Latest news with #Edwardson
Perth Now
5 days ago
- Perth Now
Netflix star's pilot supplied cocaine to mates: court
A young pilot has admitted to supplying cocaine to party with his mates and footy players, while also flying small amounts of booze into Aboriginal communities, a jury has heard. Former helicopter pilot for Outback Wrangler Matt Wright, Sebastian Robinson has denied being a 'drug dealer' after being questioned in court about a series of texts about his wild partying with mates and footy players. Mr Robinson was the sole survivor of a helicopter crash during a crocodile egg collecting mission in a remote section of the Northern Territory on February 28, 2022. His friend and Outback Wrangler star, Chris 'Willow' Wilson was killed in the crash – and three years on, Mr Robinson remains a paraplegic. 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 Their boss, Matt Wright, pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice during the investigation into the crash. Mr Wright has been accused of attempting to hide the under reporting of flight hours. However his defence senior counsel David Edwardson has accused the young pilot of attempting to escape the blame for the catastrophic crash. On Thursday Mr Edwardson accused Mr Robinson of 'sourcing and supplying' the drug from 2018, to the time of the crash. 'You would, from time to time, source cocaine and provide it to your friends and those who wanted to party with you,' Mr Edwardson said. Mr Edwardson read aloud messages from the pilot's friends asking 'are you getting more coke?', 'Seb any chance you know where to get the good stuff?' and 'anyone got bags?'. In one message exchange Mr Robinson told a friend he was 'crook as a dog', with his mate replying 'snorting too much coke out of Matty's arse?'. Outback Wrangler Matt Wright and his wife Kaia Wright approaching the Supreme Court in Darwin on Thursday August 14. NewsWire / Pema Tamang Pakhrin Credit: NewsWire Mr Robinson said this friend also knew Mr Wright, to which Mr Edwardson said: 'You certainly know Matt Wright has nothing to do with cocaine'. 'Are you telling me you've been snorting cocaine out of Matt Wright's arse?' the lawyer continued. 'No, I'm just saying (he) obviously knows Matt,' Mr Robinson said. Mr Edwardson has previously stated that the reality television star had a 'zero tolerance' approach to drugs. The former pilot was also grilled about a message sent to a mate in November 2019, saying there were 'footy players in town wanting bags'. Outback Wrangler Matt Wright and his wife Kaia Wright alongside his Defence Senior Counsel David Edwardson KC approaching the Supreme Court in Darwin on Thursday August 14. NewsWire / Pema Tamang Pakhrin Credit: NewsWire Mr Edwardson asked if this was in relation to the Richmond AFL team seeking cocaine while in town, but Mr Robinson said he could not recall who he was messaging about. Mr Edwardson also questioned Mr Robinson about texts about 'zingers' and 'pills', but the former pilot said he could not remember the context of the messages. 'Are you implying I'm a drug dealer? … No,' Mr Robinson said. The young former pilot said his mates would sometimes pay him for the drugs, but said at the time he did not believe he was 'trafficking' as it was only a 'very minimal' amount. However Justice Alan Blow explained: 'Look, it is trafficking, even if you're not making any money for yourself.'. 'If you buy some drugs and pass them on to someone else who reimburses you, that's trafficking as far as the law's concerned,' Justice Blow said. After having this explained by the judge, Mr Robinson said 'I understand now'. Mr Robinson said these messages were extracted over an eight-year period, and has told the jury he only used cocaine 'a couple times a year'. Mr Robinson had previously admitted he deleted items from his phone prior to being questioned by crash investigators. On Thursday Mr Edwardson asked Mr Robinson if he removed any messages about his cocaine use, or being intoxicated while flying. Mr Robinson rejected this, stating: 'If I was going to delete something, wouldn't I have deleted it all?'. Trace amounts of cocaine were detected in the pilot's blood, which prosecutor Jason Gullaci said experts were likely to say was from use days before the crash. On Thursday, Mr Robinson — who suffered a traumatic brain injury in the crash — said he had no memory of a mutual friend's birthday party from two days before the incident. 'I have no recollection of the days, the week prior to the accident,' he said. Mr Robinson admitted to flying in booze to remote communities, but said he did not sell the alcohol. He said 'on occasion' he would take a small amount of alcohol under the seat of his chopper for people who worked in Arnhem Land. Pilot Sebastian Robinson during filming of Kane Chenoweth's documentary Sky Cowboy in February 2022. Credit: Supplied A video played to the court showed Mr Robinson pouring a mug of Bundaberg rum for a friend and Indigenous ranger in Arnhem Land, and another where he said his friend was 'f--king stoned'. Mr Robinson denied he provided the cannabis, stating: 'There's marijuana all throughout Maningrida'. He maintained that videos of him smoking prior to the crash showed him using tobacco, not cannabis. The cross examination of Mr Robinson is expected to continue on Thursday.
West Australian
5 days ago
- West Australian
Matt Wright trial: Chopper crash survivor Seb Robinson grilled over cocaine texts in court
A young pilot has admitted to supplying cocaine to party with his mates and footy players, while also flying small amounts of booze into Aboriginal communities, a jury has heard. Former helicopter pilot for Outback Wrangler Matt Wright, Sebastian Robinson has denied being a 'drug dealer' after being questioned in court about a series of texts about his wild partying with mates and footy players. Mr Robinson was the sole survivor of a helicopter crash during a crocodile egg collecting mission in a remote section of the Northern Territory on February 28, 2022. His friend and Outback Wrangler star, Chris 'Willow' Wilson was killed in the crash – and three years on, Mr Robinson remains a paraplegic. Their boss, Matt Wright, pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice during the investigation into the crash. Mr Wright has been accused of attempting to hide the under reporting of flight hours. However his defence senior counsel David Edwardson has accused the young pilot of attempting to escape the blame for the catastrophic crash. On Thursday Mr Edwardson accused Mr Robinson of 'sourcing and supplying' the drug from 2018, to the time of the crash. 'You would, from time to time, source cocaine and provide it to your friends and those who wanted to party with you,' Mr Edwardson said. Mr Edwardson read aloud messages from the pilot's friends asking 'are you getting more coke?', 'Seb any chance you know where to get the good stuff?' and 'anyone got bags?'. In one message exchange Mr Robinson told a friend he was 'crook as a dog', with his mate replying 'snorting too much coke out of Matty's arse?'. Mr Robinson said this friend also knew Mr Wright, to which Mr Edwardson said: 'You certainly know Matt Wright has nothing to do with cocaine'. 'Are you telling me you've been snorting cocaine out of Matt Wright's arse?' the lawyer continued. 'No, I'm just saying (he) obviously knows Matt,' Mr Robinson said. Mr Edwardson has previously stated that the reality television star had a 'zero tolerance' approach to drugs. The former pilot was also grilled about a message sent to a mate in November 2019, saying there were 'footy players in town wanting bags'. Mr Edwardson asked if this was in relation to the Richmond AFL team seeking cocaine while in town, but Mr Robinson said he could not recall who he was messaging about. Mr Edwardson also questioned Mr Robinson about texts about 'zingers' and 'pills', but the former pilot said he could not remember the context of the messages. 'Are you implying I'm a drug dealer? … No,' Mr Robinson said. The young former pilot said his mates would sometimes pay him for the drugs, but said at the time he did not believe he was 'trafficking' as it was only a 'very minimal' amount. However Justice Alan Blow explained: 'Look, it is trafficking, even if you're not making any money for yourself.'. 'If you buy some drugs and pass them on to someone else who reimburses you, that's trafficking as far as the law's concerned,' Justice Blow said. After having this explained by the judge, Mr Robinson said 'I understand now'. Mr Robinson said these messages were extracted over an eight-year period, and has told the jury he only used cocaine 'a couple times a year'. Mr Robinson had previously admitted he deleted items from his phone prior to being questioned by crash investigators. On Thursday Mr Edwardson asked Mr Robinson if he removed any messages about his cocaine use, or being intoxicated while flying. Mr Robinson rejected this, stating: 'If I was going to delete something, wouldn't I have deleted it all?'. Trace amounts of cocaine were detected in the pilot's blood, which prosecutor Jason Gullaci said experts were likely to say was from use days before the crash. On Thursday, Mr Robinson — who suffered a traumatic brain injury in the crash — said he had no memory of a mutual friend's birthday party from two days before the incident. 'I have no recollection of the days, the week prior to the accident,' he said. Mr Robinson admitted to flying in booze to remote communities, but said he did not sell the alcohol. He said 'on occasion' he would take a small amount of alcohol under the seat of his chopper for people who worked in Arnhem Land. A video played to the court showed Mr Robinson pouring a mug of Bundaberg rum for a friend and Indigenous ranger in Arnhem Land, and another where he said his friend was 'f--king stoned'. Mr Robinson denied he provided the cannabis, stating: 'There's marijuana all throughout Maningrida'. He maintained that videos of him smoking prior to the crash showed him using tobacco, not cannabis. The cross examination of Mr Robinson is expected to continue on Thursday.
Sky News AU
5 days ago
- Sky News AU
'Want bags': Richmond's AFL Premiership celebrations dragged into Matt Wright chopper crash trial as pilot grilled on sourcing cocaine for footy players
A pilot involved in a fatal helicopter crash has been asked about sourcing cocaine for players from the Richmond Football Club during the Supreme Court trial of crocodile wrangler Matt Wright. Sebastian Robinson has been giving evidence at the trial of the Netflix star Wright, who has pleaded not guilty to interfering with an investigation into the crash that killed his co-star Chris 'Willow' Wilson. Wright's lawyer David Edwardson KC has been taking Mr Robinson through a series of text messages that were downloaded from his phone after the fatal crash. In one exchange from November 23, 2019, read out to the court by Mr Edwardson, Mr Robinson says to a friend named Jesse James: 'Footy players in town and want bags. RJ got any?' Mr Robinson told the court he could not recall who RJ was and whether he was going to supply the football players with cocaine. 'Was it Richmond?' Mr Edwardson asked. 'I don't recall,' Mr Robinson said. Players from the Richmond Football Club had visited Darwin in November 2019 with the Premiership Cup after their Grand Final victory two months earlier against Greater Western Sydney. The messages were among many between Mr Robinson and his friends discussing the use and supply of cocaine. Mr Robinson told the court he sometimes sourced cocaine for his friends but did not consider himself a drug dealer. He said he believed trafficking was supplying drugs in large amounts. But Justice Alan Blow told the court: 'It is trafficking even if you're not making any money for yourself. If you buy some drugs and pass them on to somebody else that's trafficking as far as the law is concerned.' Mr Robinson agreed he helped friends source cocaine. But Mr Edwardson suggested his involvement with supplying the drug extended beyond his friends. 'What about the footy players that wanted bags when they were in town? They're not friends, are they?' he asked. Mr Robinson replied: 'Ah well, I know 'em.' But when asked which football players he knew, Mr Robinson said he could not recall. In another text message exchange from 2020, the court was told Mr Robinson sent a message to a friend named Geoff Morton. 'Might have to come down Monday, crook as a dog,' Mr Robinson said. Mr Morton replied: 'Snorting too much coke out of Matty's a***.' Mr Robinson told the court Wright also knew Mr Morton. 'Are you telling me that you've been snorting too much coke out of Matt's a***?' Mr Edwardson asked. Mr Robinson replied: 'No, I'm just saying Morto knows Matt.' The court has previously heard cocaine metabolites were found in Mr Robinson's system after the fatal crash. In his previous evidence he admitted to being an occasional user of cocaine but said he had only used the drug about 10 times over a five-year period. He told the court he had never taken cocaine in the hours before he flew a helicopter. The trial before Justice Alan Blow continues.
Yahoo
09-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Remembering mums in a special service to mark Mother's Day
Howe Bridge Crematorium is inviting people to remember their lost loved ones ahead of Mother's Day. The crematorium will host a memorial service on March 26, at 6.30pm, where visitors can reflect on beloved relatives, with tea and coffee served after the service. The manager, Lindsey Edwardson, said: "We will also provide cards which people can write personal messages on and then deposit in our Letters to Loved Ones memorial post box. "We know, from feedback we've had since the memorial post box was installed, that the bereaved can take great comfort from posting messages to loved ones, and it helps them maintain a feeling of connection with them." The crematorium is welcoming anyone who wishes to remember their loved ones during the Mother's Day period, regardless of whether there is a memorial to their mother or mother figure in the crematorium grounds, or where their funeral took place. Ms Edwardson said: "Mother's Day is one of those annual occasions when a loss can be felt more and we want to ensure people know that they are very welcome to take comfort in paying tribute to their loved ones at our crematorium. "It can equally be a particularly difficult time for mothers who are bereaved of a child, and they are also extremely welcome to visit us." The crematorium also acknowledges that special days like Mother's Day can prompt thoughts of purchasing a memorial in honour of a lost loved one. Westerleigh Group is running a special offer between March 3 and April 30, where families who purchase a new granite 'made in the UK' memorial or EverWith personal jewellery from the crematorium can receive free personalisation, up to the value of £500. This personalisation can include hand-designed artwork transferred directly onto the memorial, such as portraits, club crests, animals, hobbies, or places of interest. It also includes the engraving of names or images on selected EverWith jewellery items. Anyone interested in attending the Mother's Day memorial service is asked to book their place in advance by calling the crematorium office on 01942 870811 or by email at howebridge@
