Update in Netflix star's trial over fatal crash
On Wednesday, Matt Wright was told his jury would only be selected next Tuesday, six days after his NT Supreme Court trial was anticipated to begin.
The 45-year-old Netflix reality television star of Outback Wrangler has pleaded not guilty to three allegations of attempting to pervert the course of justice following the death of his co-star Chris 'Willow' Wilson three years ago.
The 34-year-old father was killed after his helicopter crashed into a paperbark swamp at the King River in Arnhem Land on February 28, 2022. Matt Wright with his defence instructing solicitor Luke Officer, left, and supported by his wife Kaia Wright approaching the Supreme Court in Darwin on Tuesday July 30. Pema Tamang Pakhrin Credit: News Corp Australia
Mr Wilson was dangling in a sling from a Robinson R44 during a crocodile egg collecting mission when the chopper went down, killing him and critically injuring his 28-year-old pilot Sebastian Robinson.
It is alleged that on three occasions over a seven month period Mr Wright attempted to compromise the investigation into the chopper crash.
Mr Wright entered his pleas on Monday, but has faced repeated delays to start the four-week trial due to ongoing legal arguments
On Wednesday, Justice Alan Blow said he did not want a jury to be selected, only for them to be left waiting over the Territory Picnic Day long weekend.
'We're not going to be ready to empanel the jury tomorrow,' Justice Blow said.
'If we are ready to empanel them on Friday, I don't want to because I don't want them to hear opening speeches and then go away for a three-day weekend.'
He said he would advise the Supreme Court staff that the jury pool — which is expected to include hundreds of Territorians — would have to be called on Tuesday, August 5.
Both prosecution and defence teams agreed with the decision to delay the hearing.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Herald Sun
6 hours ago
- Herald Sun
Outback Wrangler Matt Wright offered chopper crash survivor's family $10K
An Aussie reality television star offered the family of his paraplegic pilot $10,000 to help during his recovery in the wake of a catastrophic chopper crash, a court has been told. The mother of Sebastian Robinson has accused Netflix and Apple TV reality star Matt Wright of pressuring her 28-year-old son to manipulate flight records after the helicopter crash on February 28, 2022. Mr Robinson was the sole survivor after a Robinson R-44 crashed into a paperbark swamp over the King River, Arnhem Land during a crocodile egg collecting mission, killing his friend and 34-year-old father, Chris 'Willow' Wilson. Croc egg collector Chris Wilson was killed, while his pilot Sebastian Robinson was critically injured in a helicopter crash on the King River, West Arnhem on February 28. Their boss and the star of 'Outback Wrangler' and 'Wild Croc Territory' Mr Wright has pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice. It is alleged Mr Wright knew the helicopter should never have flown that morning, as it had overrun a 2200 flight hour maintenance requirement. Mr Robinson, along with his brother, uncle and mother have all alleged Mr Wright visited Brisbane Hospital to ask the critically injured pilot to move 'a few hours' from the crashed helicopter's records to his personal R-44. On Wednesday, Mr Robinson's mother confirmed Mr Wright offered her family $10,000 to help with their bills during his first visit on March 11. 'That is another example of how he was trying to help you, your family and Sebastian, wasn't it?' Mr Wright's senior defence counsel David Edwardson asked. 'No,' she replied. Pilot Sebastian Robinson during filming of Kane Chenoweth's documentary Sky Cowboy in February 2022. Mr Robinson's mother said they declined Mr Wright's $10,000 offer, saying 'we told him we didn't want it'. Ms Chellingworth's diary records claimed on that same visit, 'Matt Wright came in today and tried to persuade Seb to put hours on his helicopter'. Over two days of evidence, Mr Edwardson has accused Ms Chellingworth and her two sons of putting 'your heads together and made these false allegations against Mr Wright'. She denied Mr Edwardson's accusations she forged her diary records. Seb Robinson's mother Noelene Chellingworth approaching the Supreme Court in Darwin, giving evidence at the trial of Outback Wrangler Matt Wright on Wednesday August 20. Picture: NewsWire / Pema Tamang Pakhrin The jury heard Mr Wright had not covered any of Mr Robinson's medical expenses and he has been unable to access worker's compensation. In emotional testimony, his mother recounted how doctors initially told her that her son was 'unlikely to survive that night'. The Darwin mother described the relief, and then grief as her son woke up from his coma only to be told he would never walk again. 'I was so devastated,' Ms Chellingworth said through tears on Wednesday. 'I said to God: 'Why? You let me have a quadriplegic brother that I cared for for 20 years, and now I've got a paraplegic son'. 'He must have given it to me because I could handle it.' She said her son was an adventurous, active and outdoorsy young man who had been crocodile egg collecting for almost a decade, but after the crash Mr Robinson faced the real prospect he would never work again. 'He wasn't going to be dropped in a wheelchair to collect eggs, was he?' prosecutor Jason Gullaci said. Ms Chellingworth said following the crash she got legal advice, but was told her son could not receive any workers' compensation as he was an independent contractor, rather than Mr Wright's employee. Seb Robinson's mother Noelene Chellingworth approaching the Supreme Court in Darwin, giving evidence at the trial of Outback Wrangler Matt Wright on Wednesday August 20. Picture: NewsWire / Pema Tamang Pakhrin The jury was shown two versions of invoices from Mr Robinson for his Wet Season flights, prepared by Ms Chellingworth after the crash. The first invoice detailed each individual flight Mr Robinson took that egg collecting season, which Ms Chellingworth said she sent to Wild Harvest NT director Mick Burns. A second $21,500 bill was then sent to Mr Wright, only providing monthly totals for the flights. Ms Chellingworth's diary included an entry on March 13 alleging it was Mr Wright who asked her to re-invoice the bill with less detail for her son's egg collecting season. 'Matt doesn't want days on his invoice, only monthly totals,' Ms Chellingworth wrote. She denied Mr Edwardson's accusations she forged that diary note and only filed the second invoice to Mr Wright 'in the hope that you might be able to claim workers' compensation under his insurance policy'. The trial continues. Originally published as Outback Wrangler Matt Wright offered paraplegic pilot Seb Robinson's family $10,000 in hospital visit, court told
Perth Now
6 hours ago
- Perth Now
Jussie Smollett felt 'emasculated' after making hate crime allegations
Jussie Smollett felt "extremely emasculated" after his hate crime scandal. The Empire star has alleged he was the victim of a hate crime in 2019, but got sentenced to 150 days in jail in March 2022 after being found guilty of lying about being a victim of a racist and homophobic attack and making a false police report. His convictions were overturned by the Illinois Supreme Court after his legal team lodged an appeal. The 43-year-old actor felt like he was being "eulogised" online in the immediate aftermath of his original allegations. In Netflix's upcoming documentary The Truth About Jussie Smollett?, he said: "I felt like I had died, and I was alive to see — and what people were saying was so kind, but it was too much for me. "It made me very uncomfortable. It made me extremely embarrassed. It made me feel extremely emasculated." Smollett has always maintained his innocence, insisting "there was no hoax" and that he was the target of a hate crime. In a lengthy statement explaining why he decided to settle, Smollett penned: 'Over six years ago, after it was reported I had been jumped, City Officials in Chicago set out to convince the public that I willfully set an assault against myself. "This false narrative has left a stain on my character that will not soon disappear. These officials wanted my money and wanted my confession for something I did not do. "Today, it should be clear.... They have received neither. The decision to settle the civil lawsuit was not the most difficult one to make. "After repeatedly refusing to pay the City, I was presented with an opportunity to make a charitable donation in exchange for the case being dismissed." Smollett donated $50,000 to Building Brighter Futures Center for the Arts (BBF), which is focused on helping nurture "self expression, creativity and exploration of the arts for Chicago youth". He continued: 'Though I was exonerated by the Illinois Supreme Court in a unanimous decision and the civil case will now be dismissed, I'm aware that it will not change everyone's mind about me or the attack I experienced. "However, despite arduous and expensive attempts to punish me, I am innocent in the eyes of God and our criminal justice system. What I have to do now is move forward. 'I will continue creating my art, fighting passionately for causes I hold dear and defending my integrity and family name with the truth.'
ABC News
10 hours ago
- ABC News
Matt Wright's friend denies committing perjury to protect the Netflix star, NT Supreme Court jury hears
Matt Wright's friend has denied committing perjury out of loyalty to the celebrity croc wrangler after accusations he became "tangled in [his] own lies" during the trial. Mr Wright has pleaded not guilty in the Northern Territory Supreme Court to three counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice in the aftermath of a fatal 2022 helicopter crash. Catch up on today's live coverage of Matt Wright's Supreme Court trial. The crash killed his Netflix co-star Chris "Willow" Wilson and badly injured pilot Sebastian Robinson but Mr Wright is not accused of any wrongdoing in relation to the accident itself. Instead, prosecutors allege he tried to frustrate the investigation that followed in a bid to cover up shoddy record keeping in his chopper business, including by asking Mr Robinson to doctor flight records. On Wednesday, Mr Wright's employee and friend Tim Johnston told the court his boss had become "irate" and was "at 11 out of 10" after finding out he had taken items from Mr Robinson's Brisbane hospital room after the crash. Mr Johnston told the jury he was in Brisbane on holiday when a mutual friend, Jai Tomlinson, asked him to "pick something up" from Mr Robinson's mother, Noelene Chellingworth, but he had "no idea" what it was. "How do you pick something up that you don't now what it is?" Crown prosecutor Jason Gullaci SC asked. "You ask someone for it and grab it and pick it up," Mr Johnston replied. "How did you know what you were picking up?" "That was not for me to know, I was asked to pick something up." Mr Johnston said after Ms Chellingworth handed him a "folded-up A4 bit of paper" he went outside Mr Robinson's room and asked the injured pilot's brother if there was "anything else you want me to take back". "He had a little backpack there and in his backpack there was a book and a phone and various other things," he said. "He got them both out but he didn't want to give me the phone." Mr Johnston said he then took the diary and piece of paper and went to catch a taxi but called Mr Wright before leaving the hospital grounds. "I told him what I'd brought back and mate, he went, he got very irate, very irate," he said. "About what?" Mr Gullaci asked. "Taking the diary," Mr Johnston replied. "I can't recall in detail what he said but I know when Matt gets irate and he was at 11 out of 10 that day. "He told me that I've done the wrong thing and I need to get it back up to Noelene." After the lunch break, Mr Gullaci suggested it was actually Mr Wright who had instructed Mr Johnston to collect the items and asked him if "you understand what perjury is". "Are you still prepared to tell lies for Matt Wright in that scenario?" he asked. "I have never been prepared to tell lies for Matt Wright," Mr Johnston replied. "I'm putting to you directly that what you want to do, and out of loyalty and out of friendship I can understand it, you want to protect Mr Wright at all costs?" "Disagree." "And you are prepared to tell blatant lies if in your mind it protects Mr Wright?" "No." Mr Gullaci also suggested there were "critical differences" between the account Mr Johnston gave in a pre-trial hearing in July and his evidence on Wednesday. "That's because you became tangled in your own lies," Mr Gullaci suggested. "Disagree," Mr Johnston replied. Mr Tomlinson also took the stand on Wednesday and denied ever asking anyone to "go and collect some items" from Mr Robinson before visiting him in hospital with Mr Wright. "At any point before your visit, had you done any of those things, that is, ask anyone to go there and get particular items from Mr Robinson?" Mr Gullaci asked. "No," Mr Tomlinson replied. The trial continues in Darwin on Thursday when Mr Tomlinson will resume his evidence.
