Matt Wright found guilty of attempting to pervert the course of justice

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Crocodile wrangler Matt Wright has been found guilty of attempting to pervert the course of justice, by a Supreme Court jury in Darwin. The jury did not deliver a verdict on a third count, after six hours of deliberation.

Transcript

00:00After six hours of deliberations, the jury in the trial of Matt Wright returned a unanimous

00:07verdict of guilty on counts one and two of attempting to pervert the course of justice.

00:13The jury did not deliver a verdict on count three after becoming stuck in a gridlock.

00:19Counts one and two relate to two attempts by Matt Wright to obstruct an investigation

00:24into the 2022 helicopter crash which killed his friend Chris Wilson

00:28and left pilot Sebastian Robinson suffering lifelong injuries.

00:32Count three, which the jury was unable to agree on, relates to allegations Mr Wright asked a friend

00:38to burn the maintenance documents of the crashed helicopter.

00:42Despite opposition from the prosecution, Matt Wright's bail was extended

00:46and on his way out of court he told media he was pretty disappointed with the result

00:50but said he would be pursuing an appeal.

00:53A number of family members of those involved in this trial also spoke outside court today

00:58including Danielle Wilson, the wife of Chris Wilson, who tragically lost his life in the 2022 crash.

01:04We are now approaching the fourth Father's Day that my two young sons facing without their dads.

01:12Once again there will be an empty seat at the table, a constant reminder of all that has been taken from us.

01:21That is our reality and it is a pain that we live with every single day.

01:28The brother of pilot Sebastian Robinson who survived the accident also spoke reading a statement on behalf of his younger brother.

01:35Today's verdict brings some closure but scars of the defendant's conduct are huge and permanent.

01:42The prosecution has indicated they will be pushing for a term of imprisonment

01:46when parties return for sentencing submissions later this year.

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