By Robyn Wuth
Australia’s Outback Wrangler Matt Wright is broke and set to defend himself when he returns to court after firing his lawyers.
The star of hit TV shows Outback Wrangler and Wild Croc Territory is behind bars in Darwin, serving a five-month prison sentence for attempting to pervert the course of justice.
But the Netflix star is set to take the reins of his next legal fight, defending action brought by the widow of his best mate Chris “Willow” Wilson.
Wrangler co-star Mr Wilson plunged to his death in a remote area of the Northern Territory in February 2022 while dangling from a helicopter owned by Wright as he collected crocodile eggs.
His widow Danielle Wilson filed Federal Court proceedings in 2023 against Mr Wright, his company Helibrook and the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) over the fatal chopper crash.
The mother-of-two is seeking damages for personal injury and for the loss of her husband’s income.
The case returned to the Federal Court for mention on Thursday, where the court was told Wright can’t afford a lawyer and will handle his own defence after terminating top Sydney firm Gillis Delaney Lawyers.
The Wrangler’s former lawyer, David Newey of Gillis Delaney, formally withdrew after being terminated as Wright’s representative.
“Moving forward, I can indicate Mr Wright intends to be self-represented,” Mr Newey told the court.
“He won’t be engaging lawyers and he has no funds to do so.”
Wright’s company, Helibrook – now in liquidation – is also being sued in the Federal Court.
The court was asked to protect documentation amid fears Wright might tamper with evidence.
“Matthew Wright has demonstrated through a court … a propensity to falsify critical aircraft records,” Ms Wilson’s lawyer told the court.
“Indeed, he has been convicted by the Northern Territory Supreme Court … of attempting to pervert the course of justice.
“If Mr Wright gets hold of these documents, gets personal control without anyone else having a copy, there is a very real risk they won’t be discovered, and they are critical documents.”
In December, Wright was sentenced at a Supreme Court trial to 10 months in prison on two counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice following the fatal crash, suspended after he served five months.
An Australian Transport Safety Bureau report into the accident found the chopper’s engine stopped mid-flight because of a lack of fuel.
During the emergency landing, pilot Sebastian Robinson released hooks and the sling line carrying Mr Wilson.
Mr Robinson, who survived the incident but suffered life-long injuries, was found to not have refuelled when necessary and had traces of cocaine in his system.
A former pilot and friend of Wilson who was on the scene soon after the crash was later convicted and fined $15,000 for destroying the mobile phone of the Netflix series star.
On Thursday, Justice Elizabeth Raper adjourned the matter until March 27 to allow Wright to attend future hearings.
The latest blow comes after the Wrangler copped a $10,000 fine in early February for landing his helicopter in his backyard in a rural Darwin area in 2024.
Wright pleaded guilty to contravening a development permit in the Darwin Local Court as the extent of the Wrangler’s financial situation emerged.
His defence team pleaded for leniency after the “financially devastating” Supreme Court trial. Darwin Local Court Judge Greg Macdonald acknowledged Wright’s world was “crumbling into a quagmire” of legal conflict and dispute after his “spectacular fall from grace”.
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