Outback Wrangler star Matt Wright found guilty on two counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice

Outback Wrangler host Matt Wright has vowed to appeal his verdicts after being found guilty of attempting to pervert the course of justice following the fatal chopper crash that killed his Netflix co-star Chris Wilson.

After deliberating for just six hours, the jury delivered two guilty verdicts to Acting Justice Alan Blow in the Northern Territory Supreme Court at about lunchtime on Friday, which happened to be Wright’s birthday.

Outside court Wright said he was “pretty disappointed” in the verdict and would appeal.

“It’s been a long fight.” he said. “We’ll keep moving forward with his.

“It’s been devastating for everyone involved.”

Wright also released a statement through his representatives questioning the police investigation.

“The ordeal has been incredibly tough on everyone and it’s always been hard to understand why the focus of these investigations have been solely on me and not into the cause of the crash,” the statement said.

“Willow’s family have lost a father, husband, son and brother. We’ve lost a best mate. Seb is seriously injured and in a wheelchair.”

Wright, 46, has been on bail since NT Police charged him in November 2022. Justice Blow released Wright on appeal bail until his sentencing on October 6.

Wilson’s widow Danielle, now a single mum of two young boys, attended court alone each day.

Outside court, Ms Wilson welcomed the verdicts.

“I respect the decision handed down by the court today about the crash that claimed the life of my husband and the father of my children more than three and a half years ago,” she said.

“From the evidence it is clear that a thorough criminal investigation has been carried out and I acknowledge the work of the NT Police Force and the NT Department of Public Prosecutions, that has brought us to this point.

“This has never been about theatrics inside or outside the courtroom. It has been about the conviction of an individual who attempted to pervert the course of justice and – in doing so – denied a complete, thorough and unimpeded investigation into the crash.

“An investigation that could have provided my two young sons with the answers they so much deserve.”

Ms Wilson said the “journey is not yet over” with multiple legal proceedings still on foot.

“These processes are still ahead of us and I know will take time,” she said.

“Today’s decision is a significant step forward. It brings us closer to ensuring justice is served and the truth of what happened is fully acknowledged.

“My hope is through this process lessons are learnt, accountability is upheld and no other family has to endure the ongoing heartbreak that we have.”

After the verdicts were delivered on Friday, crown prosecutor Jason Gullaci SC sought to have the reality television star’s bail revoked due to the seriousness of the charges.

Mr Wright’s barrister David Edwardson KC argued that it should remain in place while his client appeals the verdicts.

“I can assure your Honour that there will be an appeal, certainly in relation to count two, if not count one as well, for reasons I don’t need to address your honour,” he said.

“At the moment, there is a real possibility that if he’s remanded in custody, he would serve almost the entirety of any sentence – if an immediate custodial sentence is imposed – before the disposition of the appeal and that would be wholly unwarranted.

“We’re not talking about an obvious example of offending which is so serious, but there’s inevitably going to be a very significant period of imprisonment which would traverse well and truly the time for appeal.

“And then we’ve still got the question of resolving the appeal, which hopefully we can file fairly quickly and so that the two matters can be dealt with at the same time in a relatively short compass, so my submission is bail should not be revoked today.”

Mr Gullaci argued “it’s far from certain” that Wright will have served more than is required by the time of an appeal.

“That is entirely speculative,” he said.

“I mean, if it is an immediate term of imprisonment, it’s not going to be two months with the greatest of respect, and we don’t know how long the Court of Appeal might take to reserve a question of law.

“I would still submit that the default position in usual circumstances is that you run a trial, you get convicted. It’s a serious offence. There’s an expectation, or an almost inevitability, I would submit, that you are going to serve a term of negative imprisonment, that you would be remanded.”

Justice Blow said he did not know how quickly the Court of Appeal and counsel would be able to “line the planets up” and finalise this matter.

“I think there’s a chance that the proceedings in the Court of Criminal Appeal won’t reach The judgment stage this year so I think that the circumstances are special enough to warrant a grant,” he said.

“Ultimately, it’s certain it would ordinarily be my practice to remand in custody at this stage on an offense of this seriousness, and leave it to the defendant to institute an appeal and apply for appeal bail but this is a different situation.

“In effect, I’m granting, I’m asked to grant appeal bail, and I think that’s the preferable course so bail is extended, so bail is enlarged … on the same terms and conditions.”

The Top End tourism operator was fighting three counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice in relation to the investigations into the helicopter accident that killed Wilson and left pilot Sebastian Robinson paraplegic.

Mr Robinson, 32, was flying the chopper owned and operated by Mr Wright’s company Helibrook when it crashed during a crocodile egg collecting mission at West Arnhem Land in February 2022.

Wilson, 34, was slinging on a 100 foot line beneath the chopper when it lost power.

Mr Robinson told the court he then deliberately released the father-of-two to avoid “rag-dolling” him through the trees and falling on top of him.

In November 2022, Wright was charged with seven criminal offences related to his alleged actions after the crash.

The most serious charge, attempting to pervert the course of justice, was committed to the Supreme Court before being split into three separate counts.

Wright’s trial commenced late last month and the jury, which heard 13 days of evidence.

The crown did not allege Wright caused the fatal crash but that he failed to properly record flight hours for the destroyed chopper, registered VH-IDW, or maintain it properly.

Mr Gullaci said VH-IDW was operated beyond its critical 2200-hour lifespan and should not have been flying, because it was not airworthy, on the day of the accident.

He said Wright feared investigators would discover this which was what motivated him to obstruct investigations into the crash.

Wright was accused of lying to police about how much fuel was in the chopper’s tank at the crash site, pressuring Mr Robinson to falsify flight records and destroying VH-IDW’s maintenance release document which authorities had demanded he surrender.

The jury began deliberating after lunch on Thursday and by mid-morning Friday, had reached two unanimous verdicts.

The jury found Wright guilty of the first two charges and, after reaching a deadlock, were discharged on the third count.

Wright was supported at court everyday by his wife Kaia and the couple’s friends.