Lloyd Jones
Reality TV star Matt Wright has been given a 10-month jail sentence for trying to pervert the course of justice following a deadly helicopter crash.
The 47-year-old was sentenced by Acting Justice Alan Blow within the Supreme Court in Darwin on Friday.
The Outback Wrangler star misplaced his greatest mate and co-star Chris “Willow” Wilson within the February 2022 crash that left pilot Sebastian Robinson a paraplegic.
It occurred throughout a crocodile-egg amassing journey in Arnhem Land whereas Mr Wilson was slung on a line beneath a chopper to drop onto nests in distant swampland.
Wright was accused of mendacity to crash investigators concerning the quantity of gas within the machine, of making an attempt to get Robinson to falsify flying hours and of asking a buddy to “torch” the helicopter’s upkeep launch.
Prosecutors sought a jail time period for Wright however his defence attorneys wished a non-custodial sentence and are pursuing an attraction towards his responsible verdicts.
In courtroom on Friday, Blow sentenced Wright to 10 months in jail, suspended after he serves 5 months.
He was given a $5000 superb on the cost of mendacity to police.
Wright bowed to the decide earlier than he was led away.
The most penalty for trying to pervert the course of justice is 15 years’ jail.
On August 29, a jury discovered Wright responsible on the primary two counts however couldn’t attain settlement on the third torching accusation.
Prosecutors alleged Wright was frightened investigators would study his choppers’ flying-hour meters had been repeatedly disconnected to increase hours past official thresholds, with paperwork falsified to match.
The prosecution didn’t allege Wright induced the chopper crash, the demise of Wilson, or Robinson’s accidents.
AAP
