Former Yatala prison inmate claims 1996 riot was sparked by pedophile cooks putting bodily fluids in prisoners’ food

SA’s worst prison riot was sparked by pedophile cooks – overseen by the state’s most notorious child-killer – doing revolting things to inmates’ food, an ex-prisoner claims.

The motive behind SA’s most high-profile prison siege has been exposed for the first time, with a former inmate claiming the riot was sparked over “piss in the soup” while one of the state’s most notorious killers was head chef.

The former inmate, who served time at Yatala Labour Prison and was involved in the 1996 riot, claimed prisoners were fed food that had been “pissed, wa**ed in and s**t in” by fellow inmates.

At the time, child murderer Bevan Spencer von Einem was head of the kitchen alongside some of the state’s most notorious pedophiles. The Advertiser does not suggest von Einem was involved or knew any such activities were taking place.

“Back in the 90s, a lot of the unrest in the prison was based on the food,” he said.

“Protectees (prisoners in protective custody) controlled the food and did all the cooking.

“They would masturbate into the soup, s*** in the soup and bury needles in the mashed potato – you’d take a bite and end up with a mouthful of needles.”

Child murderer Bevan Spencer von Einem, who a former inmate says used to be head of the Yatala Labour Prison kitchen in the mid-1990s, and a police officer outside the prison during the 1996 riot.

The inmate said he spent six months living off two-minute noodles cooked with hot water from bathroom taps to avoid eating von Einem‘s meals.

“We told prison officers about what was happening but they didn’t care,” he said.

“Eventually we learned to make our own kettles from alfoil we found around electrical plugs … but were told the only way we’d change things was to riot.”

In May 1996, Yatala made international headlines when 35 maximum security inmates held four prison officers hostage in an 11-hour standoff with police.

The siege was resolved peacefully at 2.20am, when the state government agreed to discuss the prisoners’ concerns.

The trashed interior of Yatala Labour Prison after the riot.

A cooking area in Yatala Labour Prison 20 years ago. The jail’s kitchens have since been substantially upgraded.

At the time, it was reported that two officers were treated at the Royal Adelaide Hospital for cuts to their faces, arms and legs after being released.

The inmate said these days, prisoners were served plain carbohydrate-based dishes, such as rice with a small amount of chicken, or pasta with a spoonful of red sauce.

“You can live on it, but it‘s pretty shocking … one in every four or five meals would be nutritionally balanced, but otherwise it was just carbs,” he said.

“Anyone that’s done any more than two days’ prison would much rather have hospital food than prison food.”

The Corrections Department has been contacted for comment.