Tear gas used to subdue killer Mert Ney’s rampage in Australia’s toughest jail

Jailed for 40 years for a brutal stabbing rampage that killed a woman, Mert Ney is now terrorising prison officers and inmates at Supermax.

Michaela Dunn, 24, top left, was fatally stabbed by Mert Ney in Sydney's CBD on August 13, 2019. Pictures: News Corp/Supplied

A convicted killer who was jailed for viciously stabbing a sex worker is terrorising prison officers in Supermax, throwing coffee, starting a fire and arming himself with jail-made, razor-blade weapons.

Jailed for 40 years for murdering Michaela Dunn in a “cruel, brutal and terrifying attack”, Mert Ney shocked onlookers as he ran through the streets brandishing a knife and stabbing another woman before he was subdued.

Despite being housed in the state’s most secure prison – the High Risk Management Correctional Centre (HRMCC) aka “Supermax” – Ney has become a “problem child” for prison officers, with more than 23 separate incidents logged by prison officers.

The latest incident was on Wednesday when Ney jumped on a computer desk brandishing a jail-made weapon before kicking at an AVL screen, forcing prison officers to resort to “tear gas” to subdue him.

A prison source said the outburst occurred after Ney had finished an audio-visual link appearance for a court matter “that clearly didn’t go his way”.

Killer Mert Ney was found with a jail-made razor-blade weapon in Supermax last week. Picture: Seven News

Images of the weapon — known as a “shiv” — show a razor blade attached to a piece of plastic and tied with a cloth.

The source said officers had to use “tear gas” to force Ney to surrender the weapon. No officers were injured during the incident.

The shiv Ney was allegedly holding during his outburst on Wednesday. Pictures: Supplied

Ney is accused of kicking the Supermax audio visual equipment after a court appearance.

However, during a separate outburst in July, a prison officer was taken to hospital in a stable condition with minor injuries to his chest. A Corrective Services NSW spokeswoman said that an inmate had used a jail-made weapon “to assault an officer”.

It is understood the weapon also involved a razor blade. It is not clear what prompted the attack, which is still being investigated by police.

Prison sources say Ney has also threatened to take officers hostage, thrown coffee at staff and boiling water at an inmate, assaulted officers, set fire to property and refused to follow orders, resulting in officers having to use force.

Jail-made weapons have also allegedly been found in his cell.

Ney was held by bystanders using a milk crate a chair after his horrific stabbing rampage in Sydney’s CBD in 2019.

Ney was jailed after repeatedly stabbing 24-year-old Dunn in a city apartment in August 2019, before filming the crime scene on his phone and sending the videos to a friend on Facebook.

After the stabbing, Ney ran through the CBD with a knife, seriously injuring a bystander, before he was pinned down with a milk crate and chair by good Samaritans.

Supreme Court Justice Peter Johnson sentenced him to 44 years in prison with a non-parole period of 33 years.

After successfully appealing to the Court of Criminal Appeal in October last year, Ney was re-sentenced to 40 years jail with a non-parole period of 30 years.

In October 2021, he was sentenced to 15 months jail after being convicted of assaulting a prison officer.

He was also convicted and sentenced to 12 months for setting his cell on fire.

In February last year, Ney was sentenced to 15 months jail for throwing boiling water on an inmate.

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