Celebrity crocodile wrangler Matt Wright will not have to wear an electronic monitoring device as part of his bail conditions after a judge called the bid by prosecutors "unjustified" in the Darwin Local Court.
Mr Wright is facing multiple charges in relation to an investigation into a fatal helicopter crash in Arnhem Land last year that took the life of fellow "Wild Croc Territory" cast member, Chris Wilson.
The television star was not on board the chopper when it crashed, but late last year was charged with attempting to pervert the course of justice, destruction of evidence, fabricating evidence and two counts of unlawful entry.
On Wednesday his lawyers successfully sought variations to his bail conditions in the Darwin Local Court, which included the addition of four Northern Territory addresses where he can reside while on bail.
They include his two tourism accommodation sites — the Top End Safari Camp and the Tiwi Islands Retreat — as well as two other locations in the greater Darwin region.
Mr Wright must let police know where he will be residing 12 hours prior to changing residences or as soon as practical.
The star of the Netflix series Wild Croc Territory has been in the territory for a week, returning from his Queensland residence where his wife and children are based.
His lawyers said he intended to work on his tourism businesses and prepare them for the upcoming peak season.
His lawyer, Giles O'Brien-Hartcher, also successfully sought to remove nine names from a list of people he is barred from contacting whilst on bail, arguing he needed to be able to speak with them to run his business.
He can now contact Ty Richardson, Cole Darley, Nathan Bolton and Tommy Abdoo, but must wait until March 8 to contact Mick Burns, Jock Purcell, Morgan Vidler, Jai Tomlinson and Daniel Pattinson.
After the charges were laid in late November, a spokesman for Mr Wright said he "strenuously denies" any wrongdoing in relation to the crash.
'Concerns about encountering Mr Wright'
Prosecutor Steve Ledek proposed Mr Wright wear an electronic monitoring device (EMD), telling the court there were people on the extended non-contact list who "have concerns about encountering Mr Wright in circumstances they don't agree to or don't want to be a party to".
Mr Ledek told the court his proposal of making Mr Wright wear an EMD was in response to his bail variation and in particular his request to return to and reside in the Northern Territory.
"He left the territory, resided elsewhere, elected to be away from the Northern Territory and for our purposes that satisfied the provision of protecting the evidence," he said.
"Previously, we didn't have an issue because he wasn't going to be physically proximate to the number of key and important witnesses to the events.
"The key allegation is perverting the course of justice and that is by interfering with, and that's the allegation, and dealing with witnesses inappropriately and improperly and criminally in his own benefit."
His lawyer, Mr O'Brien-Hartcher, argued against the need for an EMD, telling the court witnesses would already be protected under the current bail conditions, which bar Mr Wright from contacting them.
Mr O'Brien-Hartcher told the court Mr Wright had not breached his bail and there was no reason to think that he would contact witnesses, saying, "he has proved that by his conduct so far".
Judge Dick Wallace described the prosecution's concerns as an "unjustified assumption" and questioned how useful the information gained from an electronic monitoring device would be.
He said such a device would only provide Mr Wright's location and not who he might meet with.
"There doesn't seem to me that there's a reasonable justification to compromise Mr Wright's privacy in this way," Judge Wallace told the court.
A police investigation into Mr Wright is set to end on March 1, ahead of his case returning to court a week later.
