Outback Wrangler Matt Wright is released from jail
Outback Wrangler star Matt Wright has broken his silence just hours after being released from prison after missing the birth of his third child.
His wife Kaia gave birth to their son Sterling at Darwin Hospital on Mother’s Day, and her best friend acted as her support person in Wright’s absence.
Kaia had been fighting NT authorities ‘tooth and nail’ to release the reality television star in the week ahead of her official release date of May 11, in the hope she could make it through to giving birth.
However, the request was rejected.
Wright left Darwin Prison at around 6am on Monday and vowed to continue fighting to clear his name.
“I have served my sentence, I continue to appeal, and I will continue to fight to bring to light the injustice that has occurred,” Wright, 47, said.
Wright later posted a photo on Instagram of him being reunited with his family, now numbering five, and said: ‘After a very tough fight I’m finally back home with my family. ‘We couldn’t fully deliver our beautiful son, Sterling, but Kaia did an incredible job.’
Prison sources said Wright was heartbroken about missing the birth of his son, visited his wife as recently as Wednesday, and still held out hope for early release, the publication said.
Outback Wrangler star Matt Wright was released from prison on Monday, just hours after wife Kaia gave birth to their third child
Kaia was fighting authorities ‘tooth and nail’ for her husband’s early release
He left Darwin Prison at around 6am and said he would fight to clear his name
The father-of-three spent five months behind bars after being found guilty of perverting the course of justice following the 2022 helicopter crash that killed Chris Wilson and injured pilot Sebastian Robinson.
The couple went on a crocodile egg collecting trip in Arnhem Land. Mr. Wilson was strung up on a rope under a helicopter to be dropped into nests in remote swamps.
Wright was accused of lying to accident investigators about the amount of fuel on board, asking Mr Robinson to falsify flight times and asking a friend to ‘fire’ the helicopter’s maintenance permit.
On August 29, the jury found Wright guilty on the first two charges but could not reach a verdict on the third charge.
Wright was not charged with the cause of the crash, but it was revealed he acted ‘without remorse’ and pressured a witness in hospital who suffered ‘catastrophic injuries’.
The Daily Mail understands Wright was approved for administrative house arrest on March 5 after serving more than three months in jail. To be eligible, an inmate must have served at least half of his sentence.
Home detention allows inmates to serve the remainder of their sentence in an approved residence under strict conditions, including electronic monitoring, drug and alcohol testing, and compliance with probation officers.
However, just a day before his release, Wright was told that the approval had been revoked by the Commissioner.
The accident occurred during a crocodile egg collection expedition in Arnhem Land in 2022.
‘He was ready to go and the rug was pulled out from under him at the last minute. I’ve never seen anything like it,” a prison source told news.com.au at the time.
‘It is one thing for the commissioner to go through the process the first time and withdraw, but to apply again with new conditions and leave the job to the last hour, thinking that his young family and pregnant wife will come home for the second time and not following up is psychological torture.’
