Police Officer Found Guilty Of Crash That Killed Indigenous Teenager Jai Wright

A NSW police officer has been found guilty over the death of 16-year-old Dunghutti child Jai Kalani Wright, almost three years after the teenager was thrown from a trail bike in inner Sydney.

Wright was studying to become an electrical apprentice and was described by his family as vibrant, funny, witty, and well-loved. 

The crash took place in February 2022 during a police operation targeting a stolen trail bike, a black Mercedes, and a white BMW in the Eveleigh and Alexandria areas. 

The bike and vehicles had been seen together at traffic lights in Newtown. Officers briefly followed the vehicles before losing sight of them.

Officers had been told over the radio not to pursue the bike.

“The accused had relevant information that would allow him to conclude that the rider of the trail bike would go to considerable lengths to avoid capture,” said Crown prosecutor Phillip Strickland SC. 

Despite the instruction to forego the pursuit, the court observed from CCTV footage and footage inside the car that Sergeant Benedict Bryant turned his vehicle across the road when Wright was approaching the intersection, placing himself in front of the bike as the 16-year-old was traveling at high speed. Wright’s death has been treated as a death in custody because police were trying to detain him when the crash happened.

The efforts to reveal the truth

At the time, a critical incident investigation conducted by the Sydney City Police did not recommend any charges against the officer. 

But then in January 2024, NSW Coroner Teresa O’Sullivan suspended the inquest into Jai’s death and referred the case to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). Then, in the following month, the second anniversary of Wright’s death, the DPP charged Bryant with dangerous driving occasioning death and negligent driving occasioning death.

It took the coroner’s intervention, Wright’s family’s determination to uncover the truth, and the efforts of Aboriginal organisations and numerous supporters to push the case into the criminal courts.

Bryant was convicted and will be sentenced

Bryant initially pleaded not guilty, but the court convicted him of dangerous driving occasioning death. Bryant will be sentenced in 2026.

One of Bryant’s lawyers, Brent Haverfield, SC, argued that another police car ahead of him blocked Bryant’s sight and that Jai’s decision to ride over a barrier into the intersection was a significant factor that caused the accident, not the officer’s driving.

Judge Culver rejected that defence. 

“The accused so seriously failed to properly manage the vehicle that he created a real danger,” said Judge Culver.

Wright suffered catastrophic head injuries, with footage showing when his bike hit a bollard and collided with Bryant’s car. The teen died the next day at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. 

Wright’s parents, Lachlan Wright and Kylie Aloua, have been fighting for justice for their son since day one, hoping for nothing but the truth.

“Almost 2 years ago, we received a call, one of the calls that as a parent you never want to receive, about Jai having an accident. We rushed straight to the hospital and we were by our son’s side as he passed away. Ever since then, we have been searching for the truth. We need to know the truth so that we can live our lives and move forward,” said Lachlan and Kylie Aloua in 2024.

Outside the court, after today’s trial and verdict, Lachlan explained the verdict confirmed what their family had been told from the beginning, that a police car pulled in front of his son, causing his demise.

“This doesn’t completely change anything for our family and all our friends here, because we don’t have Jai, and Jai is not with us,” said Lachlan.

“This verdict confirms that Benedict Bryant caused the death of Jai Wright. This is a tragedy that never should have happened,” said Nadine Miles, Principal Legal Officer of the Aboriginal Legal Service (NSW/ACT) Limited (ALS). “It is critical that police are held accountable for their actions. The community should be able to trust that they will be safe when interacting with police. It is shameful that the actions of some police officers show this trust is not earned or warranted.”

“It is rare for police officers to face criminal charges when they are involved in the death of a community member and even rarer for a court to return a guilty verdict,” said Miles. “We are not aware of a previous instance where a police officer has been held criminally responsible for the death of an Aboriginal person in custody or in a police operation in NSW.”

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s death rates in relation to police pursuits and in custody

Additionally, since the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody, over 600 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have died during police operations or in custody.

“Police use force against Aboriginal people at vastly disproportionate rates. There is a particular lack of accountability for police who cause harm to Aboriginal people. The conviction of Benedict Bryant breaks with this trend and is an important step in the right direction,” said Miles.

“We’re clear as a family, as a community that, you know, things like this shouldn’t, shouldn’t happen,” said Wright.

However, after the verdict was announced, Bryant’s team shared plans to appeal the decision.

“A number of families, the police family and the young person’s family are all hurting from this incident that could have been avoided if everyone was at home and in bed like they should have been,” said Bryant’s lawyer, Paul McGirr, to reporters.