The Department of Justice has refuted a claim from the Prison Officers Union that Wooroloo Prison was being run by criminal elements after bikies there were permitted to watch a 2.30am soccer match.

Department of Justice director general Dr Adam Tomison said a front page story in The West Australian, which suggested a group of six inmates at a minimum security prison were granted permission to have late-night party to watch the Champions League final in May, was off the mark.

“These prisoners are at minimum security facility, so they’ve been sentenced to time in jail, at a maximum security prison … and earnt privileges and been reassessed as a minimum security prisoner, because they’ve done the right thing,” he told Liam Bartlett on 6PR Mornings.

“Pretty much every prisoner in jail is going to have access to a TV for free-to-air viewing … and what they’ve asked for is a special event where they can have a couple of colleagues over or other offenders over from within the site, and they’ve done that the appropriate way.”

LISTEN 👇 to Dr Tomison explain why the prisoners did the right thing

Mornings listener James, a former prison worker of 14 years, told Bartlett he had a very different view to Dr Tomison’s on whether the prisoners were low risk.

“At one stage in Wooroloo, we even had a murderer up there… the reason I left was because my unlisted private telephone number and my home address were given out to these bikies, who didn’t like me because I wouldn’t favour them like some of the other officers.

“There were rorts going on all the time, like visitations, being able to have sex with their girlfriends. There were guys being allowed to go out at night, having sex with local girls. Alcohol was being drunk, prisoners were being told when the urine testing was occurring.”

Another listener, Jason, told Bartlett it was good to hear Dr Tomison explain the reasons the bikies were allowed to hold the ‘party’.

HEAR from prison officer James and other listeners 👇