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| ‘Footie players in town and want bags’: pilot who flew for Outback Wrangler denies supplying cocaine, court hears | ‘Footie players in town and want bags’: pilot who flew for Outback Wrangler denies supplying cocaine, court hears |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| Text messages from Sebastian Robinson’s phone were read out in Darwin’s supreme court, detailing regular exchanges about the alleged supply of cocaine | Text messages from Sebastian Robinson’s phone were read out in Darwin’s supreme court, detailing regular exchanges about the alleged supply of cocaine |
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| A pilot who was seriously injured in a deadly helicopter crash has denied being a drug dealer but admitted to sourcing small amounts of cocaine for friends in the years before the fatal crash. | |
| Sebastian Robinson was left a paraplegic after the February 2022 crash that killed Outback Wrangler Chris “Willow” Wilson in Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory. | |
| On Thursday Robinson gave evidence in the supreme court in Darwin at the trial of celebrity crocodile wrangler Matt Wright, who has pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice in the aftermath of the crash. | |
| Prosecutors allege the helicopter operator was worried crash investigators would discover flight-time meters were disconnected regularly to extend flying hours beyond official thresholds and paperwork was falsified. | Prosecutors allege the helicopter operator was worried crash investigators would discover flight-time meters were disconnected regularly to extend flying hours beyond official thresholds and paperwork was falsified. |
| Wilson fell to the ground from a sling beneath the chopper while collecting crocodile eggs in remote swampland. The aircraft then crashed, seriously injuring Robinson who is giving evidence by video link from his wheelchair. | |
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| During cross-examination, Robinson said he was aware that cocaine or metabolites had been found in his blood after the accident. He told the court he had no recollection of the weeks prior to the accident. | |
| The 32-year-old has previously admitted to the court that he used cocaine about twice a year. | The 32-year-old has previously admitted to the court that he used cocaine about twice a year. |
| But senior defence counsel David Edwardson KC on Thursday read out text messages extracted from Robinson’s mobile phone by police, detailing regular exchanges with friends about the alleged supply of cocaine. | But senior defence counsel David Edwardson KC on Thursday read out text messages extracted from Robinson’s mobile phone by police, detailing regular exchanges with friends about the alleged supply of cocaine. |
| The text messages from November 2018 to August 2021 included lines from friends asking him if he was “getting more coke” or could he “get good stuff for Chrissy party” and did he have “some Charlie”. | The text messages from November 2018 to August 2021 included lines from friends asking him if he was “getting more coke” or could he “get good stuff for Chrissy party” and did he have “some Charlie”. |
| One message read “footie players in town and want bags”, with Edwardson asking Robinson if that referred to Richmond and was he planning to supply them with cocaine. | One message read “footie players in town and want bags”, with Edwardson asking Robinson if that referred to Richmond and was he planning to supply them with cocaine. |
| Robinson said he could not recall that message, declined to admit he was supplying cocaine and said he had never flown helicopters while high. | Robinson said he could not recall that message, declined to admit he was supplying cocaine and said he had never flown helicopters while high. |
| In response to Edwardson’s line of questioning Robinson said: “Are you implying that I’m a drug dealer? No.” | In response to Edwardson’s line of questioning Robinson said: “Are you implying that I’m a drug dealer? No.” |
| Robinson denied that he was a drug trafficker but admitted he had sourced “very minimal” amounts of cocaine for other people. He also told the court the people paid him for the drugs. | |
| In another message exchange Robinson texted he was “crook as a dog”, with a friend texting back, “snorting too much coke out of Matty’s arse”, in an apparent reference to Wright, the reality TV star. | |
| Wright chuckled to himself in the dock when he heard that text message. | |
| ‘A terrifying thought’ | |
| Robinson has vigorously denied the helicopter crashed because it ran out of fuel. | |
| The jury heard he told an NT police investigator in 2022: “I can guarantee you I did not run out of fuel ... that’s not what caused the accident, it was full from the croc farm.” | |
| Edwardson submitted that if it was proved the aircraft ran out of fuel, Robinson knew he would be “in the crosshairs”, facing blame and charges over the crash and Wilson’s death. | |
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| “If you failed to fill up the aircraft and, as a consequence, it ran out of fuel and fell out of the sky, the buck would stop with you,” the barrister said. | |
| “That must have been a terrifying thought for you.” | |
| Robinson replied: “Yes, it was a concerning thought. | |
| “I just did not want to be blamed for running out of fuel when in my heart I know that didn’t happen.” | |
| Robinson, who was not a qualified flight instructor, agreed he had allowed Wilson, a trainee pilot, to fly with him on helicopters fitted with dual controls despite that being illegal and Wright disallowing it. | |
| Wilson had flown the chopper on the day of the crash before Robinson removed the dual controls and took over piloting for crocodile-egg collecting. | |
| A photograph shown to the jury was a selfie taken by Wilson of him flying the chopper on the day of the crash, with Robinson apparently asleep next to him. | |
| Edwardson, who has previously labelled Robinson a “party animal”, said if he had “had a bender” he would have been happy for Wilson to pilot the chopper while he slept in the passenger seat. | |
| “That’s an accusation,” Robinson replied. | |
| The jury has heard that 10 days after the crash Robinson claimed Wright visited him while he was heavily sedated in hospital and asked him to manipulate flying hour records. | The jury has heard that 10 days after the crash Robinson claimed Wright visited him while he was heavily sedated in hospital and asked him to manipulate flying hour records. |
| Robinson said he declined to do so. | Robinson said he declined to do so. |
| The charges against Wright do not relate to the cause of the accident and the prosecution does not allege he is responsible for either the crash, Wilson’s death or Robinson’s injuries. | The charges against Wright do not relate to the cause of the accident and the prosecution does not allege he is responsible for either the crash, Wilson’s death or Robinson’s injuries. |
| The trial continues. | The trial continues. |
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