The prosecutor in the case against famed Crocodile Wrangler Matt Wright will apply to change his bail conditions by “three words” on Friday, the Darwin District Court heard.
Key Point:
- Matt Wright seeks changes to bail conditions
- Former police officer Neil Mellon also applied for a bail change
- Darwin District Court has heard ‘more material’ from prosecutors, but has yet to come
Wright was not required to attend Wednesday’s preliminary hearing, along with the cases of former police officer Neil Mellon and helicopter pilot Michael Burbidge.
All three face a series of indictments in connection with an investigation into the February 2022 helicopter crash that killed Outback Wrangler star Chris “Willow” Wilson.
Wright’s attorney, Giles O’Brien Harcher, told the court an application to change the 43-year-old’s bail conditions would be filed later this week, but did not disclose what the proposed changes were.
The court heard that prosecutors were looking to remove “three words” from the harsh conditions under which Mr. Wright would be detained.
Wright was indicted in November 2022 on charges of attempting to distort the course of justice, destroying evidence, fabricating evidence, two counts of trespassing, and making false statements.
His lawyer had previously “fiercely denied” any wrongdoing and suggested he was not on the helicopter when it crashed while working to collect alligator eggs on Arnhem land.
The lawsuit against Wright, Mellon and Burbidge was postponed for six weeks after the court heard that a “fairly extensive” summary of evidence was still being compiled.
Prosecutor Collette Dixon said an investigation was ongoing in court, and O’Brien Hercher said he understood there was likely “more material to come.”
Wright’s case will return to court on Friday for a change of bail application.
Former police officer asks for passport back to go on cruise
A court wants Mr Mellon, a former senior Northern Territory police officer charged in connection with the crash, to return his passport so he can go on a cruise in Singapore and “explore job opportunities”. I heard that there is
Mellon is charged across two separate court files, one of which is related to a clash investigation.
His barrister, Sally Ozolins, has applied to have Mr Mellon’s bail changed so he can go on a cruise that was booked in 2020 and has been delayed several times due to COVID-19.
“It’s scheduled for March,” Ozollins said.
“Failure to do so would be a great cost to the family.”
Mr Ozolins said Mr Mellon had already traveled across the interstate twice while on bail, had a “long-term” residence in Darwin, and had home and family ties in NT, making him a “runaway risk”. claimed not to.
“Despite the ongoing frenzy, he attended court whenever necessary,” she said.
Ozolins told the court that Mellon had been looking for a fly-in/fly-out job opportunity in Singapore, but had to provide specific documentation to show that it was “meaningless” to proceed with the application without a passport. He said he didn’t have one.
The court also heard that Mr Mellon wanted Ray Murphy, a prominent Darwin attorney, to be removed from the list of people he was unable to contact.
“Mr. Murphy is currently involved in several legal matters with his client’s wife, and he appears to need to communicate with Mr. Murphy regarding his wife’s issues and the resulting welfare issues,” Ozolins said. said. He said.
The court heard that the prosecution’s statement on the alleged facts referred to Mr. Mellon’s “disclosure of information” to Mr. Murphy.
“No evidence has been disclosed to support these claims,” Ozolins said.
“In any event, the allegations were the result of some wiretapping, which, again, has not been disclosed to us,” she said.
Judge Greg McDonald did not rule on Mellon’s request to change bail, instead telling Ozolins and prosecutor Collette Dixon to discuss the matter out of court.
“I would like the defense team to go and discuss it and see if we have anything in common,” McDonald said.
The issue of helicopter pilot Michael Burbidge was also mentioned in Darwin District Court on Wednesday, where it was postponed along with the Wright and Mellon issues.
All three cases will be returned to court on March 8 for preliminary review mentions.
