A man who sent a series of threatening messages to Outback Wrangler Matt Wright and his wife Kaia forced the couple and their children to move out of the family home.
Jock Fleming, 28, started messaging TV personality Matt Wright and his wife Kaia following a fatal accident that killed Mr Wright’s co-star on February 28, 2022.
A helicopter from Wright’s Helibrook company crashed near King River, 500km east of Darwin, killing Chris ‘Willow’ Wilson, who was dangling from a 30-metre sling line beneath the vehicle, and pilot Sebastian Robinson was seriously injured.
After the incident, Mr Wright began receiving messages from Mr Fleming, including one that read ‘death comes for yewwwwwe’.
This week, Mr Fleming pleaded guilty to three counts of using a carriage service in a way that reasonable people would consider threatening and intimidating, and has been banned from contacting the Wright family.
Kaia Wright told Darwin Local Court her family (pictured) were forced to move for their own safety after being harassed by a troll online
Jock Fleming pleaded guilty to three counts of intimidation against Matt Wright, including several death threats
Mr Fleming was released on a 12-month $1,000 good behavior bond, which Ms Wright hopes will deter other online trolls from repeating similar behaviour.
“No woman should feel unsafe in her own home, especially when there are young children,” she said News limited.
‘Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident and we continue to receive terrible messages on social media.
“If there’s one thing that comes from this message, it’s that I want people to think about the women, families and children on the other side of the message before they become keyboard warriors.”
In Ms Wright’s victim impact statement, she told Darwin Local Court she was still struggling to feel safe after her home was attacked by someone during Mr Fleming’s harassment.
“The last message Jock received was around the same time that my parents’ home and electrical box were vandalized,” she wrote.
‘The simultaneous nature of Jock’s threatening messages and the attacks on my house and electricity box made me feel very uncomfortable.
‘Even now, in public, I’m always on guard in case I meet him without knowing what he’s going to do. I wonder what his state of mind is and worry that things could escalate.
“I’m quite withdrawn in Darwin now because of the abuse we received.
‘Over time I’ve become a bit numb to online abuse and keyboard warriors, but this is something different. I had to move from where I lived and I was afraid he knew that. At that moment I went into a spiral and still struggle to feel safe today.’
Police first became involved when Mr Fleming commented on an Instagram post by Mr Wright announcing the death of one of his tour animals.
“With any luck you won’t be far behind him,” Mr Fleming commented.
“…seems like Matty has gotten the hopes up that he needs to shed a few more crocodile tears if he really needs them,” part of the post read.
Ms Wright told the court she had increased security around her home but still felt unsafe after receiving a series of messages from Mr Fleming.
The reports began shortly after a helicopter from Wright’s Helibrook company crashed, killing Chris ‘Willow’ Wilson and seriously injuring pilot Sebastian Robinson.
Around the same time, police also informed Mr. Wright that a warrant had been issued for his arrest in connection with the fatal helicopter crash.
Mr Wright will stand trial later this year and has been charged of perverting the course of justice after the crash.
Police were again alerted to Mr Fleming’s crusade against the family on February 24, 2023, when a death threat to Mr Wright was traced to his telephone number.
Mr Fleming contacted the family again after the Australian Transport Safety Bureau released its findings into the Helibrook crash in November.
The day after the findings were released, Ms. Wright received one private Instagram post from Mr Fleming who posed under the username Darwin_Gecko.
“…seems like Matty was really hoping to shed a few more crocodile tears when he really needs them,” part of the post read.
The court found that the continued harassment was the sole factor in Mrs Wright’s decision to move her family.
She told police she was “afraid for herself and her children” despite settling in locked her doors and created barricades in the house.
Mrs Wright also slept with her children for their safety and had installed security cameras on the premises.
The court has told Mr Fleming that if he contacts the Wright family again he will go to prison.