Police have charged 21 men over the Darwin Correctional Centre riot in mid May.

Detective Acting Senior Sergeant Jak Evans said there was significant damage from the May 13 riot including to accommodation and educational buildings,.

He said a Serious Crime Squad investigation led to the charges: 21 counts of damage to property in a riot; 21 counts of escaping lawful confinement; 10 counts of arson; three counts of assaulting a worker; and one count of a threat to burn or explode.

Snr Sgt Evans said a 25-year-old man appeared in court on Friday, June 26 and was remanded in custody.

While five men aged 21, 23, 23, 25 and 43 will appear in court on July 7, five men aged 21, 23, 29, 31 and 43 will appear in court on July 9, five men aged 18, 20, 23, 25 and 27 will appear in court on July 14, and five men aged 20, 22, 23, 23 and 35 will appear in court on July 16.

The day after the riot Corrections Commissioner Scott McNairn said the 21 prisoners involved eventually came down from the roofs of four buildings without force being used.

However a leaked email from a prison officer appeared to directly contradict Mr McNairn’s version of events with independent Member for Nelson Gerry Wood, who along with the NT Independent had a copy of the email, then calling for an independent inquiry into the incident, saying the NT Government had been “very quiet on details about what happened on that night”.

The email said a large amount of tear gas was used.

The NT Government announced on June 12 it had appointed Professor John Paget to undertake a review.

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