Latest news with #Burbidge
The Advertiser
5 days ago
- The Advertiser
'Felt like forever': pilot details crash scene at trial
A bush pilot says he can't recall helping reality TV star Matt Wright look under the dashboard of a helicopter that had just crashed, killing Outback Wrangler's Chris "Willow" Wilson. Michael Burbidge, pilot and director of Remote Helicopters, gave evidence at Wright's trial in the Supreme Court in Darwin on Friday. The Crown has alleged Wright wanted to look behind the console to check if the Hobbs flight-hour recording meter was disconnected. It's alleged Wright and his pilots regularly disconnected the meters to extend helicopter flying hours beyond official thresholds and falsified logbooks and maintenance releases. Mr Wilson was in a sling under a helicopter on a crocodile egg collecting mission when it crashed on February 28, 2022, killing him and injuring pilot Sebastian Robinson, who is now a paraplegic. Wright has pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice following the February 2022 crash in a remote part of Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory. The crown case is that Wright did not properly record helicopter flying hours and was concerned crash investigators would uncover the issue. Crown prosecutor Jason Gullaci SC has told the jury the charges did not relate to the cause of the accident and it was not alleged Wright was responsible for the crash or death. Mr Burbidge, flying his own helicopter for egg collecting, was first at the crash scene after contact was lost with Mr Robinson's chopper. He told the jury he landed near the crash site to find Mr Wilson dead and Mr Robinson critically injured. He said he was on the scene for maybe an hour before other pilots and egg collectors arrived but "it felt like forever". Wright later flew in on his chopper with then police officer Neil Mellon, who removed items from Mr Wilson's body, including his phone and a handgun. Mr Burbidge said he was given the mobile and said to Mr Mellon "Dani doesn't need to see what's on the phone", referring to Mr Wilson's partner Dani Wilson. He agreed he had "ditched" the phone on his way home. Mr Burbidge told the court he was later charged and fined for disposing of the phone after pleading guilty. He said he had no recollection of inspecting the crashed chopper's fuel tank or detaching the console with Wright. He said he did not disconnect Hobbs meters, but he had heard of the practice. The court was played a covertly recorded phone call in which Mr Burbidge told Wright he had heard there had been "shit written" in a chopper's logbook saying "clock found disconnected again". Mr Burbidge told Mr Gullaci the August 2022 call was just between friends about a rumour and he was concerned about putting the records right. Defence barrister David Edwardson KC has told the jury Wright had engaged in disconnecting Hobbs meters and it was common practice in the NT helicopter industry. The practice is said by the prosecution to be the motive for his client's alleged offending but Wright "emphatically denied" it, Mr Edwardson said. Timothy Luck, who worked for Wright in 2022 as an egg collector, told the court on Friday he had flown in Wright's choppers that had their Hobbs meters disconnected. Mr Luck said he had once seen Mr Robinson working under a helicopter's dashboard to disconnect the meter as Mr Wilson jokingly pretended to take a photograph of him. The court has heard disputed evidence about whether the helicopter had run out of fuel when it crashed but Mr Luck, who was on the same egg-collecting mission, said he couldn't believe that. "I know that that helicopter didn't run out of fuel ... because I filled that to the top about 20 minutes prior," he said. Mr Edwardson said Wright "emphatically denied" trying to get Mr Robinson to falsify flight records or telling an associate to "torch" a maintenance release. The trial before acting Justice Allan Blow is expected to take up to five weeks. A bush pilot says he can't recall helping reality TV star Matt Wright look under the dashboard of a helicopter that had just crashed, killing Outback Wrangler's Chris "Willow" Wilson. Michael Burbidge, pilot and director of Remote Helicopters, gave evidence at Wright's trial in the Supreme Court in Darwin on Friday. The Crown has alleged Wright wanted to look behind the console to check if the Hobbs flight-hour recording meter was disconnected. It's alleged Wright and his pilots regularly disconnected the meters to extend helicopter flying hours beyond official thresholds and falsified logbooks and maintenance releases. Mr Wilson was in a sling under a helicopter on a crocodile egg collecting mission when it crashed on February 28, 2022, killing him and injuring pilot Sebastian Robinson, who is now a paraplegic. Wright has pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice following the February 2022 crash in a remote part of Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory. The crown case is that Wright did not properly record helicopter flying hours and was concerned crash investigators would uncover the issue. Crown prosecutor Jason Gullaci SC has told the jury the charges did not relate to the cause of the accident and it was not alleged Wright was responsible for the crash or death. Mr Burbidge, flying his own helicopter for egg collecting, was first at the crash scene after contact was lost with Mr Robinson's chopper. He told the jury he landed near the crash site to find Mr Wilson dead and Mr Robinson critically injured. He said he was on the scene for maybe an hour before other pilots and egg collectors arrived but "it felt like forever". Wright later flew in on his chopper with then police officer Neil Mellon, who removed items from Mr Wilson's body, including his phone and a handgun. Mr Burbidge said he was given the mobile and said to Mr Mellon "Dani doesn't need to see what's on the phone", referring to Mr Wilson's partner Dani Wilson. He agreed he had "ditched" the phone on his way home. Mr Burbidge told the court he was later charged and fined for disposing of the phone after pleading guilty. He said he had no recollection of inspecting the crashed chopper's fuel tank or detaching the console with Wright. He said he did not disconnect Hobbs meters, but he had heard of the practice. The court was played a covertly recorded phone call in which Mr Burbidge told Wright he had heard there had been "shit written" in a chopper's logbook saying "clock found disconnected again". Mr Burbidge told Mr Gullaci the August 2022 call was just between friends about a rumour and he was concerned about putting the records right. Defence barrister David Edwardson KC has told the jury Wright had engaged in disconnecting Hobbs meters and it was common practice in the NT helicopter industry. The practice is said by the prosecution to be the motive for his client's alleged offending but Wright "emphatically denied" it, Mr Edwardson said. Timothy Luck, who worked for Wright in 2022 as an egg collector, told the court on Friday he had flown in Wright's choppers that had their Hobbs meters disconnected. Mr Luck said he had once seen Mr Robinson working under a helicopter's dashboard to disconnect the meter as Mr Wilson jokingly pretended to take a photograph of him. The court has heard disputed evidence about whether the helicopter had run out of fuel when it crashed but Mr Luck, who was on the same egg-collecting mission, said he couldn't believe that. "I know that that helicopter didn't run out of fuel ... because I filled that to the top about 20 minutes prior," he said. Mr Edwardson said Wright "emphatically denied" trying to get Mr Robinson to falsify flight records or telling an associate to "torch" a maintenance release. The trial before acting Justice Allan Blow is expected to take up to five weeks. A bush pilot says he can't recall helping reality TV star Matt Wright look under the dashboard of a helicopter that had just crashed, killing Outback Wrangler's Chris "Willow" Wilson. Michael Burbidge, pilot and director of Remote Helicopters, gave evidence at Wright's trial in the Supreme Court in Darwin on Friday. The Crown has alleged Wright wanted to look behind the console to check if the Hobbs flight-hour recording meter was disconnected. It's alleged Wright and his pilots regularly disconnected the meters to extend helicopter flying hours beyond official thresholds and falsified logbooks and maintenance releases. Mr Wilson was in a sling under a helicopter on a crocodile egg collecting mission when it crashed on February 28, 2022, killing him and injuring pilot Sebastian Robinson, who is now a paraplegic. Wright has pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice following the February 2022 crash in a remote part of Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory. The crown case is that Wright did not properly record helicopter flying hours and was concerned crash investigators would uncover the issue. Crown prosecutor Jason Gullaci SC has told the jury the charges did not relate to the cause of the accident and it was not alleged Wright was responsible for the crash or death. Mr Burbidge, flying his own helicopter for egg collecting, was first at the crash scene after contact was lost with Mr Robinson's chopper. He told the jury he landed near the crash site to find Mr Wilson dead and Mr Robinson critically injured. He said he was on the scene for maybe an hour before other pilots and egg collectors arrived but "it felt like forever". Wright later flew in on his chopper with then police officer Neil Mellon, who removed items from Mr Wilson's body, including his phone and a handgun. Mr Burbidge said he was given the mobile and said to Mr Mellon "Dani doesn't need to see what's on the phone", referring to Mr Wilson's partner Dani Wilson. He agreed he had "ditched" the phone on his way home. Mr Burbidge told the court he was later charged and fined for disposing of the phone after pleading guilty. He said he had no recollection of inspecting the crashed chopper's fuel tank or detaching the console with Wright. He said he did not disconnect Hobbs meters, but he had heard of the practice. The court was played a covertly recorded phone call in which Mr Burbidge told Wright he had heard there had been "shit written" in a chopper's logbook saying "clock found disconnected again". Mr Burbidge told Mr Gullaci the August 2022 call was just between friends about a rumour and he was concerned about putting the records right. Defence barrister David Edwardson KC has told the jury Wright had engaged in disconnecting Hobbs meters and it was common practice in the NT helicopter industry. The practice is said by the prosecution to be the motive for his client's alleged offending but Wright "emphatically denied" it, Mr Edwardson said. Timothy Luck, who worked for Wright in 2022 as an egg collector, told the court on Friday he had flown in Wright's choppers that had their Hobbs meters disconnected. Mr Luck said he had once seen Mr Robinson working under a helicopter's dashboard to disconnect the meter as Mr Wilson jokingly pretended to take a photograph of him. The court has heard disputed evidence about whether the helicopter had run out of fuel when it crashed but Mr Luck, who was on the same egg-collecting mission, said he couldn't believe that. "I know that that helicopter didn't run out of fuel ... because I filled that to the top about 20 minutes prior," he said. Mr Edwardson said Wright "emphatically denied" trying to get Mr Robinson to falsify flight records or telling an associate to "torch" a maintenance release. The trial before acting Justice Allan Blow is expected to take up to five weeks. A bush pilot says he can't recall helping reality TV star Matt Wright look under the dashboard of a helicopter that had just crashed, killing Outback Wrangler's Chris "Willow" Wilson. Michael Burbidge, pilot and director of Remote Helicopters, gave evidence at Wright's trial in the Supreme Court in Darwin on Friday. The Crown has alleged Wright wanted to look behind the console to check if the Hobbs flight-hour recording meter was disconnected. It's alleged Wright and his pilots regularly disconnected the meters to extend helicopter flying hours beyond official thresholds and falsified logbooks and maintenance releases. Mr Wilson was in a sling under a helicopter on a crocodile egg collecting mission when it crashed on February 28, 2022, killing him and injuring pilot Sebastian Robinson, who is now a paraplegic. Wright has pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice following the February 2022 crash in a remote part of Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory. The crown case is that Wright did not properly record helicopter flying hours and was concerned crash investigators would uncover the issue. Crown prosecutor Jason Gullaci SC has told the jury the charges did not relate to the cause of the accident and it was not alleged Wright was responsible for the crash or death. Mr Burbidge, flying his own helicopter for egg collecting, was first at the crash scene after contact was lost with Mr Robinson's chopper. He told the jury he landed near the crash site to find Mr Wilson dead and Mr Robinson critically injured. He said he was on the scene for maybe an hour before other pilots and egg collectors arrived but "it felt like forever". Wright later flew in on his chopper with then police officer Neil Mellon, who removed items from Mr Wilson's body, including his phone and a handgun. Mr Burbidge said he was given the mobile and said to Mr Mellon "Dani doesn't need to see what's on the phone", referring to Mr Wilson's partner Dani Wilson. He agreed he had "ditched" the phone on his way home. Mr Burbidge told the court he was later charged and fined for disposing of the phone after pleading guilty. He said he had no recollection of inspecting the crashed chopper's fuel tank or detaching the console with Wright. He said he did not disconnect Hobbs meters, but he had heard of the practice. The court was played a covertly recorded phone call in which Mr Burbidge told Wright he had heard there had been "shit written" in a chopper's logbook saying "clock found disconnected again". Mr Burbidge told Mr Gullaci the August 2022 call was just between friends about a rumour and he was concerned about putting the records right. Defence barrister David Edwardson KC has told the jury Wright had engaged in disconnecting Hobbs meters and it was common practice in the NT helicopter industry. The practice is said by the prosecution to be the motive for his client's alleged offending but Wright "emphatically denied" it, Mr Edwardson said. Timothy Luck, who worked for Wright in 2022 as an egg collector, told the court on Friday he had flown in Wright's choppers that had their Hobbs meters disconnected. Mr Luck said he had once seen Mr Robinson working under a helicopter's dashboard to disconnect the meter as Mr Wilson jokingly pretended to take a photograph of him. The court has heard disputed evidence about whether the helicopter had run out of fuel when it crashed but Mr Luck, who was on the same egg-collecting mission, said he couldn't believe that. "I know that that helicopter didn't run out of fuel ... because I filled that to the top about 20 minutes prior," he said. Mr Edwardson said Wright "emphatically denied" trying to get Mr Robinson to falsify flight records or telling an associate to "torch" a maintenance release. The trial before acting Justice Allan Blow is expected to take up to five weeks.
Perth Now
5 days ago
- Perth Now
Grim warning to Netflix star after crash: court
An Aussie reality television star was warned by a mate he needed to 'know who to trust' amid an investigation into his co-star's death in a horror chopper crash, a court has heard. Outback Wrangler Matt Wright pleaded not guilty to three allegations of attempting to pervert the course of justice following the death of his mate, Chris 'Willow' Wilson during a crocodile egg collecting mission on February 28, 2022. Over the past three days of Supreme Court evidence it has been alleged Mr Wright conspired to cover up a 'pattern' of dodgy records, where it is alleged he underreported flight hours to avoid costly maintenance requirements. On Friday, the jury heard the man who destroyed the dead man's phone hours after the crash warned the reality television star: 'You need to find out who's f--king said it so you know who to trust or who not to trust'. Remote Helicopter Australia pilot Michael Burbidge was the first on the scene of the crash, after getting worried about the radio silence from the other chopper team. He said it took up to 18 minutes to discover the horrific scene, finding his friend dead and his 28-year-old pilot Sebastian Robinson in need of urgent medical attention Outback Wrangler Matt Wright arrives at the NT Supreme Court in Darwin with his wife Kaia Wright and defence senior counsel David Edwardson KC on Friday, August 8. Zizi Averill Credit: News Corp Australia Struggling to get reception in the remote paperbark swamp, Mr Burbidge told the court the wait for help 'felt like forever'. Mr Burbidge said as soon as the CareFlight helicopter left with Mr Robinson, Mr Wright landed with Mr Burns and off-duty senior NT Police officer Neil Mellon. He said he did not remember checking the fuel tank, saying 'I was pretty cooked by then'. Mr Burbidge said he removed a jerry can from the helicopter, while Mr Mellon removed Mr Wilson's pistol and phone. He said he told the cop Mr Wilson's wife Dani 'doesn't need to see what's on the phone'. 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. Credit: News Corp Australia Mr Burbidge said he 'got rid' of his dead friend's phone while on the flight home with Mr Mellon, stating: 'I piffed it somewhere on the way home'. He maintained Mr Wright was not involved in the decision to destroy the phone telling the court: 'I did it all on my own'. The jury heard a bugged telephone call between Mr Wright and Mr Burbidge on August 9, 2022, where the pilot allegedly warned the television star the crashed chopper's log books were known to be inaccurate. 'I don't know, mate, I just got it from a f--king good source that f--king someone at the engineers were f--king — when it's come in and the clock's been off, or they said the clock's been off, they've written it in the log book,' he said. 'You need to find out who's f--king said it so you know who to trust or who not to trust.' Chris 'Willow' Wilson's widow, Dani Wilson arrives for the trial of Outback Wrangler Matt Wright at the NT Supreme Court in Darwin on Friday, August 8. Zizi Averill Credit: News Corp Australia Mr Burbidge denied this was a warning to his mate that Australian Transport Safety Bureau investigators were tipped off to Mr Wright's practice of disconnecting the flight hour recording device, the Hobbs meter. He said he was concerned the crashed chopper's records may have been manipulated, denying there was any 'criminal intent' to this call with a friend. 'If someone is tampering with your log books you need to know — that's what the phone call was about,' he said. The jury has previously heard in a bugged conversation months later, Mr Wright allegedly suggested the crashed chopper's maintenance release be destroyed. 'Just torch it, I don't know where it is' and 'just burn the c--t', he allegedly said. Remote Helicopters Australia director and pilot Michael Burbidge arrives with his wife Jade Burbidge for the trial of Outback Wrangler Matt Wright at the NT Supreme Court in Darwin on Friday, August 8. Zizi Averill Credit: News Corp Australia Speaking generally, Mr Burbidge conceded it was 'common knowledge' some pilots would disconnect the Hobbs meter, but said Territorians 'get a bad rap' for the practice. Former employee of Mr Wright, Timothy Luck said he had been in many choppers with a disconnected Hobbs meters, saying he had previously witnessed Mr Robinson disconnect the device. Under intense cross-examination, Mr Luck said he was 'very confident' he filled Mr Wilson and Mr Robinson's chopper fuel tanks to the brim at a refuelling stop at Mt Borradaile, just 20 minutes before the crash. Mr Luck said he even 'overfilled the machine' causing it to 'spill down the side', saying 'those two boys gave me a bit of stick about it'. The trial continues on Monday.
7NEWS
5 days ago
- 7NEWS
New details emerge as key witness fronts NT trial of Outback Wrangler Matt Wright
A bush pilot says he ditched reality TV star Chris 'Willow' Wilson's mobile phone after a fatal helicopter crash, but can't recall unscrewing the chopper's console with Outback Wrangler's Matt Wright. Michael Burbidge, pilot and director of Remote Helicopters, gave evidence at Wright's trial in the Supreme Court in Darwin on Friday. Wilson was in a sling under a helicopter on a crocodile egg collecting mission when it crashed, killing him and injuring pilot Sebastian Robinson, who is now a paraplegic. Wright has pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice following the February 2022 crash in a remote part of Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory. The crown case is that Wright did not properly record helicopter flying hours and was concerned crash investigators would uncover the issue, triggering possible charges against him and his company. Crown prosecutor Jason Gullaci SC has told the jury the charges did not relate to the cause of the accident and it was not alleged Wright was responsible for the crash or the death. Burbidge, flying his own helicopter for egg collecting, was first onto the crash scene after contact was lost with Robinson's chopper. Burbidge told the jury he landed near the crash site to find Wilson dead and Robinson critically injured. He rendered first aid to Robinson and leaned inside the chopper to turn off the machine's master switch off. Burbidge said he was on the scene for maybe an hour before other pilots and egg collectors alerted to the crash arrived but 'it felt like forever'. Wright later flew in on his chopper with then police officer Neil Mellon, who removed items from Wilson's body, including his phone and a handgun. Burbidge said he was given the mobile and said to Mellon 'Dani doesn't need to see what's on the phone', referring to Wilson's partner Dani Wilson. He agreed he had got rid of the phone, 'ditched it, somewhere on the way home'. Burbidge told the court he was later charged and fined for disposing of the phone after pleading guilty. 'I did it all on my own,' he said. Burbidge said he had no recollection of inspecting the crashed chopper's fuel tank or detaching the craft's console along with Wright as other witnesses have reported. The Crown has alleged that Wright wanted to look behind the console to check if the Hobbs flight-hour recording meter was disconnected. It's been alleged Wright and his pilots regularly disconnected the meters to extend helicopters' flying hours beyond official thresholds and falsified logbooks and maintenance releases. Burbidge said he did not disconnect Hobbs meters, but he had heard of the practice. The court was played a covertly recorded phone call in which Burbidge told Wright he had heard there had been 'shit written' in a chopper's logbook saying 'clock found disconnected again'. Burbidge told Gullaci the August 2022 call was just between friends about a rumour he had heard and he was concerned about putting the records right. He denied that it might be evidence of Wright disconnecting a Hobbs meter. Defence senior counsel David Edwardson KC has told the jury his client 'emphatically denied' trying to get Robinson to falsify flight records or telling an associate to 'torch' a maintenance release. The trial before acting Justice Allan Blow is expected to take up to five weeks.
Sky News AU
5 days ago
- Sky News AU
Helicopter pilot warned croc wrangler Matt Wright over log books amid allegations chopper was not properly maintained: court hears
A helicopter pilot warned crocodile wrangler Matt Wright to get hold of the logbooks from a chopper that crashed on a crocodile-egg collecting mission, saying 'there's been s*** written in it' and he needed to know who he could trust. Mr Wright is facing three charges of attempting to pervert the course of justice by his alleged actions after the crash that killed his friend and Netflix co-star Chris 'Willow' Wilson on February 28, 2022. The prosecution has accused Mr Wright of attempting to tamper with the helicopter's maintenance records due to concerns the crashed chopper had not been properly maintained. The helicopter, with the call sign IDW, was owned by Mr Wright's company Helibrook. The court was played a covertly recorded phone call between Mr Wright and helicopter pilot Michael Burbidge made on August 9, 2022. In the conversation Burbidge says to Mr Wright: 'Who's got the logbooks for IDW? There's been s*** written in it.' Mr Burbidge then tells Mr Wright an anonymous 'source' had told him engineers had been writing notes in the logbook saying the helicopter had been flown when the hours meter was disconnected. 'They've said the clock's been off … so you need to find out who's f****** said it so you know who to trust and not to trust,' he said. The court has previously been told Wright's company often operated helicopters with the hours meter – also referred to as the Hobbs meter – disconnected. This was done to avoid expensive servicing and maintenance requirements, a practice that was common in the Northern Territory's aviation industry. Earlier, Mr Burbidge told the court how he had thrown away Mr Wilson's phone after the crash that took his life. Mr Burbidge, who was flying another helicopter on the day of the fatal mission, was the first person to arrive at the scene after the crash. Mr Wright, businessman Mick Burns and off-duty police officer Neil Mellon flew to the scene after Mr Burbidge had alerted authorities to the crash. Mr Burbidge told the court Mr Mellon had handed him Mr Wilson's phone after taking it out of his pocket. He told Mr Mellon: 'Dani (Wilson's wife) doesn't need to see what's on the phone.' Mr Mellon told the court he subsequently disposed of the phone as he was flying back to Darwin. 'I got rid of it,' he said. 'Piffed it somewhere on the way home. I don't know where mate.' The court heard Mr Burbidge had pleaded guilty to destroying evidence and fined over the incident. He said Mr Wright was not involved in his decision to dispose of the phone. Mr Wright has pleaded not guilty to the three charges. The trial before Justice Alan Blow continues.
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Yahoo
Virginia bishop says altar desecration is latest in ‘increasing global trend of attacks' on Catholic Church
A Virginia Catholic bishop says the desecration of the main altar in St. Peter's Basilica on Friday points to a larger worldwide trend of attacks against Catholics. "What took place at Saint Peter's Basilica is unfortunately the latest in an increasing global trend of attacks upon the Catholic Church, including her priests and faithful," Bishop Michael Burbidge of the Catholic Diocese of Arlington, Virginia, told Fox News Digital. On Friday, a man jumped on the main altar at St. Peter's Basilica and knocked over a 19th-century candelabra. Faith Is 'Important' To Notre Dame Football Coach And Catholic Convert: 'Not Shy About It' On X, videos of the incident show the individual throwing what appears to be candlesticks to the ground and ripping off the altar cloth before throwing it to the ground. According to Italian news service ANSA, the cost of the six candelabras the individual threw to the ground is estimated to be €30,000 or $31,000. Read On The Fox News App Fox News Digital reached out to the Vatican Press Office, and did not immediately receive a response, but the Vatican Press Office did tell ANSA that "This is an episode of a person with serious mental disabilities, who was taken into custody by the Vatican Gendarmerie and handed over to the Italian authorities." Why Are Comedians Trending Toward Catholicism? One Quirky Comic Offers A Surprising Explanation Burbidge, who was installed in 2016, told Fox News Digital that "Attacks on the Church are always troubling, but Sacred Scripture reminds us that Jesus Christ and his followers will always be signs of contradiction who will be opposed in this world." He added that "We all must pray for the man who committed violence within Saint Peter's Basilica and that God may pour out his grace on any whose hearts are hurt or who may be tempted to acts of destruction." In a statement to Fox News Digital, CatholicVote said the attack was spiritually and politically motivated. "While the motive of the man who vandalized the altar at St. Peter's is not immediately clear, the epidemic we're seeing is not attributable simply to drugs or mental illness. There are clear spiritual and political motivations behind the disturbing surge," Tommy Valentine, director of the Catholic Accountability Project at CatholicVote, said. Valentine added that the attacks on Catholic churches in the U.S. are "Undeniably driven primarily by pro-abortion domestic extremists and other anti-Catholic factions." "In Canada, dozens of churches have been burned to the ground since the 'mass graves' hoax, which appears to be complete fiction since no graves have ever been found. In France, there seems to be a mix of radical secularism and Islamic extremism driving the problem. In India, attacks on churches and Catholics themselves are now common. In Nigeria, Catholics are regularly kidnapped or martyred. These are just some examples from around the world," he added. According to a report from the United States Conference for Catholic Bishops, there have been at least 366 attacks on Catholic Churches in the United States across 43 states and the District of Columbia since May 2020. These attacks include "arson, statues beheaded, limbs cut, smashed, and painted, gravestones defaced with swastikas and anti-Catholic language and American flags next to them burned, and other destruction and vandalism," according to the USCCB. Valentine, the director of the Catholic Accountability Project at CatholicVote, told Fox News Digital that CatholicVote is also tracking attacks on Catholic churches, and that they have documented 484 attacks since May 2020. So far in 2025, CatholicVote has documented six attacks on Catholic churches. "Public officials in every country have a duty to defend religious freedom," Valentine said. "Anti-Catholic rhetoric, which is now frequent across the Western world, is clearly leading to violence. We are hopeful that the new Trump administration will set a new standard for the world by protecting Catholic churches as equally as they do other places of worship," Valentine article source: Virginia bishop says altar desecration is latest in 'increasing global trend of attacks' on Catholic Church
