Outback Wrangler star Matt Wright to face trial three years after fatal chopper crash

A date for the criminal trial of Outback Wrangler host Matt Wright has finally been set — commencing more than three years after the fatal chopper crash that killed Netflix star Chris Wilson — with more than 100 witnesses expected to give evidence.

On Wednesday, almost two years after the Northern Territory Police charged the celebrity croc-wrangler with seven criminal offences, Chief Justice Michael Grant has set down dates for his trial.

Mr Wright is charged with attempting to pervert the course of justice, destroying evidence, fabricating evidence, unlawfully entering a building, unlawfully entering a dwelling, making a false declaration and interfering with witnesses in a criminal investigation or court process by making threats/reprisals.

All of the charges relate to Mr Wright’s alleged actions after the fatal chopper crash that killed his Netflix co-star Chris Wilson in February 2022.

Wilson – who starred alongside Mr Wright in reality television shows including Outback Wrangler and Wild Croc Territory – was slinging beneath the helicopter during a crocodile egg collecting mission when it crashed soon after taking off from a clearing on the King River.

The destroyed Robinson R44 Raven II, registered VH-IDW, was owned and operated by Mr Wright’s company Helibrook.

It was being flown by pilot Sebastian Robinson who was critically injured and is now paraplegic.

Pilot Michael Burbidge, who was in another crew on the egg collecting mission, located the wreckage of VH-IDW in a paperbark swamp and called for help.

After being notified, Mr Wright immediately flew to the remote crash site with former police officer Neil Mellon and Darwin publican Mick Burns, who owns the crocodile egg harvesting business.

In November 2022, NT Police charged Mr Wright with seven criminal offences.

At his committal hearing in December 2023, Mr Wright’s most serious charge – attempting to pervert the course of justice – was sent to the Supreme Court.

The 45-year-old attended his pre-trial hearing in Darwin on Wednesday with wife Kaia and their two small children.

Senior Crown prosecutor Steve Ledek told Chief Justice Grant he expected to call up to 125 witnesses.

But Mr Wright’s Perth-based barrister Frank Marenda told the court, via video link, that “certain concessions” regarding tendency evidence could be made which would eliminate the need for many of those witnesses.

“The real gist of the length of the trial seems to be by reference to a large amount of civilian evidence concerning tendency of Mr Wright to engage, on the Crown’s case, in practices that were not sound practices relating to the maintenance of helicopters,” he said.

“It’s likely that we’ll reach a point where that evidence can be dealt with effectively by admissions.

“We’d be quite confident that the matter could be safely dealt with in the vicinity of three to four weeks.”

Another pre-trial hearing was set down for October 25 while Mr Wright’s eight-week trial before Chief Justice Grant will commence on July 7 next year.

Mr Wright was due to return to the Darwin Local Court in November to deal with his other six criminal charges but Mr Ledek indicated that those charges would now “need to be elevated and added to the indictment”.

“The way this has proceeded wasn’t in anticipation of this particular outcome, your honour, so what went up originally was the single charge as presently exists on the indictment,” he said.

“So we need to add those because they relate to specific identifiable acts or criminal conduct that are actually described beyond the pervert the course of justice charge, so they’re discretely made out.”

The court also heard Mr Wright’s lawyers will re-issue a subpoena to NT Police Commissioner Michael Murphy after the original subpoena failed to comply with legal requirements and “the practice of this court that’s been in place for 21 years”.

Mr Wright rebuffed the media as he left court with his wife and children.

“No questions today, I just want to be left alone with my family, thanks,” he said.

In February, NT WorkSafe charged Mr Wright and Helibrook with “reckless conduct for operating unsafe aircraft” following the fatal chopper crash.

Those matters will return to the Darwin Local Court for a preliminary examination mention on October 23.

Meanwhile in the Federal Court, Wilson’s widow Danielle is suing Mr Wright, Helibrook and the Civil Aviation Safety Authority over her husband’s death.

Published court orders indicate that the respondents in that matter are in the process of filing a stay application for the civil case to be heard after Wright’s criminal proceedings are finalised.