The reality TV star Matt Wright has been given a 10-month jail sentence for attempting to pervert the course of justice after a fatal helicopter crash.
The 47-year-old was sentenced by acting justice Alan Blow in the supreme court in Darwin on Friday.
The Outback Wrangler star lost best mate and co-star Chris “Willow” Wilson in the February 2022 crash that also left pilot Sebastian Robinson a paraplegic.
It happened during a crocodile egg collecting trip in Arnhem Land while Wilson was slung on a line below a chopper to drop on to nests in remote swampland.
Wright was accused of lying to crash investigators about the amount of fuel in the aircraft, of trying to get Robinson to falsify flying hours, and of asking a friend to “torch” the helicopter’s maintenance release.
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Prosecutors sought a jail term for Wright, but his defence lawyers wanted a non-custodial sentence and are pursuing an appeal against his guilty verdicts.
On Friday, Blow sentenced Wright to 10 months in prison, suspended after he serves five months.
He was given a $5,000 fine on the charge of lying to police.
Wright bowed to the judge before he was led away.
The maximum penalty for attempting to pervert the course of justice is 15 years’ jail.
On 29 August, a jury found Wright guilty on the first two counts but could not reach agreement on the third torching accusation.
Prosecutors alleged Wright was worried investigators would learn his helicopter’s flying-hour meters were regularly disconnected to extend hours beyond official thresholds, with paperwork falsified to match.
The prosecution did not allege Wright caused the chopper crash, the death of Wilson, or Robinson’s injuries.
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