Clinton Price, David Risk and Keiran Webster to remain behind bars after $20m Holtze Prison ‘rampage’

Three men involved in a ‘rampage’ that saw a Darwin prison descend into a ‘state of anarchy’ and left the NT government with a ‘breathtaking’ damage bill will continue to cool their heels in jail.

The riot in may last year left the Territory government with a ‘breathtaking’ damage bill.

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THREE men involved in a “rampage” that saw Holtze Prison descend into a “state of anarchy” and left the Territory government with a “breathtaking” damage bill will continue to cool their heels in jail.

Clinton Price, David Risk and Keiran Webster each pleaded guilty in the Supreme Court to damaging property in a riot and escaping lawful custody during the disturbance on May 13 last year.

Chief Justice Michael Grant said on the day of the riot a prisoner in sector six smashed a glass window with a table leg and climbed onto the visitors’ centre roof after guards refused a request for a cell change.

About an hour later, another prisoner kicked open the door to building C and walked out with a group of other inmates.

It was then Price and two other inmates smashed several windows in building B using a metal bed frame and escaped along with another 14 prisoners from sectors six and seven.

Chief Justice Grant said eight of them, including Price, Risk and Webster climbed over a perimeter fence and headed for the women’s section but were turned back by prison guards.

By about 9pm the group had gained access to an office and storage area containing flammable cleaning products and “placed rags into liquid bottles, tipped rubbish bins on their sides, and inserted wires into electrical outlets”.

“One or more of your number then used an unknown accelerant to light a fire in the storeroom, which spread throughout the building causing extensive damage,” Chief Justice Grant said.

“That building was rendered uninhabitable and inoperable and had to be completely gutted and refurbished.”

Chief Justice Grant said while all three men were present at the time, none of them actually lit the fire.

“The group, still including you, then left that area carrying fire extinguishers, cricket bats, broomsticks, hammers and torches which you had taken from inside the administration office,” he said.

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Chief Justice Grant said the trio was still present when other members of the group then proceeded to effectively burn down the prison library, causing damage “in the order of $15 million”.

The group then climbed onto a roof where they began shouting abuse at the guards, with one unidentified prisoner yelling “Break out and come and join us before it’s too late, let’s f***ing get these dogs”.

“That same prisoner also yelled ‘You dogs are going to get it, we are in control now’,” Chief Justice Grant said.

The group was eventually subdued with tear gas and had surrendered by about 1am.

In handing each Price and Webster a two year and four month jail sentence, Chief Justice Grant said the total $20 million damage bill was “a breathtaking sum of money and a dreadful waste of public resources”.

“The offence of riot, even by itself without property damage, is very serious because it involves a mob using its numbers to achieve an unlawful purpose that is actually or potentially dangerous, because it carries with it that inherent danger of injury to persons or property or both and because it invariably causes public disquiet or even alarm,” he said.

“That the riot took place in the prison environment elevates the importance of general deterrence for the simple reason that the court cannot permit the law of the jungle to take hold in prisons.”

Risk was sentenced to 18 months jail after Chief Justice Grant found his involvement in the riot lacked the “energy and violence and intensity” of some of his co-offenders.

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