Australian wildlife personality Matt Wright has been sentenced to five months in prison for attempting to interfere with the investigation into a 2022 helicopter crash that killed his friend and television co-star and left the pilot permanently injured.
The former Outback Wrangler and Netflix’s Wild Croc Territory star received a 10-month prison term on Friday in the Northern Territory Supreme Court, with Acting Justice Alan Blow ordering Wright to serve half before the sentence is suspended. Wright was also fined A$5,000.
Wright was convicted in August of lying to police and pressuring an injured witness in the aftermath of the February 2022 crash in Arnhem Land, about 500km (310 miles) east of Darwin. The accident killed Chris “Willow” Wilson, Wright’s friend and long-time co-star, who had been suspended below the helicopter in a sling while collecting crocodile eggs. Pilot Sebastian Robinson survived but suffered severe injuries, including punctured lungs and major brain trauma, leaving him paraplegic.
Wright was not aboard the helicopter but arrived early at the crash site. Prosecutors argued that he later attempted to manipulate evidence to shield himself from scrutiny, including misleading investigators about the aircraft’s fuel levels and pressuring Robinson from his hospital bed to alter flight log data.
In sentencing, Justice Blow said Wright had “shown no remorse” for his actions, but also acknowledged the large number of character references submitted on his behalf, calling them “the most impressive I’ve ever seen.” He noted that Wright was unlikely to offend again.
The jury returned unanimous guilty verdicts on two counts but could not reach a decision on a third charge alleging that Wright asked someone to “torch” helicopter maintenance records. That allegation remains before the courts.
The month-long trial featured secret recordings and witness testimony that prosecutors said exposed a pattern of attempted interference.
They argued that Wright repeatedly pressed Robinson — who had been told he might never walk again — to amend documentation showing how many hours the aircraft had flown, allegedly because Wright feared investigators would discover routine underreporting of flight hours to avoid costly maintenance.
Prosecutor Jason Gullaci SC said these hospital visits were deliberate attempts to obstruct justice. He told the court that Wright’s efforts to alter flight records were “significantly more serious” than lying about fuel levels because they were “considered, planned and all directed at achieving the result of obstructing the course of justice.”
The trial also offered rare public insight into the Northern Territory’s helicopter operations. Prosecutors and witnesses described widespread industry practice of “popping the clock” — disconnecting the device that logs flight hours to postpone required maintenance.
Wright’s lawyers did not dispute that the practice was common, but argued that their client’s involvement did not amount to perverting the course of justice.
Robinson testified that Wright was widely admired within the community.
“Everyone looked at Matt as an idol,” he said. “If he said ‘jump,’ they’d say ‘how high’.”
The prosecution stressed that Wright’s charges did not relate to the cause of the crash or the death of Wilson. Robinson, who said he does not remember the incident, told the court he “must have intentionally disconnected” Wilson’s sling during the crash, a step investigators said was standard emergency procedure. Wilson died after falling roughly 25 meters.
Wright’s lawyer David Edwardson KC argued that Wright’s misrepresentation of the helicopter’s fuel level was an attempt “to protect a mate,” not obstruct justice. He also urged the court not to let Wright’s celebrity status shape the sentence.
Africa Digital News, New York
