Jailed Outback Wrangler star Matt Wright suffers yet another blow just days before his model wife Kaia is due to give birth to their third child

By MATT JONES, SENIOR NEWS REPORTER, AUSTRALIA Published: 01:26, 2 May 2026 | Updated: 01:26, 2 May 2026 Jailed Outback Wrangler star Matt Wright will miss the birth of his second son and third child by just a few days after early release was denied for the third time. Wright was ready to have an ankle monitor fitted and his property inspected for home detention, before Northern Territory Department of Corrections commissioner, Matthew Varley, ruled the 47-year-old would not be released.  Wright has served 20 weeks of a five-month non-parole prison sentence at Darwin's Holtze prison after being found guilty of perverting the course of justice following a 2022 helicopter crash that killed Chris Wilson and injured pilot Sebastian Robinson. The pair were on a crocodile-egg collecting trip in Arnhem Land. Mr Wilson was slung on a line below a chopper to drop onto nests in remote swampland.  Wright was accused of lying to crash investigators about the amount of fuel in the machine, asking Mr Robinson to falsify flying hours and asking a friend to 'torch' the helicopter's maintenance release. On August 29, a jury found Wright guilty on the first two counts but could not reach agreement on the third torching accusation. Wright was not charged in relation to the cause of the crash but was found to have acted with 'no remorse' and pressured a 'catastrophically injured' witness in hospital. Commissioner Varley has the ultimate approval over whether a prisoner can go home seven days before their official release date.  The couple share two children. Wright won't be there for the birth of their third child Kaia is seen celebrating New Year's Eve with the couple's two children  Wright applied for the seven-day early release so he could be there for the birth of his third child, news.com.au reported.  His fame was theorised as a possible reason his application was rejected.  It's understood Wright was approved for administrative home detention after serving more than three months in jail. To be eligible, a prisoner must have served at least half of their sentence. Home detention allows prisoners to serve the remainder of their sentence at an approved residence under strict conditions, including electronic monitoring, drug and alcohol testing, and compliance with probation officers.  It's understood Kaia expected her husband to be able to attend the birth of their third child after he was approved for administrative home detention on March 5. At that point, Wright had served three months of his sentence and was told he would be released for home detention the following day. But just one day before his release, Wright was told the approval had been revoked by the Commissioner.  'He was all set to go and then the rug was pulled from under him at the last minute. I haven't seen anything like it,' a prison source told news.com.au.  'It's one thing for the Commissioner to let it go through the process the first time and pull it, but to let him apply again with new conditions and leave it to the final hour again where his young family and pregnant wife think he's coming home for the second time and not following through is psychological torture.'  The couple are seen arriving at Darwin Supreme Court in August last year  Wright is serving a five-month non-parole prison sentence following a 2022 helicopter crash that killed Chris Wilson (right) and injured pilot Sebastian Robinson (left) The crash happened during a crocodile-egg collecting trip in Arnhem Land Kaia is understood to be seeking counselling for emotional distress following the last-minute decision.  In deciding to grant early release, the Commissioner may consider the health, well-being, and protection of the prisoner, and the safety of the community. In January, Kaia demanded more answers from authorities as she opened up about how her husband was coping behind bars. She called for further investigation into the cause of the chopper crash after an Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) report containing forensic evidence could not be used in the trial.  Kaia claimed what should have been an investigation into the cause of the crash instead developed into a probe of her husband's subsequent reaction. 'What was meant to be an investigation into the cause of the crash turned into an investigation into Matt Wright that provided the public with no answers as to the cause,' she said. The Daily Mail contacted NT Corrections for comment. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? 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