Celebrity crocodile wrangler Matt Wright sentenced over justice interference

Outback Wrangler star Matt Wright has been sentenced to 10 months in prison, suspended after five months, for attempting to interfere with an investigation into a fatal helicopter crash in the Northern Territory.

The 46-year-old was convicted in August of two counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice following a month-long trial in the Northern Territory Supreme Court. Acting Justice Alan Blow handed down the sentence on Friday, ordering Wright to serve a suspended jail term on one count and pay a $5,000 fine on the other.

The charges stem from Wright's actions after a 2022 helicopter crash in remote Arnhem Land that killed his friend and television co-star Chris "Willow" Wilson and seriously injured pilot Sebastian Robinson. Wright was not accused of causing the crash itself.

The first count related to false statements Wright made during a recorded police interview four days after the accident, in which he misled investigators about how much fuel he believed remained in the helicopter. Justice Blow found Wright's primary motive was to protect the pilot from prosecution, describing the lies as spontaneous and unplanned.

While the judge accepted Wright had been dishonest, he also found on the balance of probabilities that the helicopter did not run out of fuel, stating the evidence suggested fuel remained in the tank when the engine stopped.

The second count concerned a visit Wright made to Mr Robinson while the pilot was critically injured in hospital. During that visit, Wright asked him to falsify maintenance records to make it appear flight hours flown by the crashed helicopter had instead been flown by another aircraft.

Justice Blow described the second offence as significantly more serious, noting Wright approached Mr Robinson shortly after he emerged from a coma and learned he may never walk again.

"It was the worst possible time to put any pressure on him - he was heavily medicated and very vulnerable," the judge said.

In his sentencing remarks, Justice Blow said Wright was aware that pilots under his direction had under-recorded flying hours and found it was highly likely the crashed helicopter had exceeded the maximum number of hours allowed before a mandatory maintenance overhaul.

"You had reason to fear that a thorough investigation would reveal that the 2,200-hour limit had been exceeded," he said.

The judge acknowledged Wright had been subjected to unfair media and online scrutiny and said his reputation had suffered more than it should. While noting Wright showed no remorse, Justice Blow said he was unlikely to reoffend and emphasised the importance of general deterrence.

On the first count, Wright was fined $5,000. On the second, he was sentenced to 10 months' imprisonment, suspended after five months.

Wright, who has remained on bail and unable to leave the Northern Territory since the verdict, showed no visible reaction as the sentence was delivered in a packed courtroom. His wife, Kaia Wright, supporters, and members of the Robinson family were present. Chris Wilson's widow, Danielle Wilson, did not attend.

Earlier, the court heard three hours of sentencing submissions. Crown prosecutor Jason Gullaci SC argued a term of actual imprisonment was warranted, saying Wright acted out of fear investigators would uncover systemic under-reporting of flying hours.

Defence counsel Luke Officer described the crash as a tragic accident and said Wright was not being sentenced for the death of his friend, the pilot's injuries, or his celebrity status. He told the court Wright was a devoted father with strong prospects of rehabilitation and was facing financial ruin after years of legal proceedings.

After considering the submissions for two hours, Acting Justice Blow delivered his sentence. Wright's defence lawyer later declined to comment outside court.