Convicted murderer Matej-Hoi Tsung Vanko may not be released until late 2036 after his involvement in a major riot at a Darwin prison in 2020, which resulted in the burning of several buildings and the use of tear gas on prisoners .

Vanko is currently serving a life sentence after kidnapping his boss and murdering his brother in rural Darwin in 2012.

The former SERCO detention center 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 neck.

Four years later, in 2016, he pleaded guilty to aggravated assault on 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 record after pleading guilty to two charges in the Northern Territory Supreme Court, including participating in a riot and damaging property in relation to disturbances at the correctional center of Darwin. in 2020.

During the riot, a group of prisoners escaped from their sectors and three buildings were burned 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 broke a window and escaped from the building, prompting other inmates to ” prepare to escape from their accommodation.” .

For more than 4 hours, a group of prisoners, including Vanko, managed to move through several areas by climbing fences, before making their way towards the sports and recreational facilities and the educational building.

Judge Huntingford said Vanko was seen on CCTV attempting to smash the glass door of the sports and leisure building with a fire extinguisher.

At one point, the group climbed onto the roof of the education building before an unknown person started a fire, causing significant damage and rendering the facility “unusable.”

“Prison officers… gathered at the foot of the education building and observed various prisoners… throwing office items from the roof in a dangerous manner, making threats against prison officers, and generally creating an atmosphere of riot,” the judge said.

She said Vanko was not involved in any act of arson, did not harm anyone or use offensive language toward correctional staff.

While the cost of the damage caused by Vanko is “not insignificant,” the judge said, it represents only a “fraction” of the total bill, which amounts to $27 million.

When sentencing, the judge found that the offense was “prolonged”, having taken place over a period of 4 hours, and involved the use of “makeshift weapons”.

“It is clear that your behavior … was violent and had the potential to cause fear for those in the area, including correctional officers and other uninvolved prisoners, for their safety,” she said.

Vanko was sentenced to a total of 18 months in prison for the two offenses and his non-parole period was extended by six months, until September 2036.