Siege prisoners threaten to chop warder's fingers
By Robyn Grace
May 8, 2005
The Sun-Herald
Tensions at Hobart's Risdon prison erupted yesterday when 10 inmates seized control of a reception area, taking a warder and three prisoners hostage.
As negotiations stretched into the night, the hostage takers threatened to cut off the warder's fingers one by one unless their demands were met.
It is the second time in less than two weeks that inmates have been taken hostage at the maximum security jail.
Yesterday's crisis began when a group of prisoners took over the jail's reception area at 2.45pm.
In telephone calls to the ABC, they demanded the resignation of Tasmanian Attorney-General Judy Jackson and the state's Director of Prisons Graeme Barber and demanded shadow Attorney-General Michael Hodgman attend the prison.
Former inmate Tony Bull, who has been in mobile phone contact with the hostage takers, said they were losing patience after food was not delivered by 6.30pm.
"At the moment, the officer's hand is on the table," Mr Bull said. "I'd say he's not far from losing a finger."
But a food delivery handed to an inmate through the prison gates shortly after 8pm appeared to defuse the threat.
In a telephone call relayed through Mr Bull, one of the prisoners - identified only as Brett - said the prison officer had not been harmed.
"He's safe at the moment, but if things turn bad then he won't be," Brett said.
"All we want is for Graeme Barber and Judy Jackson to resign. We want people to run the jail that are going to run the jail, not people who are a law unto themselves and do as they please."
Brett said that the prisoners were watching television and drinking coffee "but we're ready to rock and roll at the drop of a hat".
"There is no way anybody can get to the hostages before the people who have got them surrounded get to them and do whatever they're going to do to them."
He said the prisoners were prepared to hold out as long as it took for their demands to be met.
Tensions at the prison - which houses mass murderer Martin Bryant who killed 35 people in a 1996 shooting spree at Port Arthur - have been building for some time.
A week ago, a prisoner took two other inmates hostage for seven hours before authorities were able to release them.
