Inmates Jarvis Kool, Percy Orcher sentenced in Ipswich Court for Borallon prison riot

A southeast Queensland court has heard how a “spur of the moment” prison riot incited a “mob mentality” in which cells were smashed, staff threatened and $240k in damage was done.

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

Two men have been sentences for their roles in a 24-hour prison riot in which staff were threatened and hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of damage done.

Jarvis Michael John Kool, 22, of North Booval and Percy Shane Ashley William Orcher, 22, of Moorooka, each pleaded guilty to one count of riot or mutiny.

The court heard Kool and Orcher were both involved in the riot at Borallon Correctional Centre on November 6, 2022.

They were in the exercise yard about 11.55am when they and others damaged a wire mesh fence and climbed onto the roof.

Crown prosecutor Andreas Galloway said the prison went into lockdown.

Inmates in the nearby block smashed their cells and tried to provide food to the inmates on the roof.

Judge Alexander Horneman-Wren said some of those inmates also threatened prison staff, saying “if you let us out we’re going to bash you”.

He said Kool and Orcher’s behaviour had “that flow-on effect of the mob mentality”.

Jarvis Michael John Kool.

Kool was part of a group of three inmates who came down off the roof at 10pm, the court heard.

Orcher was the second-last inmate to come down, staying on the roof until 8am.

While up there, he and another inmate threatened to harm prison staff and damaged CCTV cameras and rooftop vents, the court heard.

Orcher also broke a TV aerial in the early stages of the riot.

The court heard the last inmate to come down, 24 hours later, threw items off the roof towards staff.

Mr Galloway said the inmates caused more than $240,000 in damage.

Defence barrister Emma Thorsen said Kool had not caused any actual property damage.

She said his decision to riot was a “spur of the moment” plan devised in the prison yard.

Ms Thorsen said Kool was placed on an intensive management plan after the offence, which in part contributed to him not yet having met his six-month-old son.

Defence barrister Ben Taylor said Orcher had struggled with meth use and relapsed before his previous offending after a death in his family.

Mr Taylor Orcher was “at risk of institutionalisation” as he had spent only five and a half months of his adult life out of custody.

He said Orcher told him his most recent period in custody involved almost daily lockdowns.

But Mr Taylor was unable to obtain evidence from the correctional centre to support this.

Judge Horneman-Wren said committing a prison riot was simply not the way to address such issues.

“It’s certainly not the right way to go about getting out of jail,” he said.

Orcher was sentenced to 10 months’ jail with immediate parole eligibility after 137 days of presentence custody was declared as time-served.

Kool was sentenced to 10 months’ jail with immediate parole eligibility after 123 days of presentence custody was declared as time served.