Latest news with #DarwinSupremeCourt
The Advertiser
16 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Witness accused of lying to protect reality TV star
A witness has been accused of lying to protect reality TV star Matt Wright from accusations he tried to cover up evidence following a fatal helicopter crash. The Outback Wrangler star is on trial in Darwin Supreme Court having pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice. The charges follow a crash in February 2022 that killed Wright's friend and co-star Chris "Willow" Wilson on a crocodile-egg collecting mission in the Northern Territory's Arnhem Land. Pilot Sebastian Robinson, 32, was left a paraplegic. Prosecutors allege Wright was worried investigators would learn his choppers' flying-hour meters were regularly disconnected to extend flying hours beyond official thresholds and that paperwork was falsified. In court on Wednesday Tim Johnston, a manager at Wright's company Helibrook, was accused by crown prosecutor Jason Gullaci SC of lying about a visit he made to Mr Robinson in hospital days after the crash. Mr Johnston earlier told the jury he had been asked by Wright's friend Jai Tomlinson to pick up items from Mr Robinson's family at the hospital but he had not been told what they were. Mr Johnston met Mr Robinson's mother, Noelene Chellingworth, in ICU and was given the pilot's diary and a flight maintenance document by one of her sons, but not a phone which he had asked if he could take as well. He said he left the ICU and rang Wright to report he had seen Mr Robinson, who was "not in a good way". When he told him he had Mr Robinson's diary Wright got "very irate", Mr Johnston said. "I know when Matt gets irate and he was at 11 out of 10 that day," he said. "He told me that I've done the wrong thing and I need to get it back up to Noelene." He said he hung up on Wright and called Ms Chellingworth and arranged to return the diary straight away. But Mr Gullaci put it to Mr Johnston he was lying and had in fact been asked by Wright to collect Mr Robinson's pilot logbook, a maintenance release form and his phone. He said the evidence of Ms Chellingworth and her sons was that she called Mr Johnston and demanded he return the diary, which he did. "Are you still prepared to tell lies for Mr Wright? Mr Gullaci said. "I have not lied," Mr Johnston replied. Mr Gullaci accused Mr Johnston of wanting to protect Wright at any cost and had been asked by the TV star to fetch the phone so he could delete and hide flying hour entries. Mr Johnston denied that, saying, "I'm telling you the truth". The jury heard after returning the diary to Ms Chellingworth he took the crashed chopper's maintenance release to Wright in Darwin. The court earlier was told Wright offered $10,000 to Mr Robinson's family but they had declined the offer. Ms Chellingworth was questioned about her diary entries in the weeks after the crash, agreeing she had recorded Wright offering her the $10,000 to "tide her over" and pay bills. "We told him we didn't want it," she said. One of her diary entries made when she was with her son in Royal Brisbane Hospital read: "Matt Wright came in today and tried to persuade Sebastian to put hours on his helicopter". Senior defence counsel David Edwardson KC put it to Ms Chellingworth she had added diary entries to support her claims in court, which she denied. She disagreed with Mr Edwardson's accusation she falsely alleged Wright had wanted Mr Robinson to transfer flying hours from the crashed chopper onto the pilot's helicopter. The charges against Wright do not relate to the cause of the accident and the prosecution does not allege he is responsible for the crash, Mr Wilson's death or Mr Robinson's injuries. A witness has been accused of lying to protect reality TV star Matt Wright from accusations he tried to cover up evidence following a fatal helicopter crash. The Outback Wrangler star is on trial in Darwin Supreme Court having pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice. The charges follow a crash in February 2022 that killed Wright's friend and co-star Chris "Willow" Wilson on a crocodile-egg collecting mission in the Northern Territory's Arnhem Land. Pilot Sebastian Robinson, 32, was left a paraplegic. Prosecutors allege Wright was worried investigators would learn his choppers' flying-hour meters were regularly disconnected to extend flying hours beyond official thresholds and that paperwork was falsified. In court on Wednesday Tim Johnston, a manager at Wright's company Helibrook, was accused by crown prosecutor Jason Gullaci SC of lying about a visit he made to Mr Robinson in hospital days after the crash. Mr Johnston earlier told the jury he had been asked by Wright's friend Jai Tomlinson to pick up items from Mr Robinson's family at the hospital but he had not been told what they were. Mr Johnston met Mr Robinson's mother, Noelene Chellingworth, in ICU and was given the pilot's diary and a flight maintenance document by one of her sons, but not a phone which he had asked if he could take as well. He said he left the ICU and rang Wright to report he had seen Mr Robinson, who was "not in a good way". When he told him he had Mr Robinson's diary Wright got "very irate", Mr Johnston said. "I know when Matt gets irate and he was at 11 out of 10 that day," he said. "He told me that I've done the wrong thing and I need to get it back up to Noelene." He said he hung up on Wright and called Ms Chellingworth and arranged to return the diary straight away. But Mr Gullaci put it to Mr Johnston he was lying and had in fact been asked by Wright to collect Mr Robinson's pilot logbook, a maintenance release form and his phone. He said the evidence of Ms Chellingworth and her sons was that she called Mr Johnston and demanded he return the diary, which he did. "Are you still prepared to tell lies for Mr Wright? Mr Gullaci said. "I have not lied," Mr Johnston replied. Mr Gullaci accused Mr Johnston of wanting to protect Wright at any cost and had been asked by the TV star to fetch the phone so he could delete and hide flying hour entries. Mr Johnston denied that, saying, "I'm telling you the truth". The jury heard after returning the diary to Ms Chellingworth he took the crashed chopper's maintenance release to Wright in Darwin. The court earlier was told Wright offered $10,000 to Mr Robinson's family but they had declined the offer. Ms Chellingworth was questioned about her diary entries in the weeks after the crash, agreeing she had recorded Wright offering her the $10,000 to "tide her over" and pay bills. "We told him we didn't want it," she said. One of her diary entries made when she was with her son in Royal Brisbane Hospital read: "Matt Wright came in today and tried to persuade Sebastian to put hours on his helicopter". Senior defence counsel David Edwardson KC put it to Ms Chellingworth she had added diary entries to support her claims in court, which she denied. She disagreed with Mr Edwardson's accusation she falsely alleged Wright had wanted Mr Robinson to transfer flying hours from the crashed chopper onto the pilot's helicopter. The charges against Wright do not relate to the cause of the accident and the prosecution does not allege he is responsible for the crash, Mr Wilson's death or Mr Robinson's injuries. A witness has been accused of lying to protect reality TV star Matt Wright from accusations he tried to cover up evidence following a fatal helicopter crash. The Outback Wrangler star is on trial in Darwin Supreme Court having pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice. The charges follow a crash in February 2022 that killed Wright's friend and co-star Chris "Willow" Wilson on a crocodile-egg collecting mission in the Northern Territory's Arnhem Land. Pilot Sebastian Robinson, 32, was left a paraplegic. Prosecutors allege Wright was worried investigators would learn his choppers' flying-hour meters were regularly disconnected to extend flying hours beyond official thresholds and that paperwork was falsified. In court on Wednesday Tim Johnston, a manager at Wright's company Helibrook, was accused by crown prosecutor Jason Gullaci SC of lying about a visit he made to Mr Robinson in hospital days after the crash. Mr Johnston earlier told the jury he had been asked by Wright's friend Jai Tomlinson to pick up items from Mr Robinson's family at the hospital but he had not been told what they were. Mr Johnston met Mr Robinson's mother, Noelene Chellingworth, in ICU and was given the pilot's diary and a flight maintenance document by one of her sons, but not a phone which he had asked if he could take as well. He said he left the ICU and rang Wright to report he had seen Mr Robinson, who was "not in a good way". When he told him he had Mr Robinson's diary Wright got "very irate", Mr Johnston said. "I know when Matt gets irate and he was at 11 out of 10 that day," he said. "He told me that I've done the wrong thing and I need to get it back up to Noelene." He said he hung up on Wright and called Ms Chellingworth and arranged to return the diary straight away. But Mr Gullaci put it to Mr Johnston he was lying and had in fact been asked by Wright to collect Mr Robinson's pilot logbook, a maintenance release form and his phone. He said the evidence of Ms Chellingworth and her sons was that she called Mr Johnston and demanded he return the diary, which he did. "Are you still prepared to tell lies for Mr Wright? Mr Gullaci said. "I have not lied," Mr Johnston replied. Mr Gullaci accused Mr Johnston of wanting to protect Wright at any cost and had been asked by the TV star to fetch the phone so he could delete and hide flying hour entries. Mr Johnston denied that, saying, "I'm telling you the truth". The jury heard after returning the diary to Ms Chellingworth he took the crashed chopper's maintenance release to Wright in Darwin. The court earlier was told Wright offered $10,000 to Mr Robinson's family but they had declined the offer. Ms Chellingworth was questioned about her diary entries in the weeks after the crash, agreeing she had recorded Wright offering her the $10,000 to "tide her over" and pay bills. "We told him we didn't want it," she said. One of her diary entries made when she was with her son in Royal Brisbane Hospital read: "Matt Wright came in today and tried to persuade Sebastian to put hours on his helicopter". Senior defence counsel David Edwardson KC put it to Ms Chellingworth she had added diary entries to support her claims in court, which she denied. She disagreed with Mr Edwardson's accusation she falsely alleged Wright had wanted Mr Robinson to transfer flying hours from the crashed chopper onto the pilot's helicopter. The charges against Wright do not relate to the cause of the accident and the prosecution does not allege he is responsible for the crash, Mr Wilson's death or Mr Robinson's injuries. A witness has been accused of lying to protect reality TV star Matt Wright from accusations he tried to cover up evidence following a fatal helicopter crash. The Outback Wrangler star is on trial in Darwin Supreme Court having pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice. The charges follow a crash in February 2022 that killed Wright's friend and co-star Chris "Willow" Wilson on a crocodile-egg collecting mission in the Northern Territory's Arnhem Land. Pilot Sebastian Robinson, 32, was left a paraplegic. Prosecutors allege Wright was worried investigators would learn his choppers' flying-hour meters were regularly disconnected to extend flying hours beyond official thresholds and that paperwork was falsified. In court on Wednesday Tim Johnston, a manager at Wright's company Helibrook, was accused by crown prosecutor Jason Gullaci SC of lying about a visit he made to Mr Robinson in hospital days after the crash. Mr Johnston earlier told the jury he had been asked by Wright's friend Jai Tomlinson to pick up items from Mr Robinson's family at the hospital but he had not been told what they were. Mr Johnston met Mr Robinson's mother, Noelene Chellingworth, in ICU and was given the pilot's diary and a flight maintenance document by one of her sons, but not a phone which he had asked if he could take as well. He said he left the ICU and rang Wright to report he had seen Mr Robinson, who was "not in a good way". When he told him he had Mr Robinson's diary Wright got "very irate", Mr Johnston said. "I know when Matt gets irate and he was at 11 out of 10 that day," he said. "He told me that I've done the wrong thing and I need to get it back up to Noelene." He said he hung up on Wright and called Ms Chellingworth and arranged to return the diary straight away. But Mr Gullaci put it to Mr Johnston he was lying and had in fact been asked by Wright to collect Mr Robinson's pilot logbook, a maintenance release form and his phone. He said the evidence of Ms Chellingworth and her sons was that she called Mr Johnston and demanded he return the diary, which he did. "Are you still prepared to tell lies for Mr Wright? Mr Gullaci said. "I have not lied," Mr Johnston replied. Mr Gullaci accused Mr Johnston of wanting to protect Wright at any cost and had been asked by the TV star to fetch the phone so he could delete and hide flying hour entries. Mr Johnston denied that, saying, "I'm telling you the truth". The jury heard after returning the diary to Ms Chellingworth he took the crashed chopper's maintenance release to Wright in Darwin. The court earlier was told Wright offered $10,000 to Mr Robinson's family but they had declined the offer. Ms Chellingworth was questioned about her diary entries in the weeks after the crash, agreeing she had recorded Wright offering her the $10,000 to "tide her over" and pay bills. "We told him we didn't want it," she said. One of her diary entries made when she was with her son in Royal Brisbane Hospital read: "Matt Wright came in today and tried to persuade Sebastian to put hours on his helicopter". Senior defence counsel David Edwardson KC put it to Ms Chellingworth she had added diary entries to support her claims in court, which she denied. She disagreed with Mr Edwardson's accusation she falsely alleged Wright had wanted Mr Robinson to transfer flying hours from the crashed chopper onto the pilot's helicopter. The charges against Wright do not relate to the cause of the accident and the prosecution does not allege he is responsible for the crash, Mr Wilson's death or Mr Robinson's injuries.
7NEWS
17 hours ago
- 7NEWS
Outback Wrangler star Matt Wright ‘offered money' to injured pilot's family after fatal chopper crash in NT
Reality TV star Matt Wright offered $10,000 to the family of a helicopter pilot badly injured in a fatal crash but it was declined, a jury has heard. The Outback Wrangler star is on trial in Darwin Supreme Court having pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice. The charges follow a helicopter crash in February 2022 that killed Wright's friend and co-star Chris 'Willow' Wilson on a crocodile-egg collecting mission in the Northern Territory 's Arnhem Land. Pilot Sebastian Robinson, 32, was left a paraplegic after the crash. On Wednesday his mother, Noelene Chellingworth, was questioned about her diary entries in the weeks after the crash, agreeing she had recorded Wright had offered her $10,000 to 'tide her over' and pay bills. 'We told him we didn't want it,' she said under questioning by crown prosecutor Jason Gullaci SC. Chellingworth told the court she had met with a lawyer in March 2022 to discuss whether her son could sue for negligence and explored claiming workers' compensation. She agreed the legal advice was that Robinson was an independent contractor so making a claim as a direct employee was not an option. One of her diary entries made when she was with her son in Royal Brisbane Hospital read: 'Matt Wright came in today and tried to persuade Sebastian to put hours on his helicopter'. Wright has been accused of trying to get Robinson to fake flying-hour records because he was concerned crash investigators would find out he and his pilots had disconnected flight-time meters and faked paperwork. Senior defence counsel David Edwardson KC put it to Chellingworth she had added diary entries to support her claims in court, which she denied. She disagreed with Edwardson's accusation she falsely alleged Wright had wanted Robinson to transfer flying hours from the crashed chopper onto the pilot's helicopter. Under questioning from Gullaci, Chellingworth agreed she was very concerned her son might not walk or work again and explored legal options for compensation. 'He wasn't going to be dropped in on a wheelchair to collect eggs was he?' Gullaci said, referring to egg collectors being slung on a line under a helicopter to be dropped onto crocodile nests. Chellingworth tearfully told the court in the weeks after the crash she was devastated, and very worried about her son and his mental state. She said Robinson had a paraplegic uncle he was a carer for 'so he knew what he was in for'. The jury has heard Wright was unvaccinated against COVID so at the time of the crash could not work in Arnhem Land because of virus restrictions. That meant Robinson, who could sling collectors under a chopper, was 'always under pressure from Matt Wright,' Chellingworth said. The charges against Wright do not relate to the cause of the accident and the prosecution does not allege he is responsible for the crash, Wilson's death or Robinson's injuries.
9 News
18 hours ago
- 9 News
Reality TV star offered $10,000 to injured pilot's family, court hears
Your web browser is no longer supported. To improve your experience update it here Reality TV star Matt Wright offered $10,000 to the family of a helicopter pilot badly injured in a fatal crash but it was declined, a jury has heard. The Outback Wrangler star is on trial in Darwin Supreme Court having pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice. The charges follow a helicopter crash in February 2022 that killed Wright's friend and co-star Chris "Willow" Wilson on a crocodile-egg collecting mission in the Northern Territory's Arnhem Land. The family of a pilot seriously injured in a crash turned down $10,000 offered by reality TV star and helicopter operator Matt Wright, a court has heard. (AAP) Pilot Sebastian Robinson, 32, was left a paraplegic after the crash. Today, his mother, Noelene Chellingworth, was questioned about her diary entries in the weeks after the crash, agreeing she had recorded that Wright had offered her $10,000 to "tide her over" and pay bills. "We told him we didn't want it," she said under questioning by crown prosecutor Jason Gullaci SC. Chellingworth told the court she had met with a lawyer in March 2022 to discuss whether her son could sue for negligence and explored claiming workers' compensation. She agreed the legal advice was that Robinson was an independent contractor so making a claim as a direct employee was not an option. One of her diary entries made when she was with her son in Royal Brisbane Hospital read: "Matt Wright came in today and tried to persuade Sebastian to put hours on his helicopter". The charges against Wright follow a helicopter crash in February 2022 that killed his friend and co-star Chris "Willow" Wilson. (Supplied) Wright has been accused of trying to get Robinson to fake flying-hour records because he was concerned crash investigators would find out he and his pilots had disconnected flight-time meters and faked paperwork Senior defence counsel David Edwardson KC put it to Chellingworth she had added diary entries to support her claims in court, which she denied. She disagreed with Edwardson's accusation she falsely alleged Wright had wanted Robinson to transfer flying hours from the crashed chopper onto the pilot's helicopter. Under questioning from Gullaci, Chellingworth agreed she was very concerned her son might not walk or work again and explored legal options for compensation. "He wasn't going to be dropped in on a wheelchair to collect eggs was he?" Gullaci said, referring to egg collectors being slung on a line under a helicopter to be dropped onto crocodile nests. Chellingworth tearfully told the court in the weeks after the crash she was devastated, and very worried about her son and his mental state. She said Robinson had a paraplegic uncle who he was a carer for "so he knew what he was in for". The jury has heard Wright was unvaccinated against COVID so at the time of the crash could not work in Arnhem Land because of virus restrictions. That meant Robinson, who could sling collectors under a chopper, was "always under pressure from Matt Wright", Chellingworth said. The charges against Wright do not relate to the cause of the accident and the prosecution does not allege he is responsible for the crash, Wilson's death or Robinson's injuries. national Australia Northern Territory crime courts Darwin CONTACT US
Perth Now
20 hours ago
- Perth Now
Reality TV star 'offered money to crash pilot's family'
Reality TV star Matt Wright offered $10,000 to the family of a helicopter pilot badly injured in a fatal crash but it was declined, a jury has heard. The Outback Wrangler star is on trial in Darwin Supreme Court having pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice. The charges follow a helicopter crash in February 2022 that killed Wright's friend and co-star Chris "Willow" Wilson on a crocodile-egg collecting mission in the Northern Territory's Arnhem Land. Pilot Sebastian Robinson, 32, was left a paraplegic after the crash. On Wednesday his mother, Noelene Chellingworth, was questioned about her diary entries in the weeks after the crash, agreeing she had recorded Wright had offered her $10,000 to "tide her over" and pay bills. "We told him we didn't want it," she said under questioning by crown prosecutor Jason Gullaci SC. Ms Chellingworth told the court she had met with a lawyer in March 2022 to discuss whether her son could sue for negligence and explored claiming workers' compensation. She agreed the legal advice was that Mr Robinson was an independent contractor so making a claim as a direct employee was not an option. One of her diary entries made when she was with her son in Royal Brisbane Hospital read: "Matt Wright came in today and tried to persuade Sebastian to put hours on his helicopter". Wright has been accused of trying to get Mr Robinson to fake flying-hour records because he was concerned crash investigators would find out he and his pilots had disconnected flight-time meters and faked paperwork Senior defence counsel David Edwardson KC put it to Ms Chellingworth she had added diary entries to support her claims in court, which she denied. She disagreed with Mr Edwardson's accusation she falsely alleged Wright had wanted Mr Robinson to transfer flying hours from the crashed chopper onto the pilot's helicopter. Under questioning from Mr Gullaci, Ms Chellingworth agreed she was very concerned her son might not walk or work again and explored legal options for compensation. "He wasn't going to be dropped in on a wheelchair to collect eggs was he?" Mr Gullaci said, referring to egg collectors being slung on a line under a helicopter to be dropped onto crocodile nests. Ms Chellingworth tearfully told the court in the weeks after the crash she was devastated, and very worried about her son and his mental state. She said Mr Robinson had a paraplegic uncle he was a carer for "so he knew what he was in for". The jury has heard Wright was unvaccinated against COVID so at the time of the crash could not work in Arnhem Land because of virus restrictions. That meant Mr Robinson, who could sling collectors under a chopper, was "always under pressure from Matt Wright," Ms Chellingworth said. The charges against Wright do not relate to the cause of the accident and the prosecution does not allege he is responsible for the crash, Mr Wilson's death or Mr Robinson's injuries.
The Advertiser
2 days ago
- The Advertiser
Mother denies lying to protect pilot son in fatal crash
The mother of a pilot badly injured in a helicopter crash has vehemently denied she and her family concocted claims against reality TV star Matt Wright to protect her son. Wright, the star of Outback Wrangler, is on trial in Darwin Supreme Court having pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice. The charges follow the helicopter crash in February 2022 that killed Wright's friend and co-star Chris "Willow" Wilson on a crocodile-egg collecting mission in the Northern Territory's Arnhem Land. Pilot Sebastian Robinson, 32, was left a paraplegic after the crash. The charges do not relate to the cause of the accident and the prosecution does not allege Wright is responsible for the crash, Mr Wilson's death or Mr Robinson's injuries. Wright has been accused of trying to get Mr Robinson to fake flying-hour records because he was concerned crash investigators would find out he and his pilots had disconnected flight-time meters and faked paperwork. On Tuesday Mr Robinson's mother, Noelene Chellingworth, told the jury Wright visited her son in Royal Brisbane Hospital 11 days after the crash. She said Wright asked her son to move flying hours from the crashed helicopter to Mr Robinson's machine. "Sebastian said that he would think about it," she said, but when Wright visited two days later her son told him he was "not comfortable" moving hours and declined to do so. Ms Chellingworth said she saw Wright standing over her son at his bedside telling him to "delete, delete, delete" messages on his phone. When she asked Wright why he was making demands of her son she said he "fobbed me off", saying "he's just cleaning up stuff". She said she got the feeling Wright wasn't really concerned about her son. In cross examination senior defence counsel David Edwardson KC put it to Ms Chellingworth that Wright had not asked Mr Robinson to transfer flying hours at all. "You're making this up as you go along," he said, with Ms Chellingworth replying "No I'm not". Mr Edwardson said Wright was simply helping her son get his paperwork up to date as he had a responsibility to do so as he was flying under Wright's air operators certificate. The jury has heard that Mr Robinson's flight records were not up to date. Mr Edwardson put it to Ms Chellingworth that her family colluded to try to "deflect the blame across to Mr Wright" to avoid Mr Robinson being blamed for the crash. "I do not agree at all," she replied. Ms Chellingworth admitted her son had asked her to source marijuana and she had forged his signature from time to time when helping him run his helicopter company. Earlier on Tuesday Mr Robinson's brother Zaccarie Chellingworth was also grilled over the bedside conversation between Wright and the injured pilot at the hospital. Wright had said he needed to take 15 to 20 hours off the crashed helicopter and put them on Mr Robinson's own chopper "because there were hours unaccounted for," Mr Chellingworth said. Under questioning from Mr Edwardson, Mr Chellingworth, a licensed aircraft engineer, said he was aware aviation crash investigators suspected the crashed chopper had run out of fuel. Mr Edwardson put it to Mr Chellingworth he knew his brother would be in trouble if fuel exhaustion was found to be the cause of the crash. Mr Chellingworth rejected that and Mr Edwardson's accusation that his family had "manufactured allegations" against Wright to protect Mr Robinson from blame for the crash. When asked about Mr Robinson's cocaine use, Mr Chellingworth said his brother was not an addict or a dealer and he had only seen him take the drug once, at a buck's party on Wright's boat. The trial continues on Wednesday. The mother of a pilot badly injured in a helicopter crash has vehemently denied she and her family concocted claims against reality TV star Matt Wright to protect her son. Wright, the star of Outback Wrangler, is on trial in Darwin Supreme Court having pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice. The charges follow the helicopter crash in February 2022 that killed Wright's friend and co-star Chris "Willow" Wilson on a crocodile-egg collecting mission in the Northern Territory's Arnhem Land. Pilot Sebastian Robinson, 32, was left a paraplegic after the crash. The charges do not relate to the cause of the accident and the prosecution does not allege Wright is responsible for the crash, Mr Wilson's death or Mr Robinson's injuries. Wright has been accused of trying to get Mr Robinson to fake flying-hour records because he was concerned crash investigators would find out he and his pilots had disconnected flight-time meters and faked paperwork. On Tuesday Mr Robinson's mother, Noelene Chellingworth, told the jury Wright visited her son in Royal Brisbane Hospital 11 days after the crash. She said Wright asked her son to move flying hours from the crashed helicopter to Mr Robinson's machine. "Sebastian said that he would think about it," she said, but when Wright visited two days later her son told him he was "not comfortable" moving hours and declined to do so. Ms Chellingworth said she saw Wright standing over her son at his bedside telling him to "delete, delete, delete" messages on his phone. When she asked Wright why he was making demands of her son she said he "fobbed me off", saying "he's just cleaning up stuff". She said she got the feeling Wright wasn't really concerned about her son. In cross examination senior defence counsel David Edwardson KC put it to Ms Chellingworth that Wright had not asked Mr Robinson to transfer flying hours at all. "You're making this up as you go along," he said, with Ms Chellingworth replying "No I'm not". Mr Edwardson said Wright was simply helping her son get his paperwork up to date as he had a responsibility to do so as he was flying under Wright's air operators certificate. The jury has heard that Mr Robinson's flight records were not up to date. Mr Edwardson put it to Ms Chellingworth that her family colluded to try to "deflect the blame across to Mr Wright" to avoid Mr Robinson being blamed for the crash. "I do not agree at all," she replied. Ms Chellingworth admitted her son had asked her to source marijuana and she had forged his signature from time to time when helping him run his helicopter company. Earlier on Tuesday Mr Robinson's brother Zaccarie Chellingworth was also grilled over the bedside conversation between Wright and the injured pilot at the hospital. Wright had said he needed to take 15 to 20 hours off the crashed helicopter and put them on Mr Robinson's own chopper "because there were hours unaccounted for," Mr Chellingworth said. Under questioning from Mr Edwardson, Mr Chellingworth, a licensed aircraft engineer, said he was aware aviation crash investigators suspected the crashed chopper had run out of fuel. Mr Edwardson put it to Mr Chellingworth he knew his brother would be in trouble if fuel exhaustion was found to be the cause of the crash. Mr Chellingworth rejected that and Mr Edwardson's accusation that his family had "manufactured allegations" against Wright to protect Mr Robinson from blame for the crash. When asked about Mr Robinson's cocaine use, Mr Chellingworth said his brother was not an addict or a dealer and he had only seen him take the drug once, at a buck's party on Wright's boat. The trial continues on Wednesday. The mother of a pilot badly injured in a helicopter crash has vehemently denied she and her family concocted claims against reality TV star Matt Wright to protect her son. Wright, the star of Outback Wrangler, is on trial in Darwin Supreme Court having pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice. The charges follow the helicopter crash in February 2022 that killed Wright's friend and co-star Chris "Willow" Wilson on a crocodile-egg collecting mission in the Northern Territory's Arnhem Land. Pilot Sebastian Robinson, 32, was left a paraplegic after the crash. The charges do not relate to the cause of the accident and the prosecution does not allege Wright is responsible for the crash, Mr Wilson's death or Mr Robinson's injuries. Wright has been accused of trying to get Mr Robinson to fake flying-hour records because he was concerned crash investigators would find out he and his pilots had disconnected flight-time meters and faked paperwork. On Tuesday Mr Robinson's mother, Noelene Chellingworth, told the jury Wright visited her son in Royal Brisbane Hospital 11 days after the crash. She said Wright asked her son to move flying hours from the crashed helicopter to Mr Robinson's machine. "Sebastian said that he would think about it," she said, but when Wright visited two days later her son told him he was "not comfortable" moving hours and declined to do so. Ms Chellingworth said she saw Wright standing over her son at his bedside telling him to "delete, delete, delete" messages on his phone. When she asked Wright why he was making demands of her son she said he "fobbed me off", saying "he's just cleaning up stuff". She said she got the feeling Wright wasn't really concerned about her son. In cross examination senior defence counsel David Edwardson KC put it to Ms Chellingworth that Wright had not asked Mr Robinson to transfer flying hours at all. "You're making this up as you go along," he said, with Ms Chellingworth replying "No I'm not". Mr Edwardson said Wright was simply helping her son get his paperwork up to date as he had a responsibility to do so as he was flying under Wright's air operators certificate. The jury has heard that Mr Robinson's flight records were not up to date. Mr Edwardson put it to Ms Chellingworth that her family colluded to try to "deflect the blame across to Mr Wright" to avoid Mr Robinson being blamed for the crash. "I do not agree at all," she replied. Ms Chellingworth admitted her son had asked her to source marijuana and she had forged his signature from time to time when helping him run his helicopter company. Earlier on Tuesday Mr Robinson's brother Zaccarie Chellingworth was also grilled over the bedside conversation between Wright and the injured pilot at the hospital. Wright had said he needed to take 15 to 20 hours off the crashed helicopter and put them on Mr Robinson's own chopper "because there were hours unaccounted for," Mr Chellingworth said. Under questioning from Mr Edwardson, Mr Chellingworth, a licensed aircraft engineer, said he was aware aviation crash investigators suspected the crashed chopper had run out of fuel. Mr Edwardson put it to Mr Chellingworth he knew his brother would be in trouble if fuel exhaustion was found to be the cause of the crash. Mr Chellingworth rejected that and Mr Edwardson's accusation that his family had "manufactured allegations" against Wright to protect Mr Robinson from blame for the crash. When asked about Mr Robinson's cocaine use, Mr Chellingworth said his brother was not an addict or a dealer and he had only seen him take the drug once, at a buck's party on Wright's boat. The trial continues on Wednesday. The mother of a pilot badly injured in a helicopter crash has vehemently denied she and her family concocted claims against reality TV star Matt Wright to protect her son. Wright, the star of Outback Wrangler, is on trial in Darwin Supreme Court having pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice. The charges follow the helicopter crash in February 2022 that killed Wright's friend and co-star Chris "Willow" Wilson on a crocodile-egg collecting mission in the Northern Territory's Arnhem Land. Pilot Sebastian Robinson, 32, was left a paraplegic after the crash. The charges do not relate to the cause of the accident and the prosecution does not allege Wright is responsible for the crash, Mr Wilson's death or Mr Robinson's injuries. Wright has been accused of trying to get Mr Robinson to fake flying-hour records because he was concerned crash investigators would find out he and his pilots had disconnected flight-time meters and faked paperwork. On Tuesday Mr Robinson's mother, Noelene Chellingworth, told the jury Wright visited her son in Royal Brisbane Hospital 11 days after the crash. She said Wright asked her son to move flying hours from the crashed helicopter to Mr Robinson's machine. "Sebastian said that he would think about it," she said, but when Wright visited two days later her son told him he was "not comfortable" moving hours and declined to do so. Ms Chellingworth said she saw Wright standing over her son at his bedside telling him to "delete, delete, delete" messages on his phone. When she asked Wright why he was making demands of her son she said he "fobbed me off", saying "he's just cleaning up stuff". She said she got the feeling Wright wasn't really concerned about her son. In cross examination senior defence counsel David Edwardson KC put it to Ms Chellingworth that Wright had not asked Mr Robinson to transfer flying hours at all. "You're making this up as you go along," he said, with Ms Chellingworth replying "No I'm not". Mr Edwardson said Wright was simply helping her son get his paperwork up to date as he had a responsibility to do so as he was flying under Wright's air operators certificate. The jury has heard that Mr Robinson's flight records were not up to date. Mr Edwardson put it to Ms Chellingworth that her family colluded to try to "deflect the blame across to Mr Wright" to avoid Mr Robinson being blamed for the crash. "I do not agree at all," she replied. Ms Chellingworth admitted her son had asked her to source marijuana and she had forged his signature from time to time when helping him run his helicopter company. Earlier on Tuesday Mr Robinson's brother Zaccarie Chellingworth was also grilled over the bedside conversation between Wright and the injured pilot at the hospital. Wright had said he needed to take 15 to 20 hours off the crashed helicopter and put them on Mr Robinson's own chopper "because there were hours unaccounted for," Mr Chellingworth said. Under questioning from Mr Edwardson, Mr Chellingworth, a licensed aircraft engineer, said he was aware aviation crash investigators suspected the crashed chopper had run out of fuel. Mr Edwardson put it to Mr Chellingworth he knew his brother would be in trouble if fuel exhaustion was found to be the cause of the crash. Mr Chellingworth rejected that and Mr Edwardson's accusation that his family had "manufactured allegations" against Wright to protect Mr Robinson from blame for the crash. When asked about Mr Robinson's cocaine use, Mr Chellingworth said his brother was not an addict or a dealer and he had only seen him take the drug once, at a buck's party on Wright's boat. The trial continues on Wednesday.
