Latest news with #OutbackWrangler
The Advertiser
an hour ago
- The Advertiser
Crash pilot a 'cocaine-using party animal', court told
A pilot whose helicopter crashed, killing Outback Wrangler co-star Chris "Willow" Wilson, was a "party animal" and cocaine user who was "hopeless" at keeping flight records, a court has been told. Pilot Sebastian Robinson was left a paraplegic following the February 2022 crash during a crocodile-egg collecting mission in remote swampland in the Northern Territory. Mr Wilson, a friend of reality TV star and helicopter operator Matt Wright, was slung on a line below the chopper when he plunged to his death. Wright has pleaded not guilty in the Supreme Court in Darwin to three charges of attempting to pervert the course of justice. Prosecutors allege Wright was worried crash investigators would uncover flight-time meters were regularly disconnected to extend flying hours beyond official thresholds and paperwork was falsified. The jury on Monday heard from helicopter pilot Jock Purcell who was on the croc-egg collecting mission on the day of the crash. He admitted disconnecting Hobbs flight-time recorders and falsifying flight records when directed by Wright and gave evidence Mr Robinson had showed him how to disconnect the meters. Senior Defence Counsel David Edwardson KC put it to Mr Purcell his friend Mr Robinson was "hopeless with his paperwork" when it came to keeping up to date with his flight record keeping. Mr Purcell agreed and admitted that after the crash, when Mr Robinson was in hospital, he had updated flight records for the injured pilot's own helicopter when asked to do so. "He just reached out and I did it for him," Mr Purcell said. Mr Edwardson put it to Mr Purcell that those on the croc-egg mission were part of a close-knit community. "In many respects you were as thick as thieves ... performing an incredibly dangerous exercise, so you had to have each others backs," he said. Mr Purcell agreed, but concurred Wright was known to have zero tolerance for drugs. Mr Edwardson put it to Mr Purcell he knew Mr Robinson was a "party animal" who used cocaine, marijuana and alcohol. "I think we all enjoyed a beer and having a good time," Mr Purcell said, agreeing he had seen Mr Robinson use cocaine. Under questioning by crown prosecutor Jason Gullaci, Mr Purcell admitted not filling out maintenance release forms after flying Wright's helicopters. He had seen Wright disconnect meters and agreed the helicopter operator was "lenient" when it came to record keeping, he said. The disconnections occurred when required services were near-due for a helicopter, Mr Purcell said. He flew to the scene on the day of the crash and told the court the aircraft's console had been unscrewed but he couldn't recall who by. Under questioning from Mr Gullaci, the pilot said he looked behind the console to see if anything stood out to explain the crash and he saw the Hobbs meter was connected. "You wanted to see whether it was connected or not for when investigators turned up to look at the crashed helicopter?" Mr Gullaci asked. "I don't believe so," Mr Purcell replied. The charges against Wright do not relate to the cause of the accident and the prosecution does not allege he is responsible for either the crash or Mr Wilson's death. The trial before acting Justice Allan Blow is expected to take up to five weeks. A pilot whose helicopter crashed, killing Outback Wrangler co-star Chris "Willow" Wilson, was a "party animal" and cocaine user who was "hopeless" at keeping flight records, a court has been told. Pilot Sebastian Robinson was left a paraplegic following the February 2022 crash during a crocodile-egg collecting mission in remote swampland in the Northern Territory. Mr Wilson, a friend of reality TV star and helicopter operator Matt Wright, was slung on a line below the chopper when he plunged to his death. Wright has pleaded not guilty in the Supreme Court in Darwin to three charges of attempting to pervert the course of justice. Prosecutors allege Wright was worried crash investigators would uncover flight-time meters were regularly disconnected to extend flying hours beyond official thresholds and paperwork was falsified. The jury on Monday heard from helicopter pilot Jock Purcell who was on the croc-egg collecting mission on the day of the crash. He admitted disconnecting Hobbs flight-time recorders and falsifying flight records when directed by Wright and gave evidence Mr Robinson had showed him how to disconnect the meters. Senior Defence Counsel David Edwardson KC put it to Mr Purcell his friend Mr Robinson was "hopeless with his paperwork" when it came to keeping up to date with his flight record keeping. Mr Purcell agreed and admitted that after the crash, when Mr Robinson was in hospital, he had updated flight records for the injured pilot's own helicopter when asked to do so. "He just reached out and I did it for him," Mr Purcell said. Mr Edwardson put it to Mr Purcell that those on the croc-egg mission were part of a close-knit community. "In many respects you were as thick as thieves ... performing an incredibly dangerous exercise, so you had to have each others backs," he said. Mr Purcell agreed, but concurred Wright was known to have zero tolerance for drugs. Mr Edwardson put it to Mr Purcell he knew Mr Robinson was a "party animal" who used cocaine, marijuana and alcohol. "I think we all enjoyed a beer and having a good time," Mr Purcell said, agreeing he had seen Mr Robinson use cocaine. Under questioning by crown prosecutor Jason Gullaci, Mr Purcell admitted not filling out maintenance release forms after flying Wright's helicopters. He had seen Wright disconnect meters and agreed the helicopter operator was "lenient" when it came to record keeping, he said. The disconnections occurred when required services were near-due for a helicopter, Mr Purcell said. He flew to the scene on the day of the crash and told the court the aircraft's console had been unscrewed but he couldn't recall who by. Under questioning from Mr Gullaci, the pilot said he looked behind the console to see if anything stood out to explain the crash and he saw the Hobbs meter was connected. "You wanted to see whether it was connected or not for when investigators turned up to look at the crashed helicopter?" Mr Gullaci asked. "I don't believe so," Mr Purcell replied. The charges against Wright do not relate to the cause of the accident and the prosecution does not allege he is responsible for either the crash or Mr Wilson's death. The trial before acting Justice Allan Blow is expected to take up to five weeks. A pilot whose helicopter crashed, killing Outback Wrangler co-star Chris "Willow" Wilson, was a "party animal" and cocaine user who was "hopeless" at keeping flight records, a court has been told. Pilot Sebastian Robinson was left a paraplegic following the February 2022 crash during a crocodile-egg collecting mission in remote swampland in the Northern Territory. Mr Wilson, a friend of reality TV star and helicopter operator Matt Wright, was slung on a line below the chopper when he plunged to his death. Wright has pleaded not guilty in the Supreme Court in Darwin to three charges of attempting to pervert the course of justice. Prosecutors allege Wright was worried crash investigators would uncover flight-time meters were regularly disconnected to extend flying hours beyond official thresholds and paperwork was falsified. The jury on Monday heard from helicopter pilot Jock Purcell who was on the croc-egg collecting mission on the day of the crash. He admitted disconnecting Hobbs flight-time recorders and falsifying flight records when directed by Wright and gave evidence Mr Robinson had showed him how to disconnect the meters. Senior Defence Counsel David Edwardson KC put it to Mr Purcell his friend Mr Robinson was "hopeless with his paperwork" when it came to keeping up to date with his flight record keeping. Mr Purcell agreed and admitted that after the crash, when Mr Robinson was in hospital, he had updated flight records for the injured pilot's own helicopter when asked to do so. "He just reached out and I did it for him," Mr Purcell said. Mr Edwardson put it to Mr Purcell that those on the croc-egg mission were part of a close-knit community. "In many respects you were as thick as thieves ... performing an incredibly dangerous exercise, so you had to have each others backs," he said. Mr Purcell agreed, but concurred Wright was known to have zero tolerance for drugs. Mr Edwardson put it to Mr Purcell he knew Mr Robinson was a "party animal" who used cocaine, marijuana and alcohol. "I think we all enjoyed a beer and having a good time," Mr Purcell said, agreeing he had seen Mr Robinson use cocaine. Under questioning by crown prosecutor Jason Gullaci, Mr Purcell admitted not filling out maintenance release forms after flying Wright's helicopters. He had seen Wright disconnect meters and agreed the helicopter operator was "lenient" when it came to record keeping, he said. The disconnections occurred when required services were near-due for a helicopter, Mr Purcell said. He flew to the scene on the day of the crash and told the court the aircraft's console had been unscrewed but he couldn't recall who by. Under questioning from Mr Gullaci, the pilot said he looked behind the console to see if anything stood out to explain the crash and he saw the Hobbs meter was connected. "You wanted to see whether it was connected or not for when investigators turned up to look at the crashed helicopter?" Mr Gullaci asked. "I don't believe so," Mr Purcell replied. The charges against Wright do not relate to the cause of the accident and the prosecution does not allege he is responsible for either the crash or Mr Wilson's death. The trial before acting Justice Allan Blow is expected to take up to five weeks. A pilot whose helicopter crashed, killing Outback Wrangler co-star Chris "Willow" Wilson, was a "party animal" and cocaine user who was "hopeless" at keeping flight records, a court has been told. Pilot Sebastian Robinson was left a paraplegic following the February 2022 crash during a crocodile-egg collecting mission in remote swampland in the Northern Territory. Mr Wilson, a friend of reality TV star and helicopter operator Matt Wright, was slung on a line below the chopper when he plunged to his death. Wright has pleaded not guilty in the Supreme Court in Darwin to three charges of attempting to pervert the course of justice. Prosecutors allege Wright was worried crash investigators would uncover flight-time meters were regularly disconnected to extend flying hours beyond official thresholds and paperwork was falsified. The jury on Monday heard from helicopter pilot Jock Purcell who was on the croc-egg collecting mission on the day of the crash. He admitted disconnecting Hobbs flight-time recorders and falsifying flight records when directed by Wright and gave evidence Mr Robinson had showed him how to disconnect the meters. Senior Defence Counsel David Edwardson KC put it to Mr Purcell his friend Mr Robinson was "hopeless with his paperwork" when it came to keeping up to date with his flight record keeping. Mr Purcell agreed and admitted that after the crash, when Mr Robinson was in hospital, he had updated flight records for the injured pilot's own helicopter when asked to do so. "He just reached out and I did it for him," Mr Purcell said. Mr Edwardson put it to Mr Purcell that those on the croc-egg mission were part of a close-knit community. "In many respects you were as thick as thieves ... performing an incredibly dangerous exercise, so you had to have each others backs," he said. Mr Purcell agreed, but concurred Wright was known to have zero tolerance for drugs. Mr Edwardson put it to Mr Purcell he knew Mr Robinson was a "party animal" who used cocaine, marijuana and alcohol. "I think we all enjoyed a beer and having a good time," Mr Purcell said, agreeing he had seen Mr Robinson use cocaine. Under questioning by crown prosecutor Jason Gullaci, Mr Purcell admitted not filling out maintenance release forms after flying Wright's helicopters. He had seen Wright disconnect meters and agreed the helicopter operator was "lenient" when it came to record keeping, he said. The disconnections occurred when required services were near-due for a helicopter, Mr Purcell said. He flew to the scene on the day of the crash and told the court the aircraft's console had been unscrewed but he couldn't recall who by. Under questioning from Mr Gullaci, the pilot said he looked behind the console to see if anything stood out to explain the crash and he saw the Hobbs meter was connected. "You wanted to see whether it was connected or not for when investigators turned up to look at the crashed helicopter?" Mr Gullaci asked. "I don't believe so," Mr Purcell replied. The charges against Wright do not relate to the cause of the accident and the prosecution does not allege he is responsible for either the crash or Mr Wilson's death. The trial before acting Justice Allan Blow is expected to take up to five weeks.
The Advertiser
6 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Pilot admits faking flight times for reality TV star
A helicopter pilot disconnected flight-time meters and falsified paperwork for reality TV star Matt Wright in the lead-up to a fatal crash on a crocodile egg-collecting mission, a court has been told. Jock Purcell gave evidence in the Supreme Court in Darwin on Monday in the jury trial of the Outback Wrangler star, who has pleaded not guilty to three charges of attempting to pervert the course of justice. The show's co-star, Chris "Willow" Wilson, was suspended by a sling from a chopper when he fell to his death in remote swampland in the Northern Territory in February 2022. The helicopter then crashed, leaving pilot Sebastian Robinson a paraplegic. Prosecutors allege Wright was worried crash investigators would uncover that flight-time meters were regularly disconnected to extend flying hours beyond official thresholds and paperwork was falsified. Under questioning by crown prosecutor Jason Gullaci on Monday, Mr Purcell admitted there were "more than 10 times" he didn't fill out a maintenance release form after flying one of Wright's helicopters. He also admitted disconnecting Hobbs meters, devices that recorded flight hours, and said he had seen Wright do the same thing. The disconnections occurred when required services were near-due for a helicopter, Mr Purcell said. He agreed he took directions from Wright on disconnecting meters and not recording hours. Mr Robinson also disconnected meters and had shown him how to do it, Mr Purcell said. He flew to the accident scene on the day of the crash and he said the aircraft's console had been unscrewed, but he couldn't recall who by. Under questioning from Mr Gullaci, the pilot said he looked behind the console to see if anything stood out to explain the crash and he saw the Hobbs meter was connected. "You wanted to see whether it was connected or not for when investigators turned up to look at the crashed helicopter?" Mr Gullaci asked. "I don't believe so," Mr Purcell replied. The jury was played a covertly recorded conversation between Wright and Mr Purcell from August 2022 in which the reality TV star said: "The Hobbs has been touched, they've moved it forward or some f***ing thing." "I don't know what Sebby (Mr Robinson) said to them ... because a lot of this stuff they could have got out of the (maintenance release)," Wright went on to say. When asked by Mr Gullaci if "they" referred to crash investigators, Mr Purcell said he couldn't be sure as the call was a long time ago. The charges against Wright do not relate to the cause of the accident and the prosecution does not allege he is responsible for either the crash or Mr Wilson's death. The trial before acting Justice Allan Blow is expected to take up to five weeks. A helicopter pilot disconnected flight-time meters and falsified paperwork for reality TV star Matt Wright in the lead-up to a fatal crash on a crocodile egg-collecting mission, a court has been told. Jock Purcell gave evidence in the Supreme Court in Darwin on Monday in the jury trial of the Outback Wrangler star, who has pleaded not guilty to three charges of attempting to pervert the course of justice. The show's co-star, Chris "Willow" Wilson, was suspended by a sling from a chopper when he fell to his death in remote swampland in the Northern Territory in February 2022. The helicopter then crashed, leaving pilot Sebastian Robinson a paraplegic. Prosecutors allege Wright was worried crash investigators would uncover that flight-time meters were regularly disconnected to extend flying hours beyond official thresholds and paperwork was falsified. Under questioning by crown prosecutor Jason Gullaci on Monday, Mr Purcell admitted there were "more than 10 times" he didn't fill out a maintenance release form after flying one of Wright's helicopters. He also admitted disconnecting Hobbs meters, devices that recorded flight hours, and said he had seen Wright do the same thing. The disconnections occurred when required services were near-due for a helicopter, Mr Purcell said. He agreed he took directions from Wright on disconnecting meters and not recording hours. Mr Robinson also disconnected meters and had shown him how to do it, Mr Purcell said. He flew to the accident scene on the day of the crash and he said the aircraft's console had been unscrewed, but he couldn't recall who by. Under questioning from Mr Gullaci, the pilot said he looked behind the console to see if anything stood out to explain the crash and he saw the Hobbs meter was connected. "You wanted to see whether it was connected or not for when investigators turned up to look at the crashed helicopter?" Mr Gullaci asked. "I don't believe so," Mr Purcell replied. The jury was played a covertly recorded conversation between Wright and Mr Purcell from August 2022 in which the reality TV star said: "The Hobbs has been touched, they've moved it forward or some f***ing thing." "I don't know what Sebby (Mr Robinson) said to them ... because a lot of this stuff they could have got out of the (maintenance release)," Wright went on to say. When asked by Mr Gullaci if "they" referred to crash investigators, Mr Purcell said he couldn't be sure as the call was a long time ago. The charges against Wright do not relate to the cause of the accident and the prosecution does not allege he is responsible for either the crash or Mr Wilson's death. The trial before acting Justice Allan Blow is expected to take up to five weeks. A helicopter pilot disconnected flight-time meters and falsified paperwork for reality TV star Matt Wright in the lead-up to a fatal crash on a crocodile egg-collecting mission, a court has been told. Jock Purcell gave evidence in the Supreme Court in Darwin on Monday in the jury trial of the Outback Wrangler star, who has pleaded not guilty to three charges of attempting to pervert the course of justice. The show's co-star, Chris "Willow" Wilson, was suspended by a sling from a chopper when he fell to his death in remote swampland in the Northern Territory in February 2022. The helicopter then crashed, leaving pilot Sebastian Robinson a paraplegic. Prosecutors allege Wright was worried crash investigators would uncover that flight-time meters were regularly disconnected to extend flying hours beyond official thresholds and paperwork was falsified. Under questioning by crown prosecutor Jason Gullaci on Monday, Mr Purcell admitted there were "more than 10 times" he didn't fill out a maintenance release form after flying one of Wright's helicopters. He also admitted disconnecting Hobbs meters, devices that recorded flight hours, and said he had seen Wright do the same thing. The disconnections occurred when required services were near-due for a helicopter, Mr Purcell said. He agreed he took directions from Wright on disconnecting meters and not recording hours. Mr Robinson also disconnected meters and had shown him how to do it, Mr Purcell said. He flew to the accident scene on the day of the crash and he said the aircraft's console had been unscrewed, but he couldn't recall who by. Under questioning from Mr Gullaci, the pilot said he looked behind the console to see if anything stood out to explain the crash and he saw the Hobbs meter was connected. "You wanted to see whether it was connected or not for when investigators turned up to look at the crashed helicopter?" Mr Gullaci asked. "I don't believe so," Mr Purcell replied. The jury was played a covertly recorded conversation between Wright and Mr Purcell from August 2022 in which the reality TV star said: "The Hobbs has been touched, they've moved it forward or some f***ing thing." "I don't know what Sebby (Mr Robinson) said to them ... because a lot of this stuff they could have got out of the (maintenance release)," Wright went on to say. When asked by Mr Gullaci if "they" referred to crash investigators, Mr Purcell said he couldn't be sure as the call was a long time ago. The charges against Wright do not relate to the cause of the accident and the prosecution does not allege he is responsible for either the crash or Mr Wilson's death. The trial before acting Justice Allan Blow is expected to take up to five weeks. A helicopter pilot disconnected flight-time meters and falsified paperwork for reality TV star Matt Wright in the lead-up to a fatal crash on a crocodile egg-collecting mission, a court has been told. Jock Purcell gave evidence in the Supreme Court in Darwin on Monday in the jury trial of the Outback Wrangler star, who has pleaded not guilty to three charges of attempting to pervert the course of justice. The show's co-star, Chris "Willow" Wilson, was suspended by a sling from a chopper when he fell to his death in remote swampland in the Northern Territory in February 2022. The helicopter then crashed, leaving pilot Sebastian Robinson a paraplegic. Prosecutors allege Wright was worried crash investigators would uncover that flight-time meters were regularly disconnected to extend flying hours beyond official thresholds and paperwork was falsified. Under questioning by crown prosecutor Jason Gullaci on Monday, Mr Purcell admitted there were "more than 10 times" he didn't fill out a maintenance release form after flying one of Wright's helicopters. He also admitted disconnecting Hobbs meters, devices that recorded flight hours, and said he had seen Wright do the same thing. The disconnections occurred when required services were near-due for a helicopter, Mr Purcell said. He agreed he took directions from Wright on disconnecting meters and not recording hours. Mr Robinson also disconnected meters and had shown him how to do it, Mr Purcell said. He flew to the accident scene on the day of the crash and he said the aircraft's console had been unscrewed, but he couldn't recall who by. Under questioning from Mr Gullaci, the pilot said he looked behind the console to see if anything stood out to explain the crash and he saw the Hobbs meter was connected. "You wanted to see whether it was connected or not for when investigators turned up to look at the crashed helicopter?" Mr Gullaci asked. "I don't believe so," Mr Purcell replied. The jury was played a covertly recorded conversation between Wright and Mr Purcell from August 2022 in which the reality TV star said: "The Hobbs has been touched, they've moved it forward or some f***ing thing." "I don't know what Sebby (Mr Robinson) said to them ... because a lot of this stuff they could have got out of the (maintenance release)," Wright went on to say. When asked by Mr Gullaci if "they" referred to crash investigators, Mr Purcell said he couldn't be sure as the call was a long time ago. The charges against Wright do not relate to the cause of the accident and the prosecution does not allege he is responsible for either the crash or Mr Wilson's death. The trial before acting Justice Allan Blow is expected to take up to five weeks.
Daily Mail
8 hours ago
- Daily Mail
New development in Outback Wrangler trial as Matt Wright fights accusations he tampered with evidence of deadly helicopter crash
A helicopter pilot who suffered life-changing injuries in a crash that killed Outback Wrangler's Chris 'Willow' Wilson is set to give evidence in the trial of reality TV star Matt Wright. Sebastian Robinson was left a paraplegic after the crash during a crocodile-egg collecting mission in remote swampland in the Northern Territory during February 2022. Mr Wilson was suspended on a sling under the chopper when he fell to the ground and was killed in the Arnhem Land incident. Wright is facing trial in the Supreme Court in Darwin after pleading not guilty to three counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice. He has been accused of tampering with evidence and covering up improper flight-time recording. Wright was allegedly worried crash investigators would uncover that he and his pilots regularly disconnected flight-time meters to extend helicopter flying hours beyond official thresholds and falsified logbooks and maintenance releases. Part of the prosecution case includes allegations Wright visited the injured Mr Robinson in Royal Brisbane Hospital after the crash, 'putting the hard word on him' to falsify helicopter flying hours. It's alleged Wright wanted hours flown by the crashed helicopter to be put onto the wounded pilot's own helicopter. Mr Robinson refused to comply with the request, the prosecution said. But Wright's senior defence counsel, David Edwardson KC, told the jury his client 'emphatically' denied pressuring the pilot to falsify flight-time records. The credibility of Mr Robinson and family members who would give evidence was seriously in question, Mr Edwardson said. The accusation will be examined in court on Monday when Mr Robinson gives evidence. The charges against Wright do not relate to the cause of the accident and the prosecution does not allege he is responsible for either the crash or Mr Wilson's death. The trial before acting Justice Allan Blow is expected to take up to five weeks.
West Australian
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- West Australian
Major claims as Netflix's Outback Wrangler star Matt Wright goes on trial over deadly chopper crash
Major claims as Netflix's Outback Wrangler star Matt Wright goes on trial over deadly chopper crash
News.com.au
3 days ago
- News.com.au
Major claims as Netflix's Outback Wrangler star Matt Wright goes on trial over deadly chopper crash
A reality television star and pilot allegedly fudged helicopter flight logs before his mate died in a fatal crash and suggested 'torching' important documents in the aftermath. Those were just some of the explosive claims made in the Northern Territory Supreme Court during the first week of the trial against Outback Wrangler Matt Wright. Mr Wright, 45, is accused of engaging in a 'pattern' of failing to accurately record flight times in the Robinson-R-44 that crashed three years ago, killing his friend and co-star Chris 'Willow' Wilson. The 34-year-old father was dangling from a sling attached to the chopper during a dangerous crocodile egg collecting mission on February 28, 2022. The helicopter crashed into a paperbark swamp along the King River in Arnhem Land, killing Mr Wilson and critically injuring 28-year-old pilot Seb Robinson. Mr Robinson is now a paraplegic and in a wheelchair. Mr Wright has pleaded not guilty to three allegations of attempting to pervert the course of justice following the crash. In his opening address this week, prosecutor Jason Gullaci told the court the six-man operation was 'risky and dangerous work'. Wild Harvest NT owner Mick Burns — commonly known as the 'crocodile king' — had a permit for egg collection and subcontracted Mr Wright's company Helibook. Mr Gullaci alleged Mr Wright had a 'pattern' of manipulating flight records. He said the Netflix and Apple TV star would have known about the maintenance requirements, including a service every 50 to 100 hours of flight and a major overhaul at 2200 hours. He said these 'potential end of life' overhauls could cost up to $460,000. Mr Gullaci alleged that in a bugged conversation with his wife Kaia in September 2022, Mr Wright suggested he knew he had overflown the maintenance hours 'by a couple hundred (hours), maybe 10 per cent'. 'I will be guilty of not keeping my f****** paperwork up to speed,' Mr Wright allegedly said. Mr Wright allegedly repeatedly disconnected the chopper's Hobbs Meter, which Mr Gullaci compared to the odometer of a car. While it was not alleged Mr Wright was responsible for the deadly crash, Mr Gullaci said his fear that he would be blamed did motivate his actions. 'Mr Wright was concerned after the crash that this failure would be revealed,' Mr Gullaci said. 'And if it was uncovered that there had been systemic under-reporting of the recorded hours, that it could be used as a way to blame him for the accident.' Mr Burns testified the collectors, who dangled from helicopters, were paid $1000 per day and the pilots were paid by their respective companies. He told the jury he paid for their 'green' fuel as 'we thought it was safer as it allows the engine to run cooler'. The petrol and a refuelling stop at Mt Borradaile will be a source of contention throughout the trial. Mr Burns began to tear up as he recalled arriving at the horrific crash site. Off-duty police officer Neil Mellon was with Mr Burns at the site and also became emotional as he told the jury how he put his friend in a body bag. 'I've done it so many times, I didn't think these guys needed to do that,' he said. Mr Mellon said he disconnected Mr Wilson's harness, removed a handgun from his hip, and removed his mobile phone — handing it to Michael Burbidge, who was flying another helicopter and had been the first to arrive at the scene. He told the court Mr Burbidge told him Mr Wilson's wife Dani 'doesn't need to see what's on that' and later admitted the phone was 'in the ocean'. Mr Mellon agreed Mr Wright and Mr Burbidge were 'in and around' the crashed chopper's cockpit, but Mr Burns said he did not recall. In a bugged conversation months later, the court heard Mr Wright had allegedly said: 'He had run out of fuel. I'll just say he was a s*** pilot.' The prosecutor alleged Mr Wright repeatedly tried to manipulate the helicopter's documents, including pressuring Mr Robinson to forge records and suggested to others the original maintenance release should be 'destroyed'. Mr Gullaci alleged the celebrity was recorded saying: 'Just torch it, I don't know where it is.' 'Now they are starting to put the pressure on everyone, you know, they will start squealing,' he allegedly said in September. On Friday, the court was played a covertly recorded phone call between Mr Wright and Mr Burbidge from August 9, 2022. Mr Burbidge allegedly said to Mr Wright: 'Who's got the logbooks for IDW? There's been s**t written in it.' Mr Burbidge then told Mr Wright an anonymous 'source' 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. Defence senior counsel David Edwardson said the charges against his client relied on statements made by Mr Robinson and his family whose 'credibility and reliability' was in question, as well as inaudible and unclear recordings. The jury heard the lengthy trial would likely focus on the trace levels of cocaine in Mr Robinson's blood. Mr Gullaci said expert evidence would be presented that indicated recreational use in the days before the crash. The trial before Justice Alan Blow will resume next week.
