Borallon prisoner Raymond Brown sentenced in Ipswich court for costly rooftop riot

A Borallon prisoner has fronted court for his role in an “out of hand” rooftop riot, where a group of prisoners are collectively alleged to have destroyed around $240,000 worth of property.

Channel 9 helicopter footage of prisoners on the roof at Borallon Training and Correctional Centre on November 6, 2022. Picture: 9 News Queensland

The first of a group of Borallon prisoners alleged to have collectively destroyed around $240,000 worth of property in a “beserk” rooftop riot last year has heard his fate in court.

Raymond Parker Brown, 24, pleaded guilty in Ipswich District Court on May 26, 2023, to one count of riot or mutiny (unlawfully damages/destroys property).

The court heard Brown, allegedly accompanied by five others, took part in a prison riot at Borallon Correctional Centre on November 6, 2022.

Crown prosecutor Alex Baker said Brown and other inmates were in the exercise yard around 11.55am when one of the other men allegedly pulled down the fence wiring, allowing a group of inmates to climb onto the roof.

The court heard Brown’s co-accused allegedly destroyed property on the roof, including air vents.

Ms Baker said Brown stayed on the roof for approximately 14 hours before surrendering at 2am.

She said other prisoners downstairs allegedly smashed windows in an attempt to provide food to the inmates on the roof in that time.

The court heard three co-accused surrendered before Brown, and two others allegedly stayed on the roof.

Defence Barrister Steve Kissick said it was after Brown surrendered that it was alleged things “really went berserk”.

The court heard it was alleged the two remaining prisoners smashed more property after 2am including CCTV cameras, rooftop vents and plumbing pipes.

Judge Everson said the total damage amounted to approximately $240,000.

The court heard Brown did not physically damage any property at any point and was not an instigator to the riot; he simply joined the others on the roof.

However, the court heard he was still charged as a party to the damage offending.

Mr Kissick said his client was subject to a “severe” disciplinary process following the riot, and was placed in the detention unit for 20 days.

Mr Kissick said Brown was locked down for 22 hours a day for the month following, 20 hours a day for the month after that, and then placed on a red card the following month.

Ms Baker said Brown had a nine page criminal history, which included a seven-page “spree” of 62 offences committed in the span of two years.

These offences included multiple counts of burglary, for which Brown received a three-year prison sentence in 2021.

The court heard Brown continued then to reoffend when released on parole.

Judge Everson said Brown’s recidivism was particularly concerning, and that Brown’s previous attempts at rehabilitation had been “spectacularly unsuccessful”.

“He just can’t stay out of jail. That’s his problem... He’s really only got himself to blame,” Judge Everson said.

The court heard Brown had struggled with methamphetamine addiction since early adulthood, which played a significant role in his prior offending.

Mr Kissick said his client had completed a drug relapse prevention course in custody and was now on a waitlist for an opiate substitution program.

Judge Everson said he accepted that the riot “really got out of hand” after Brown had surrendered, but commented that “to riot in a corrective facility is a very contentious thing to do in the circumstances”.

He sentenced Brown to 10 months imprisonment, with immediate parole eligibility and 18 days of presentence custody declared time-served.