accomplices last October - a move which now has the Kinahans on red alert. Security sources also told The Times that 'Dapper Don' now travels with a bodyguard when in public, such is his paranoia about being snared. Author Mark Galeotti, an expert on multi-country crime, told the publication that the cartel's move to seemingly become a drugs conglomerate made sense - for them. The three are said to have already devised a contingency plan should the gardai attempt to extradite them from their base in Dubai He said: 'If you've got all the architecture, the pipeline, the infrastructure in order to move the drugs and you know where the markets are, why would you abandon that? Isn't it better to trade that out to others who are going to be your proxies in effect?' The Kinahan's global clients are said to include Mexican cartels, Hezbollah and Iran's intelligence services. It is believed that the gang have assets worth around $1.5billion hidden in offshore accounts and in hidden international investments. The cartel was previously headed-up by Liam Byrne, who relocated to Dubai when Garda drug teams began closing in. He was arrested in June 2023 while holidaying in Mallorca and was later extradited to the UK. Byrne, a close friend of 'Dapper Don', was convicted of firearms offences by Britain's National Crime Agency and was released on licence in January. In April 2022, the US Department of State placed up to $5million in rewards for information that leads to each of the arrests and prosecution of 'Dapper Don' and his two sons, branding them the heads of a major international drugs cartel.
