1 00:00:00,800 --> 00:00:04,720 Speaker 1: Jersey and Amanda gam Nation from the Daily Oz. M 2 00:00:04,760 --> 00:00:08,680 Speaker 1: Gillespie is here with that entertainment. Matt Right, the croc Hunter. 3 00:00:08,640 --> 00:00:13,039 Speaker 2: The Wrangler Outback Wrangler. Matt Wright. He was an Australian 4 00:00:13,080 --> 00:00:16,520 Speaker 2: wildlife expert also a tourism mogul of the top end. 5 00:00:16,640 --> 00:00:19,400 Speaker 2: And he has been sentenced or not yet sentenced, but 6 00:00:19,440 --> 00:00:22,920 Speaker 2: he's been found guilty on two counts of perverting the 7 00:00:22,960 --> 00:00:25,439 Speaker 2: course of justice. We've had a three and a half 8 00:00:25,520 --> 00:00:29,680 Speaker 2: week trial all to do with this evidence tampering relating 9 00:00:29,720 --> 00:00:32,920 Speaker 2: to a twenty twenty two helicopter crash. So you might 10 00:00:32,960 --> 00:00:36,640 Speaker 2: be familiar with this story. Chris Willow, Chris Wilson, his 11 00:00:36,720 --> 00:00:40,640 Speaker 2: nickname was Willow, and a pilot, Sebastian Robinson, were traveling 12 00:00:40,680 --> 00:00:43,440 Speaker 2: on a helicopter on a crocodile egg collecting mission in 13 00:00:43,600 --> 00:00:45,519 Speaker 2: Arnam Land in feb twenty twenty two. 14 00:00:45,840 --> 00:00:47,640 Speaker 3: This is where someone hangs from the bottom of the 15 00:00:47,640 --> 00:00:49,199 Speaker 3: helicopter and scoops the eggs out. 16 00:00:49,360 --> 00:00:53,120 Speaker 2: Yes, so he was suspended about thirty meters below the aircraft. 17 00:00:53,560 --> 00:00:57,440 Speaker 2: The chopper went down, he died. The pilot was seriously injured. 18 00:00:57,480 --> 00:01:00,920 Speaker 2: He's now paraplegic. He suffered a brain injury as well. 19 00:01:01,480 --> 00:01:04,800 Speaker 2: And Matt Wright, who owned the helicopter. He owned a 20 00:01:04,800 --> 00:01:08,080 Speaker 2: tourism company and the helicopter was part of that. He 21 00:01:08,400 --> 00:01:11,920 Speaker 2: was charged not for causing the crash, but over his 22 00:01:12,040 --> 00:01:15,399 Speaker 2: attempts to pervert the course of justice. So all of 23 00:01:15,440 --> 00:01:18,000 Speaker 2: these proceedings have to do with how Matt Wright behaved 24 00:01:18,040 --> 00:01:20,399 Speaker 2: in the aftermath of the crash in the days and 25 00:01:20,440 --> 00:01:23,120 Speaker 2: weeks after. So no one is suggesting that he caused 26 00:01:23,160 --> 00:01:26,640 Speaker 2: the helicopter crash. But the picture that has been painted 27 00:01:26,720 --> 00:01:28,840 Speaker 2: over the course of these proceedings is that he was 28 00:01:28,920 --> 00:01:30,839 Speaker 2: running a bit of a shonky. 29 00:01:30,480 --> 00:01:33,320 Speaker 3: Show and that terms of maintenance. 30 00:01:32,880 --> 00:01:39,480 Speaker 2: In terms of maintenance, record keeping, just fraudulent activity allegedly, 31 00:01:39,920 --> 00:01:42,520 Speaker 2: and that he sort of sought to cover all of 32 00:01:42,560 --> 00:01:44,520 Speaker 2: that up because he knew that there would be a 33 00:01:44,560 --> 00:01:49,520 Speaker 2: spotlight on his company and on its practices following the crash. 34 00:01:49,680 --> 00:01:51,640 Speaker 4: There's frontier territory up there as well. 35 00:01:51,920 --> 00:01:55,080 Speaker 1: And those guys with the helicopters, they're kind of cavalier 36 00:01:55,160 --> 00:01:55,960 Speaker 1: about stuff. 37 00:01:56,240 --> 00:01:56,680 Speaker 4: I've seen. 38 00:01:56,840 --> 00:01:59,040 Speaker 1: I've seen those guys how they operate, and they're pretty 39 00:01:59,480 --> 00:01:59,840 Speaker 1: cow boy. 40 00:02:00,240 --> 00:02:03,280 Speaker 2: They're loose Esentially, if you're a croc hunter and a 41 00:02:03,320 --> 00:02:03,840 Speaker 2: crockad and. 42 00:02:03,880 --> 00:02:06,800 Speaker 3: That's what I was about. The braver in the risk TAE. 43 00:02:06,640 --> 00:02:09,160 Speaker 1: Would probably be the same a helicopter. 44 00:02:09,200 --> 00:02:11,600 Speaker 4: I'd probably be the same. If you're dangling from a helicopter, 45 00:02:11,680 --> 00:02:12,000 Speaker 4: why not. 46 00:02:13,040 --> 00:02:15,480 Speaker 3: But having said that, there are strict rules around how 47 00:02:15,520 --> 00:02:17,680 Speaker 3: often your helicopter is. 48 00:02:18,160 --> 00:02:19,600 Speaker 1: When you look at what they're doing, I thought it 49 00:02:19,639 --> 00:02:23,120 Speaker 1: was a conservative for like conserving crocodile eggs and stuff, 50 00:02:23,120 --> 00:02:26,080 Speaker 1: but it's actually a business. But they land the helicopter 51 00:02:26,160 --> 00:02:28,839 Speaker 1: into the nest and the dude scoops the eggs out. 52 00:02:28,919 --> 00:02:31,320 Speaker 3: But that's not what this case is. 53 00:02:31,320 --> 00:02:33,640 Speaker 2: The case, Yeah, the case is about this kind of 54 00:02:33,760 --> 00:02:38,440 Speaker 2: long standing pattern of under recording flight hours, instruments on 55 00:02:38,600 --> 00:02:42,120 Speaker 2: the helicopters being disabled, they're not being enough fuel or 56 00:02:42,160 --> 00:02:44,960 Speaker 2: not being fuel logs to appropriately track the fuel that 57 00:02:45,080 --> 00:02:48,800 Speaker 2: was in the helicopter at the time. And at the 58 00:02:48,840 --> 00:02:51,200 Speaker 2: crash scene there were these witnesses. One was an off 59 00:02:51,280 --> 00:02:54,720 Speaker 2: duty police officer. He appeared on the witness stand. Others 60 00:02:54,800 --> 00:02:58,880 Speaker 2: testified about removing log books from the pilots home, from 61 00:02:59,000 --> 00:03:02,960 Speaker 2: right arms to his staff to torch files. But there 62 00:03:03,000 --> 00:03:05,600 Speaker 2: were three charges, all kind of in the realm of 63 00:03:05,639 --> 00:03:08,920 Speaker 2: evidence tampering, and he's only been found guilty on two counts, 64 00:03:08,960 --> 00:03:11,520 Speaker 2: so that relates to lying about the fuel in the 65 00:03:11,520 --> 00:03:15,600 Speaker 2: helicopter and manipulating flight records. But this other charge, which 66 00:03:15,639 --> 00:03:19,680 Speaker 2: was about his alleged attempts to destroy other maintenance records, 67 00:03:20,120 --> 00:03:23,200 Speaker 2: that count remains unresolved and it's not clear if we're. 68 00:03:23,120 --> 00:03:24,680 Speaker 4: Ever going to get an answer on that one. 69 00:03:24,760 --> 00:03:27,519 Speaker 2: He took the jury six hours to find Matt Wright 70 00:03:27,560 --> 00:03:30,000 Speaker 2: guilty on those other two counts, but they were deadlocked 71 00:03:30,400 --> 00:03:31,960 Speaker 2: on the torching the records. 72 00:03:32,240 --> 00:03:34,080 Speaker 4: So we just don't know what's going to happen there. 73 00:03:34,120 --> 00:03:36,920 Speaker 2: But over the course of the trial, we heard witnesses 74 00:03:37,080 --> 00:03:41,840 Speaker 2: talk about Matt Wright pressuring them, manipulating them. He visited 75 00:03:41,840 --> 00:03:45,320 Speaker 2: the pilot in hospital when he was seriously injured recovering 76 00:03:45,360 --> 00:03:49,040 Speaker 2: from this horrific crash and allegedly tried to intimidate him 77 00:03:49,160 --> 00:03:52,920 Speaker 2: into deleting messages. Came back, revisited him and said, you 78 00:03:52,920 --> 00:03:54,600 Speaker 2: know you're going to delete those messages? Have you thought 79 00:03:54,640 --> 00:03:56,560 Speaker 2: about what I said? We're all going to get in 80 00:03:56,560 --> 00:03:59,200 Speaker 2: trouble if you don't play ball on this. But then 81 00:03:59,240 --> 00:04:00,960 Speaker 2: on the other side, the fence tried to paint a 82 00:04:01,000 --> 00:04:03,760 Speaker 2: picture of a really kind of rowdy cowboy pilot who 83 00:04:04,080 --> 00:04:06,600 Speaker 2: had a drug problem and who would often fly under 84 00:04:06,600 --> 00:04:09,240 Speaker 2: the influence of drugs. So it was the real kind 85 00:04:09,280 --> 00:04:10,240 Speaker 2: of spectacle. 86 00:04:10,600 --> 00:04:13,200 Speaker 3: And the friendships have all split, haven't they because they 87 00:04:13,240 --> 00:04:14,720 Speaker 3: were all friends and now it's all over. 88 00:04:14,800 --> 00:04:17,920 Speaker 2: And the widow of the guy on the plane, who's 89 00:04:18,040 --> 00:04:21,440 Speaker 2: the helicopter who passed away, she has welcomed the verdict. 90 00:04:21,520 --> 00:04:24,400 Speaker 2: She have a really moving statement outside court last week. 91 00:04:24,760 --> 00:04:26,640 Speaker 2: She said, you know, they're heading into their fourth Father's 92 00:04:26,720 --> 00:04:28,320 Speaker 2: Day without their son's dad. 93 00:04:28,360 --> 00:04:31,480 Speaker 4: She's got two little boys. But she's also separately suing 94 00:04:31,480 --> 00:04:36,320 Speaker 4: Matt Wright in civil proceedings and the aviation authority to 95 00:04:36,360 --> 00:04:38,919 Speaker 4: try to get, you know, maybe some compensation for the 96 00:04:38,960 --> 00:04:43,080 Speaker 4: life that they're now living without their dad. Will he 97 00:04:43,120 --> 00:04:43,680 Speaker 4: go to prison? 98 00:04:43,960 --> 00:04:47,799 Speaker 2: So he's facing seven years for the evidence tampering stuff. 99 00:04:47,960 --> 00:04:50,640 Speaker 2: The sentencing is kind of on the rocks because he's 100 00:04:50,720 --> 00:04:53,720 Speaker 2: vowed to appeal. So if Matt Wright does appeal, then 101 00:04:53,800 --> 00:04:56,440 Speaker 2: this could be you know, months or years more of 102 00:04:56,600 --> 00:05:00,840 Speaker 2: unanswered questions if he went straight to sentence. Yeah, looking 103 00:05:00,880 --> 00:05:03,880 Speaker 2: at about seven years, but that third charge being so 104 00:05:04,040 --> 00:05:06,120 Speaker 2: up in the air really casts a lot of doubt 105 00:05:06,160 --> 00:05:07,200 Speaker 2: over what happens next. 106 00:05:08,720 --> 00:05:12,160 Speaker 4: Gee, just check your records, you think about that. 107 00:05:12,240 --> 00:05:14,760 Speaker 2: Yeah, if he just kept his books straight, you know, 108 00:05:14,920 --> 00:05:17,600 Speaker 2: and hadn't tampered with anything after this horrific crash, it 109 00:05:17,640 --> 00:05:18,600 Speaker 2: would have been a tragedy. 110 00:05:18,640 --> 00:05:21,000 Speaker 4: But you know, that's probably where it would have stayed. 111 00:05:21,360 --> 00:05:22,960 Speaker 1: And thank you, thank you.