Convicted murderer Matej Vanko won’t be eligible for release until late 2036 following his involvement in a major riot in a Darwin prison in 2020, which resulted in several buildings being set alight and the use of tear gas on prisoners.
Vanko is currently serving a life sentence after abducting his boss and murdering her brother in Darwin’s rural area in 2012.
The former SERCO detention centre employee held his former boss Noelene Stevens captive at a Howard Springs property, and murdered her brother Donald Stevens, 53, by stabbing him in the back of the neck.
Four years later, in 2016, he pleaded guilty to the aggravated assault of a fellow inmate, resulting in his non-parole period being extended to February 2036.
The 47-year-old will now add rioting to his criminal history after he pleaded guilty to two charges in the Supreme Court of the Northern Territory, including taking part in a riot and damage to property in relation to a disturbance in the Darwin Correctional Centre in 2020.
The riot occurred at the Darwin Correctional Centre in 2020. (Supplied)
During the riot, a group of prisoners escaped from their sectors and three buildings were set on fire and ransacked.
On Monday, Judge Meredith Huntingford said the riot began on the evening of May 13, 2020, when a prisoner housed in Sector 6 smashed a glass window and escaped from the building, prompting other inmates to “make preparations to break out from their accommodation”.
Over the course of more than 4 hours, a group of prisoners, including Vanko, managed to move through multiple sectors by scaling fences, before forcing their way into the sports and recreation facility and the education building.
Judge Huntingford said Vanko was spotted on CCTV attempting to smash the glass door to the sports and recreation building with a fire extinguisher.
Vanko was sentenced in the Supreme Court of the NT. (ABC News: Che Chorley)
At one stage, the group scaled onto the roof of the education building before an unknown person ignited a fire causing significant damage and rendering the facility “inoperable”.
“Prison officers … gathered at the base of the education building and observed various prisoners … throwing office items off the roof in a dangerous manner, yelling threats at prison officers, and generally creating a riotous atmosphere,” the judge said.
She said Vanko was not involved in any acts of arson, nor did he harm anyone or use offensive language toward correctional staff.
While the cost of the damage caused by Vanko was “not trivial”, the judge said, it only made up a “fraction” of the total bill, which reached $27 million.
During sentencing, the judge said the offending was “prolonged”, having occurred over the period of 4 hours, and involved the use of “makeshift weapons”.
“It’s clear that your behaviour … was violent and had the potential to cause those in the area, including correctional officers and other prisoners not involved, to fear for their safety,” she said.
Vanko was sentenced to a total of 18 months in prison for both offences and had his non-parole period extended by six months, to September 2036.
