Matt Wright headed for epic 12-week trial for alleged attempt to pervert the course of justice

Barrister Frank Marenda told the Supreme Court he had formally notified prosecutors his client would plead not guilty and the case was now ‘ready to be set for trial’.

Matt Wright outside the Darwin Local Court in December where he was committed to stand trial on a single charge. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

Netflix star Matt Wright will face an epic trial expected to last up to three months after his lawyer revealed he would plead not guilty to attempting to pervert the course of justice.

Mr Wright’s barrister Frank Marenda told the Supreme Court on Thursday he had formally notified prosecutors of the intended plea and the case was now “ready to be set for trial”.

Mr Marenda said he estimated the trial would last for 12 weeks following discussions between his instructing solicitors and Crown prosecutor Steve Ledek.

“Of course we’ll continue to confer but the position is, ultimately, that this matter will go to trial,” he said.

Mr Marenda said there were still “contested points of law” to be determined “relating to the admissibility of some evidence” and asked for the case to be listed for a management hearing.

But Associate Justice Vince Luppino said there was no judge who had three months available in their calendar, which could push the trial out as far as 2026.

“I’m going to have to make some inquiries and possibly special arrangements for that sort of duration so I’ll adjourn the matter for that purpose,” he said.

“I think ultimately what’s going to happen is someone from the sheriff’s office here will be in touch with both yourself and Mr Ledek to liaise to see what can be agreed upon and that might also be suitable to the court.

“But as I said, I suspect the court’s going to have to make special arrangements for that in any event.”

Matt Wright’s trial is expected to last for up to three months and won’t begin until the second half of next year at the earliest. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

Justice Luppino set a “notional adjournment date” of September 26 but said “I expect something will be worked out before then”.

“If at all in 2025, the trial will be in the latter half of 2025,” he said.

“That’s the best that I can inform at the moment I’m afraid Mr Marenda.”

Mr Wright was committed to stand trial on the single charge of attempting to pervert the course of justice in December last year, with another six charges remaining before the Local Court.

The other charges include one count of menacing or intimidating chopper pilot Sebastian Robinson, one count of destroying evidence, one count of fabricating evidence, two counts of unlawful entry and one count of making a false declaration.

Mr Wright has not entered any pleas to the other charges but in a statement released at the time, he said he was “hopeful the remaining charges will all be withdrawn once this charge is dealt with”.

The charges relate to the aftermath of a helicopter crash that killed Mr Wright’s friend and co-star Chris “Willow” Wilson during an ill-fated crocodile egg collecting mission in 2022.