3 days ago
‘Footie players in town and want bags': pilot who flew for Outback Wrangler denies supplying cocaine, court hears
A pilot who was critically injured in a deadly helicopter crash has been grilled over his cocaine use when he flew for the reality TV star Matt Wright.
Sebastian Robinson was left a paraplegic after the February 2022 crash that killed Outback Wrangler co-star Chris 'Willow' Wilson in Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory.
Robinson is giving evidence in the supreme court in Darwin at the trial of Wright who has pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice.
Prosecutors allege the helicopter operator was worried crash investigators would discover flight-time meters were disconnected regularly to extend flying hours beyond official thresholds and paperwork was falsified.
Wilson fell to the ground from a sling beneath the chopper while collecting crocodile eggs in remote swampland.
The aircraft then crashed, seriously injuring Robinson who is giving evidence by video link from his wheelchair.
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The 32-year-old has previously admitted to the court that he used cocaine about twice a year.
But senior defence counsel David Edwardson KC on Thursday read out text messages extracted from Robinson's mobile phone by police, detailing regular exchanges with friends about the alleged supply of cocaine.
The text messages from November 2018 to August 2021 included lines from friends asking him if he was 'getting more coke' or could he 'get good stuff for Chrissy party' and did he have 'some Charlie'.
One message read 'footie players in town and want bags', with Edwardson asking Robinson if that referred to Richmond and was he planning to supply them with cocaine.
Robinson said he could not recall that message, declined to admit he was supplying cocaine and said he had never flown helicopters while high.
In response to Edwardson's line of questioning Robinson said: 'Are you implying that I'm a drug dealer? No.'
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In another message exchange Robinson texted he was 'crook as a dog', with a friend texting back, 'snorting too much coke out of Matty's arse', in an apparent reference to Wright, the reality TV star.
Wright chuckled to himself in the dock when he heard that text message.
The jury has heard that 10 days after the crash Robinson claimed Wright visited him while he was heavily sedated in hospital and asked him to manipulate flying hour records.
Robinson said he declined to do so.
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, Wilson's death or Robinson's injuries.
The trial continues.
