6m agoThu 21 Aug 2025 at 6:29am
Matt Wright handed ’42 different demands’
Defence barrister David Edwardson KC is now cross-examining CASA investigator Rolf Kidson.
Mr Kidson says he handed Matt Wright a regulatory demand for production of a maintenance release form (MR) for the crashed helicopter personally in Darwin.
“The reason it was handed to him physically is it’s always best to hand it to the person personally where you can,” he said.
“I was in Darwin and I was aware that he was in Darwin and I asked him to come in and collect, I think it was 42 different demands, it wasn’t just this one.
“He attended and handed them over in a manila folder.”
Mr Kidson says he doesn’t recall whether he knew an Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) officer had photographed the original MR for the crashed helicopter at that time.
But he says the two organisations don’t work closely together.
“I wouldn’t agree with hand-in-glove, certainly not between CASA and the ATSB, there’s actually legislation that prohibits them from sharing information with us,” he said.
“The ATSB is a totally separate entity to CASA, in fact, the differences are stark, they are not the civil aviation safety regulator.”
Mr Kidson says NT Police did not send him a copy of the MR sent to them by Mr Wright’s wife Kaia Wright, but he was provided with a black-and-white copy of at least part of the MR from the ATSB at some point.
“It’s not the original and the original is what I demanded be surrendered and it was never surrendered,” he said.
“It’s purely up to the discretion of the ATSB what they release to us.”
12m agoThu 21 Aug 2025 at 6:23am
What are the secret recordings being played to the jury?
We’ve been hearing a lot about secret audio recordings during this trial, especially in the past few days.
In his opening address, Crown prosecutor Jason Gullaci SC said the prosecution’s evidence would include “listening device recordings”, including some captured by a covert listening device installed at Matt Wright’s home, as well as “some limited telephone intercept calls”.
One of the witnesses today, Matt Wright’s friend Jai Tomlinson, was questioned by the prosecution about two of these secret recordings:
One of the recordings, prosecutors allege, is a conversation between Mr Wright, his wife Kaia Wright and Mr Tomlinson. Prosecutors claim that in it, a man’s voice can be heard saying “that f***ing MR”, “where is it”, “take it with him” and “trying to cover his arse”.In the other recording, prosecutors allege there is a conversation between Mr Wright and Mr Tomlinson, and voices can be heard saying “this is where it’s f***ed”, “it’s hard to say that you’re not lying”, “Jocko checked underneath”, and then later, “had no fuel”, “he was a s*** pilot” and “just torch it”.
Jai Tomlinson testified over Wednesday and Thursday. (ABC News: Michael Parfitt)
Earlier in the week the jury heard about a different secret recording made by pilot Sebastian Robinson’s uncle, Jim Carew, during Mr Wright’s second visit to Mr Robinson in a Brisbane hospital on March 13, 2022.
About that recording, Mr Carew told the court he spoke to Mr Robinson and his mother Noelene Chellingworth “and I suggested that possibly I could record whatever conversation took place and they both agreed at that time [that it was] probably a good idea, for recollection purposes”.
47m agoThu 21 Aug 2025 at 5:48am
Afternoon tea
The jurors are now taking the afternoon break and will be back in about 20 minutes.
54m agoThu 21 Aug 2025 at 5:41am
Jurors shown email from CASA investigator
Crown prosecutor Jason Gullaci SC has shown jurors a copy of an email from CASA investigator Rolf Kidson from October 17, 2022.
“Phone conversation with [Matt Wright’s lawyer] David Newey this morning, he advises his client can not locate the original MR,” it reads.
“I told him that his client had it, as he had supplied a scanned copy.
“Still awaiting a response to our questions, Mr Newey has (again) told me it is ‘imminent’.”
1h agoThu 21 Aug 2025 at 5:35amCASA investigator takes the stand
The technical difficulties have been resolved and the next witness is senior investigator with the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) Rolf Kidson, who is appearing via video link.
Mr Kidson says he was the lead investigator in the fatal crash probe between May 2022 and August 2023.
Mr Kidson says during that time, he made efforts to obtain “the physical original copy” of the maintenance release form (MR) for the downed helicopter.
“I issued a regulatory demand for that document to be produced,” he said.
Mr Kidson says during his time in charge, the original MRÂ in force at the time of the crash was never surrendered to CASA.
1h agoThu 21 Aug 2025 at 5:21am
Matt Wright disconnected Hobbs meters
Crown prosecutor Jason Gullaci SC is still reading from the agreed facts.
Mr Gullaci says as chief pilot at Helibrook, Matt Wright was responsible for compliance with aviation regulations, including the proper recording of hours and servicing.
He says it is agreed that prior to the crash, Mr Wright had “on occasion” engaged in the practice of deliberately under-recording flight hours and directed pilots not to record hours flown.
On “multiple occasions”, Mr Gullaci says Mr Wright “had flown a helicopter with the Hobbs meter disconnected” and without accurately recording his flight hours.
1h agoThu 21 Aug 2025 at 5:13am
Prosecutor reads agreed facts
While we wait for the tech issues to resolve, Crown prosecutor Jason Gullaci SC is reading some of the agreed facts onto the record.
“There are various things that have to be read to you, not just handed to you, so we can make sure that each one of you hears every word,” Acting Justice Alan Blow explained.
The agreed facts have been canvassed in the trial before and include things like the fact of the helicopter crash on February 28, 2022, the death of Chris “Willow” Wilson and pilot Sebastian Robinson’s injuries.
Mr Gullaci has also reiterated that it is agreed between the parties that none of the charges Matt Wright is facing relate to the crash itself or suggest he was responsible for it.
1h agoThu 21 Aug 2025 at 5:04am
Matt Wright’s friend’s evidence concludes
Jai Tomlinson has now finished his evidence, but the court is having some difficulty getting the next witness up on the Teams link.
We’ll keep you posted.
1h agoThu 21 Aug 2025 at 5:02amMatt Wright’s friend denies destroying maintenance release
Defence barrister David Edwardson KC is now cross-examining Matt Wright’s friend Jai Tomlinson.
He is showing Mr Tomlinson documents he says are two pages from the maintenance release form for the crashed helicopter, which Mr Tomlinson says he’s never seen before.
“Has anybody ever asked you to do anything with a document like that?” Mr Edwardson asked.
“No,” Mr Tomlinson replied.
“On any occasion did Matt Wright ask you to destroy a maintenance release or any other document?”
“No.”
“Have you ever destroyed a document at his request, a maintenance release or anything else?”
“No.”
1h agoThu 21 Aug 2025 at 4:53am
Friend can’t make out words ‘just torch it’
Matt Wright’s friend says he can’t make out the celebrity croc wrangler saying “just torch it” in a recorded conversation between the pair.
Mr Tomlinson said the words were “unlistenable or unreadable”.
“I can’t listen and say what those words are,” he said.
“Did you hear that sort of sound ‘orch it’?” Crown prosecutor Jason Gullaci SC asked.
“No, I hear murmuring,” Mr Tomlinson replied.
Mr Gullaci says Mr Wright also allegedly said: “Yeah, so they don’t have the original, I reckon CASA [the Civil Aviation Safety Authority] are chasing the original to set us up, I don’t remember signing it”.
“Do you remember any conversation like that with Mr Wright?” he asked.
“No,” Mr Tomlinson replied.
1h agoThu 21 Aug 2025 at 4:47am
‘I’ll hang that c*** up by his f***ing neck’
The jurors are back from lunch and Crown prosecutor Jason Gullaci SC is again taking Matt Wright’s friend Jai Tomlinson through covertly recorded conversations between the pair.
Mr Gullaci says it’s the prosecution case that Mr Wright said to Mr Tomlinson in a recorded conversation “this one that I thought was going to get every c*** to lie”, and “I’ll hang that c*** up by his f***ing neck”.
But Mr Tomlinson says he has no recollection of any such conversation.
Mr Gullaci says Mr Tomlinson previously agreed he could hear Mr Wright say “no fuel” and “s*** pilot” on the recording, as well as himself saying the word “character”.
“What were you talking about?” Mr Gullaci asked.
“I don’t know,” Mr Tomlinson replied.
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“No idea?”
“No idea.”
Mr Gullaci says the prosecution case is that Mr Wright says “I just looked at it then, f*** that, nah, it just had no fuel, he had run out of fuel, I’ll just say he was a s*** pilot”.
He says Mr Tomlinson then allegedly says “yeah work on his character”.
“If that’s accurate, that must be a discussion about Sebastian Robinson mustn’t it?” Mr Gullaci asked.
“Not sure,” Mr Tomlinson replied.
“Is there any other explanation that you can come up with that might have been spoken about other than Sebastian Robinson?”
“I don’t know.”
“That’s the only topic that that could relate to, isn’t it?”
“Not sure, I can’t remember the conversation.”
2h agoThu 21 Aug 2025 at 4:28am
Catch up on the case with the ABC’s new podcast
The ABC has launched a new podcast, The Case Of, which features twice-weekly episodes on Matt Wright’s criminal trial.
ABC Northern Territory court reporter Olivana Lathouris, along with Stephen Stockwell, unpack the prosecution’s case against Mr Wright and how his legal team will defend the charges.
In the latest episode, Oli and Stocky break down the examination of Sebastian Robinson, a key witness who was the only survivor of the fatal chopper crash at the heart of Mr Wright’s trial.
The Case Of is the follow-up to the hit ABC podcast Mushroom Case Daily.
You can listen through ABC Listen or wherever you get your podcasts.
2h agoThu 21 Aug 2025 at 3:56am
A breakdown of the trial’s key players and evidence
A lot of evidence has been aired in court in the fortnight since this trial began.
If you’re finding it hard to keep up, you’re certainly not alone.
For a quick refresher, read our breakdown of the key players in the trial, the charges and the evidence heard so far, by ABC digital reporters Gemma Ferguson and Annabel Bowles.
3h agoThu 21 Aug 2025 at 3:27am
Matt Wright’s charges explained
While court is on a lunch break, here’s an overview of the charges.
Matt Wright has been charged with three counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice.
The charges relate to alleged events in the hours, days and months following a fatal helicopter crash in remote West Arnhem Land which killed Mr Wright’s close mate and Netflix co-star, Chris “Willow” Wilson.
Matt Wright has pleaded not guilty to all three charges. (ABC News: Dane Hirst)
Crown prosecutor Jason Gullaci SC has told jurors the cause of the chopper accident is not the subject of Mr Wright’s charges.
Instead, each of the charges allege Mr Wright tried to interfere with or obstruct ongoing investigations into the crash.
1.Charge one relates to allegations Mr Wright lied in a police interview about checking the fuel tanks at the scene of the helicopter crash on February 28, 2022. The evidence includes covertly-recorded conversations in which Mr Wright allegedly contradicts his statement about the level of fuel in the tank.2.Charge two is tied to alleged incidents between March 3 and 13 in 2022. Among those, Mr Wright is accused of visiting crash survivor Sebastian Robinson in hospital and pressuring him to doctor flight log documents, to hide the true amount of hours the crashed chopper had flown.3.Charge three relates to conversations prosecutors say Mr Wright had between September 21 and 25, including a midnight conversation with an associate in which he has allegedly directed him to burn a helicopter maintenance document.
3h agoThu 21 Aug 2025 at 3:00am
Lunch time
The jurors have now taken their lunch break slightly early and will be back from 1:45pm ACST.
3h agoThu 21 Aug 2025 at 2:58am
‘The game would be up?’
Matt Wright’s friend Jai Tomlinson has agree that the pair “could” have been talking about the scene of the fatal helicopter crash in a covert recording.
Crown prosecutor Jason Gullaci SC says it’s the prosecution case that Mr Wright can be heard saying “boom, boom, boom”, “Jocko check underneath” and “Jocko didn’t touch a thing”.
Mr Gullaci says “the only logical explanation” is that the men were discussing the scene of the accident.
“It could be,” Mr Tomlinson replied.
“Because ‘Jocko check underneath’, that’s a reference to checking whether the Hobbs meter was connected at the scene of the crash, wasn’t it?”
“I don’t know.”
“You know that you can’t agree that what you were discussing with Mr Wright is him checking at the scene whether the Hobbs meter was connected because you knew that Mr Wright was engaged in a systemic practice of disconnecting Hobbs meters so he could get more hours out of his helicopters between maintenance visits?”
“Disagree.”
“What he was talking about here was, at that scene, he was the one that went ‘boom, boom, boom’, he pulled the dash apart and checked whether the Hobbs meter was disconnected because he was concerned that if it was disconnected when checked by investigators, the game would be up?
“Disagree.”
3h agoThu 21 Aug 2025 at 2:42am
Matt Wright’s friend played second recording
Crown prosecutor Jason Gullaci SC is now playing the second covert recording to Matt Wright’s friend Jai Tomlinson.
Mr Gullaci is asking Mr Tomlinson whether words Mr Wright is allegedly captured saying are a reference to former police officer Neil Mellon.
“You knew Neil Mellon at the time of this, you’d agree with that?” he asked.
“Yeah,” Mr Tomlinson replied.
“And you knew that he’d been charged with an offence concerning his conduct at the accident scene?”
“I’d read about it at some point.”
“If that is the way this second discussion starts, isn’t it the case that you’re discussing the crash scene?”
“That’s your suggestion.”
4h agoThu 21 Aug 2025 at 2:27am’Were the boys going line dancing?’
Matt Wright’s friend Jai Tomlinson has denied strategising with his “buddy” to get the “boys” to “lawyer up”.
Crown prosecutor Jason Gullaci SCÂ has put to Mr Tomlinson that he was captured on a secret recording saying “whatever boys, lawyer up boys”.
Mr Tomlinson says he thinks it sounds like “line her up boys” but he doesn’t know what that would have meant.
“What were you talking about, what was being lined up, were the boys going line dancing?” Mr Gullaci asked.
“I don’t know,” Mr Tomlinson replied.
“You’re talking strategy with Mr Wright here and you say ‘whatever boys, lawyer up boys’?
“No.”
“And if you said that in that context, and in the context of this accident, you’d remember it wouldn’t you?”
“I don’t remember the conversation.”
“There’s only one interpretation open and its an interpretation that hurts your buddy, Matt Wright?”
“No.”
4h agoThu 21 Aug 2025 at 2:17am
Matt Wright’s friend says he doesn’t know whose ‘arse’ might have needed ‘covering’
Matt Wright’s friend Jai Tomlinson says he doesn’t know whose “arse” they might have been discussing “covering” in a secretly recorded conversation.
Crown prosecutor Jason Gullaci SC says Mr Tomlinson is allegedly captured on the recording saying “remember he didn’t take it with him, we tried to cover his arse”.
He says this allegedly follows Mr Tomlinson saying “f***ing MR”, which prosecutors say refers to a maintenance release form for the crashed helicopter.
“What did you mean by that?” Mr Gullaci asked.
“I don’t know,” Mr Tomlinson replied.
“Really think about it, whose arse were you covering?”
“I don’t know, again I don’t remember the conversation or the context.”
“You’re lying.”
“I’m not lying.”
Jai Tomlinson is a close friend of Matt Wright. (ABC News: Michael Parfitt)
Mr Gullaci says, on the prosecution case, the recording then captures Mr Wright’s wife Kaia Wright saying “now they want it for a handwriting specialist”.
“If that’s on the recording, that can only be a discussion about a police investigation, can’t it?” Mr Gullaci asked.
“I wouldn’t agree with that,” Mr Tomlinson replied.
“Well what else could it be?”
“I don’t know.”
“Well do you accept that is a reasonable possibility?”
“No.”
“That’s how rigid you’re prepared to be?”
“Yeah.”
4h agoThu 21 Aug 2025 at 2:05amMatt Wright’s friend denies taking ‘nonsensical position’
Crown prosecutor Jason Gullaci SC has reminded Matt Wright’s friend Jai Tomlinson of evidence he gave at a pre-trial hearing in which he was unable to even come up with one definition of the word “squeal”.
Mr Gullaci suggested Mr Tomlinson had “understood how ridiculous” his previous evidence had been and “tried to now come up with an explanation”.
“Are you seriously suggesting, as a man of 45 years of age, you’ve never heard of the word squealing as in ‘giving someone up’?” Mr Gullaci asked.
“Not to my knowledge,” Mr Tomlinson replied.
“So you’ve never heard the proposition that Mr Gullaci squealed on Mr Edwardson in terms of ‘he gave him up’, you’ve never heard of that ever in your life?”
“No.”
Mr Gullaci suggested that answer was “just a flat out lie”.
“And the reason you are taking this nonsensical position is because, if you know what the word squeal means, there can only be one thing you’re talking about on this recording?” he asked.
“No,” Mr Tomlinson replied.
Mr Gullaci then took Mr Tomlinson to the definition of the word ‘squeal’ from the Cambridge dictionary: “To give information to the police about people you know have committed a crime.”
“Have you come across that meaning of the word squeal in your 45 years on this earth?” he asked.
“No,” Mr Tomlinson replied.