Anthony Slater: Inmate nearly starts ‘serious’ fire in Melbourne jail

A prison inmate gouged a dog’s eyes and fought off guards who were trying to get him out of his burning cell in an extraordinary meltdown.

A prison inmate nearly started a serious fire inside the crowded Metropolitan Remand Centre last year, and tried to gouge a dog’s eyes out during an extraordinary meltdown at authorities a court has heard.

Anthony Slater, 30, on Wednesday pleaded guilty to beating an animal, arson, assaulting a prison guard and resisting a prison guard nearly a year on from his July 2020 attack inside the remand prison at Ravenhall.

Slater appeared at Sunshine Magistrates Court from Port Phillip Prison.

Magistrate Alanna Duffy told the court Slater’s offending, which began with him starting a fire in his cell, could have resulted in a serious fire at the prison.

Anthony Slater, 30, kicked and gouged the eyes of a prison dog as guards tried to put out a fire in his cell.

Court documents reveal Slater was alone in his cell in a section of the remand prison for non-compliant prisoners when he stuffed alfoil into the power point to start a fire in his cell.

Slater then told guards through the intercom: “my cell is on fire”.

By the time guards arrived, Slater’s bed was alight and he had used a bin to block the guards from spraying water through the “trap door” on the cell’s locked door.

When reinforcements were called to force Slater out of his cell, he armed himself with a sharpened paint brush and a pencil.

The Melbourne Metropolitan Remand Centre, in Ravenhall.

The outside of the Metropolitan Remand Centre in Ravenhall west of Melbourne.

Slater then shoved the bin on the prison dog’s head and began lashing out at the dog handler.

When the dog latched onto his leg after he kicked it, Slater began gouging its eyes, only for the dog to then latch into his arm.

Slater was eventually taken to the ground and dragged from the burning cell by guards.

Authorities had not properly documented the cost of repairs, so Ms Duffy refused a request for more than $3000 in compensation to pay the cost of fixing the cell.

Slater’s lawyer, Nikhil Sood, said his client had suffered “extra-curial punishment” by being bitten by a dog.

Slater returns to court at a later date.