SYDNEY – An Australian celebrity crocodile wrangler was found guilty Friday of lying to police and seeking to falsify flight records after a fatal helicopter crash.
A jury convicted Matt Wright, star of the “Wild Croc Territory”, “Monster Croc Wrangler” and “Outback Wrangler” series, of two counts of perverting the course of justice, court documents showed.
The month-long trial at Darwin Supreme Court followed a 2022 helicopter crash in the Northern Territory outback that killed his friend and co-star Chris Wilson and left the pilot a paraplegic.
Wilson was dangling from the helicopter by a 100-foot (30-metre) line to collect crocodile eggs when it ran out of fuel and crashed, an air crash investigation found.
The Northern Territory lets hunters collect wild crocodile eggs to help manage populations, allowing them to be sold to farms that use the reptiles to make leather.
Wright was convicted of lying in a statement about the aircraft’s fuel level, and of encouraging the injured pilot to falsify flight records.
The jury was unable to deliver a verdict on a third charge that he had instructed someone to destroy aircraft maintenance records.
Acting Justice Alan Blow released Wright on bail ahead of an appeal, according to national broadcaster ABC.
Speaking outside the court, Wright said he was “pretty disappointed” by the verdict, ABC reported.
“It’s been a long fight and we’ve got an appeal in process now, and we’ll keep moving forward with this,” he said.
“It’s been devastating for everyone involved.”
Wright is to be sentenced at a later date.
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