Killer serving life sentence Matej-Hoi Tsung ‘Matt’ Vanko hit with 18-months jail over 2020 Darwin prison riot
A man serving an indefinite life sentence has been hit with an extra 18 months behind bars over the Darwin prison riot which caused $27m in damages.
News
Don't miss out on the headlines from News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A “cold calculated and callous” samurai sword killer serving an indefinite life sentence has been hit with an extra 18 months behind bars over the Darwin prison riot.
Matej-Hoi Tsung ‘Matt’ Vanko, 47, was sentenced in the Supreme Court on Monday, four years after a riot caused $27m in damage at the Darwin Correctional Centre in Holtze on May 13, 2020.
Justice Meredith Huntingford said Vanko was among up to 10 rioters who broke out of their cells, climbed fences, set fires and damaged property over four hours.
Justice Huntingford said a strict Covid-19 regime had caused unrest in the prison complex, but it was the actions of a single prisoner that sparked the chaos.
She said a Sector Six prisoner, whose request to move to another cell was ignored, used a metal table to break through a window at 7.25pm.
Ripples of agitation moved through the cells as the fugitive ran around the complex, as other prisoners were inspired to destroy their own cells and escape.
About an hour after the first prisoner broke out, Vanko smashed out of his cell.
CCTV captured Vanko as he rammed his metal bed frame against a door, bent a security screen, and damaged two computer screens and two fire extinguishers.
He was among the rioters who barricaded themselves in the guard offices, then the sports and recreation complex.
But Justice Huntingford said the prisoners’ strongholds had to be abandoned, after an unknown arsonist set the two buildings alight.
Vanko was among a group who climbed onto the roof of the education building, with Justice Huntingford stating the convicted killer “busied himself” with cutting the barbed wire as others threw things at the guards while yelling out insults, taunts and threats.
Justice Huntingford said while the riot appeared to be “spontaneous”, Vanko was an “enthusiastic participant”.
She said at the time the Tasmanian-born prisoner was six years into his 23-year non parole period for the murder of 53-year-old Donald Stevens.
In 2014 Justice Trevor Riley sentenced the “cold, calculated and callus” ex-Serco immigration detention centre guard to life in prison over the execution-style killing of his boss’s brother.
Justice Huntingford said following the riot Vanko was moved back to the high security classification and placed on a management plan.
She said this meant he was only let out of his cell for two hours a day, was only allowed one phone call, had no access to toast or hot water, was barred from taking part in work, education or training programs, and limited to two showers a day.
The court heard that in the four years since the riot Vanko had been shuffled between Darwin and Alice Springs eight times, although Justice Huntingford said she was not convinced this was a punitive measure.
In May, Vanko made an 11th hour guilty plea to participating in a riot and property damage, avoiding an anticipated 14-day trial.
With 13 years still left before his potential release, Justice Huntingford said Vanko had committed to working towards his parole, enrolled in education programs within the prison.
Yet she said she wanted to avoid a “crushing” penalty over the riots which would derail his attempts at rehabilitation, sentencing him to an additional 18 months in prison — on top of his indefinite life sentence.
She set a non-parole period of six months, meaning Vanko will only be eligible for release in mid-2036.
More Coverage
Originally published as Killer serving life sentence Matej-Hoi Tsung ‘Matt’ Vanko hit with 18-months jail over 2020 Darwin prison riot
On the ground: Man shot in ‘targeted attack’ in Darwin suburb
Police are hunting for armed offenders and a man has been rushed to hospital after a shooting in Darwin’s northern suburbs, with witnesses sharing their account. WATCH >
DRU 2024-25: Top performers and point scorers of round named
The NT News sport team has run the rule over the DRU grade competition, compiling a list of the top performers and point scorers from Round 12. See who made it from your club.