Matt Wright sentencing: Outback Wrangler star to learn his fate over fatal chopper crash

Reality TV star Matt Wright is set to be sentenced for attempting to pervert the course of justice following a fatal helicopter crash.

The Outback Wrangler star lost his best mate and co-star Chris “Willow” Wilson in a February 2022 Northern Territory crash that also left pilot Sebastian Robinson a paraplegic.

Wright is to be sentenced in the Supreme Court in Darwin on Friday but his defence lawyers are expected to pursue an appeal against his guilty verdicts.

Prosecutors have indicated they will seek a term of imprisonment for Wright.

The maximum penalty for attempting to pervert the course of justice is 15 years’ in jail.

The chopper crash occurred during a crocodile-egg collecting trip in Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory while Mr Wilson was slung on a line below a chopper to drop onto nests in remote swampland.

Wright was accused of lying to crash investigators about the amount of fuel in the machine, of trying to get Mr Robinson to falsify flying hours and of asking a friend to “torch” the helicopter’s maintenance release.

On August 29 a Supreme Court jury found Wright guilty on the first two counts but could not reach agreement on the third count regarding the “torch” claim.

On Thursday the NT Court of Criminal Appeal rejected an appeal by Wright’s lawyers on questions of law relating to the case.

A full appeal against the guilty verdicts is expected to be confirmed in court on Friday, with Wright’s lawyers expected to apply for bail to be continued until the appeal is heard next year.

In the trial before Acting Justice Alan Blow, prosecutors alleged Wright was worried investigators would learn flying-hour meters were regularly disconnected to extend hours beyond official thresholds, with paperwork falsified to match.

The prosecution did not allege Wright caused the chopper crash, the death of Mr Wilson, or Mr Robinson’s injuries.