Capricornia prison rioter walks free on immediate parole

A father involved in an 18-hour riot at a Central Queensland prison sniffed petrol, used a megaphone to demand cigarettes and joined a rooftop mob.

Capricornia Correctional Centre at Rockhampton.

A father involved in an 18-hour riot at a Central Queensland prison that caused about $1.2 million worth of damage sniffed petrol, used a megaphone to demand cigarettes and joined a rooftop mob who moved toward prison staff trying to give an inmate first-aid.

Travis Aaron Eisel, 25, pleaded guilty in Brisbane District Court on Friday to rioting at Capricornia Correctional Centre in Rockhampton on October 21, 2021.

Judge Vicki Loury described the riot as the worst she had encountered in her legal career.

Days after the riot he told his mum in a phone call that he took part in the riot because he “f***** miss the kids, and that, going this crazy in the unit, and then they all had petrol and shit”.

Crown prosecutor Ken Spinaze told the court the riot involved more than 100 prisoners, lasted about 18 hours and caused about $1.2 million worth of damage to the prison.

Mr Spinaze submitted that the riot was triggered by three principal offenders because elders were not allowed to visit the jail at a particular time.

The ringleader was jailed for five years recently, he said.

Police at the entrance to the Capricornia Correctional Centre during a riot.

The riot involved the lighting of fires, hurling of molotov cocktails at prison staff and the use of makeshift weapons but Eisel did not take part in this.

Some prison staff were injured during the riot, Mr Spinaze said.

It led to further overcrowding because the prison had 139 fewer beds due to damage, the court heard.

Eisel, from Granville near Maryborough on the Fraser Coast, was initially charged with riot with the circumstance of aggravation of endangering the security of the prison, which carried a maximum of life in prison.

But in court on Friday this was downgraded so Eisel was only facing a maximum of ten years behind bars, Mr Spinaze told the court.

Mr Spinaze said that Eisel was one of 63 prisoners out of 100 to have been identified as committing crimes on the day of the riot.

Co-accused prisoner Jesse Pel was jailed for 15 months, suspended for two-years, for his “enthusiastic” role in the riot, and another inmate Clinton Curtis Jones was jailed for 18 months prison with a parole date set.

Eisel was released from his cell after 2pm, hours after the riot began at 8.30am, and was seen on the roof of the activity centre until he surrendered at 9pm.

Eisel was part of a group of up to ten prisoners who hindered prison officers when they were giving first aid to one of the central rioters who was having a seizure, with the group throwing objects at the officers, although Eisel was not said to have thrown items.

Eisel also put items in a wheely bin fire, to “stoke” it, which was later used to create a major blaze near the prison activity centre.

Defence counsel James Walllace submitted Eisel was not a riot ringleader and had only taken part in a “general sense”.

The father-of-two has previously worked as a cane cutter and plans to take up a carpentry apprenticeship.

Judge Loury sentenced Eisel to 15 months’ prison and gave him immediate parole, after noting his involvement was at the lowest end of the spectrum.

Eisel was previously jailed for dangerous driving causing grievous bodily harm and leaving the scene of the accident.

Originally published as Capricornia prison rioter walks free on immediate parole