Former television star Matt Wright has been sentenced to 10 months in prison for attempting to pervert the course of justice following a helicopter crash that killed his co-star. The 47-year-old, known for the show 'Outback Wrangler', was sentenced by Acting Justice Alan Blow in the Supreme Court in Darwin on Friday.
Wright was convicted in August on two counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice after a month-long trial. The charges stemmed from the February 2022 crash that killed Chris 'Willow' Wilson and left pilot Sebastian Robinson a paraplegic.
The court heard that Wright lied to crash investigators about the amount of fuel in the helicopter, attempted to get Mr Robinson to falsify flying hours, and asked a friend to destroy the helicopter's maintenance release. The prosecution did not allege that Wright caused the crash or the resulting deaths and injuries.
Acting Justice Blow sentenced Wright to 10 months in prison, suspended after he serves five months. The maximum penalty for the offence is 15 years' imprisonment. Wright's defence lawyers had sought a non-custodial sentence and are pursuing an appeal against the guilty verdicts.
Prosecutors alleged that Wright was concerned investigators would discover that the helicopter's flying-hour meters were regularly disconnected to extend hours beyond official limits, with falsified paperwork. The jury could not reach a verdict on a third count related to the destruction of the maintenance release.
