Prisoners rioted because they didn’t want to clean graffiti
A refusal to clean graffiti is what sparked a destructive 24-hour riot by six youths at Hawke’s Bay Regional Prison.
Details of the destruction have been revealed in court documents obtained after one of the six prisoners, Noah Johnson, 19, admitted charges of rioting, assault with a weapon and intentional damage in the Hastings District Court on Tuesday.
Five others, aged between 17 and 19, face the same charges.
The six were held in custody at the high-security youth wing of the prison.
About 1pm on August 1, four of the prisoners held in Wing 2 had been asked to clean graffiti off the walls of the unit and were told they could go outside for free exercise time afterwards. They became aggressive because they wanted to go outside immediately and started shouting obscenities at prison guards.
They began damaging doors and throwing items around the unit. They also started yelling at other prisoners held in Wing 1 to join them in their disorder.
When prison guards went into Wing 2 to restore control and calm the prisoners down, the prisoners began pushing and shoving them. The guards became concerned for their safety and withdrew.
The four prisoners in Wing 2 then kicked out a Perspex window, giving them access to the exterior yard of the youth unit. They then climbed onto the roof and made their way to Wing 1, where they smashed a large air vent above the Wing 1 hallway, then kicked out a mesh panel and helped two prisoners from Wing 1 get up onto the roof.
Over the next 24 hours the six prisoners remained on the roof and refused to come down. They also broke into a number of secure rooms, causing extensive damage and gathering items to use as weapons and projectiles. Throughout the riot they threw these items, including 34 chisels, at the prison staff.
They also threw hot water, trolleys, food, electrical equipment and various parts they’d ripped from the building, including wood, pipes and door handles.
Those items were thrown at prison staff members and prison vehicles. One prison guard was struck by one of the items but was not seriously injured.
One of the prisoners allegedly spat at a prison staff member as he provided medication to another, compliant, prisoner.
After extensive negotiation the prisoners came down from the roof and surrendered. All six refused to make a statement after the incident.
Johnson is due to appear in the Tauranga District Court later this month.
One of the accused was dealt with in the Youth Court.
Two of the others will be sentenced this month. One has pleaded not guilty and one has not yet entered a plea.
A Department of Corrections spokesperson said: ‘‘We are continuing to operate a youth unit at Christchurch Men’s Prison. We also have separate youth placement beds at a number of sites around the country.’’