Ashley John Baira, 29, sentenced for role in Capricornia prison riot

A man described a dangerous prison riot which caused $1.2m in damage as the “biggest party” after he played up to cameras and “hunted” officers armed with a shovel while other inmates created molotov cocktails and lit fires, a Cairns court has heard.

Extensive damage as a result of the 16-hour riots at Capricornia Correctional Centre in 2021.

A man described a dangerous prison riot which caused $1.2m in damage as the “biggest party” after he played up to cameras and “hunted” officers armed with a shovel while other inmates created molotov cocktails and lit fires, a Cairns court has heard.

Ashley John Baira, 29, pleaded guilty in Cairns District Court on Tuesday to one charge of riot with aggravating circumstances for his role during 18 hours of unrest from October 21, 2021 until the next day at the Capricornia Correctional Centre near Rockhampton.

The unrest stemmed from a complaint from some inmates regarding visits by community elders being restricted during the Covid pandemic, the court heard.

The riot involved prisoners allegedly accessing landscape gardening equipment and 20 litres of petrol, which was then used to make molotov cocktails and light fires.

Damaged caused to the Capricornia Correctional Centre during the October 2021 riots.

Crown prosecutor Christian Peters told the court Mr Baira, who was 26 at the time, armed himself with a shovel during the riot and was part of an armed group which occupied the centre’s roof throwing projectiles at officers.

“The defendant was an active participant in the riot and donned clothing over his face to mask his identity and his involvement was more than 14 hours,” he said.

“He found himself on the roof of areas of the prison and damaged a door to a residential unit using a shovel.”

Mr Peters described the events as “mob violence” and an affront to the rule of law, adding that Mr Baira’s behaviour was “bravado” he had acted up for cameras.

“He eventually surrendered but he was captured on recorded phone calls describing the event as ‘the biggest party’,” he said.

Mr Peters did not suggest that Mr Baira had anything to do with lighting fires or creating molotov cocktails.

Ashley John Baira was sentenced in Cairns District Court for his role in a riot in Capricornia Correctional Centre near Rockhampton. Photo: Facebook

Mr Baira was only remanded in custody during the time of the riot and was not serving a sentence at the time.

Defence counsel James Sheridan did not dispute the facts of Mr Baira’s offending as it was captured on CCTV footage, but told the court about his “highly dysfunctional upbringing” and how the inmates faced harsher restrictions after the riot.

“He was exposed to domestic violence by his stepfather and step siblings, and was homeless by the time he was a teenager, falling into abuse of methylamphetamine,” Mr Sheridan said.

Judge Joshua Trevino KC said it was a “very serious riot” involving over 100 prisoners that caused significant damage to the prison and the complaints were no justification for the actions of the inmates.

Ashley John Baira was sentenced in Cairns District Court for his role in a riot in Capricornia Correctional Centre near Rockhampton. Photo: Instagram

“It involved prisoners violently overrunning security areas of the prison, starting fires, damaging property, engaging in armed confrontations with officers, and occupying rooftops in protest,” he said.

“You were part of a group that armed themselves with shovels, pitchforks, and sticks and hunted prison officers.”

Judge Trevino said Mr Baira seemed to have no remorse at the time or after the riot as demonstrated by the way he spoke about the event.

Mr Baira, was sentenced to two years in prison for the rioting offence but was released on parole after having served 189 days in remand.

Originally published as Ashley John Baira, 29, sentenced for role in Capricornia prison riot