Fitness guru Sam Wood is being a housed just a stone’s throw from some of the country’s most notorious criminals after being transferred to a high-security prison in Queensland late last week.
Wood, 46, was denied bail on Thursday and remains behind bars as he fights domestic violence charges involving his wife Snezana, 46, which allegedly took place while the family was on holiday in Noosa on October 3.
Sent to Wolston Correctional Centre in Brisbane’s Wacol, the former reality star is being housed in a separate wing of the facility under a safety order intended to protect him from other prisoners.
Situated adjacent to Brisbane Women’s Correctional Centre, the men’s grounds accommodate protection prisoners — inmates such as Wood who may be targeted due to their profiles or nature of their crimes.
Among those serving time at Wolston include serial rapist and child killer Brett Peter Cowan, who was convicted of murdering schoolboy Daniel Morcombe in 2014 and sentenced to life imprisonment with a non-parole period of 20 years.
Gerard Baden-Clay is also linked to the facility, guilty of murdering his wife Allison in 2012 and sentenced to 15 years following a trial in 2014.
Despite a watchful eye being cast over the State’s worst offenders, reports of unrest, unruliness, or assault have emerged in the past decade.
Robert Paul Long, who set fire to a hostel in 2000 which killed 15 backpackers, forced Wolston into lockdown in 2023 after protesting on the centre’s roof.
He surrendered to authorities after two days, though the reason for his protest was not declared.
In 2016, child killer and paedophile Cowan was taken to hospital after a fellow inmate scalded him with boiling water. He suffered burns to his head, chest and legs.
It came after Cowan was removed from a protective cell, and placed among the general prison population.
While in 2018, a female visitor was arrested after allegedly attempting to sneak contraband to the facility in the form of drugs.
“We deploy a range of strategies to detect and seize contraband, such as Passive Alert Drug Detection dogs, which help to keep our staff and prisoners safe,” Queensland Corrective Services Commissioner Peter Martin said at the time.
Visitors are also prohibited from bringing tobacco or smoking-related paraphernalia into the centre.
Inmates at Wolston are encouraged to adopt trades, and participate in relevant general or sexual offending treatment programs.
“The centre takes an integrated approach to the delivery of services to prisoners through a structured day timetable, which enables half of the prisoners employed in industries to work in the morning and the other half in the afternoon,” the prison’s website reads.
“Metal fabrication, paint and powder coating, textiles and assembly workshops are the major industrial workshops at Wolston Correctional Centre. Industries operate seven days a week, 12 hours a day. This allows workers to attend programs, education, vocational training and to use other prisoner services during the part of the day they are not required for work.
“The centre delivers a broad range of intervention and general offending programs and delivers a range of sexual offending treatment programs.”
Wood is due back in court on November 23, after being denied bail at Maroochydore Magistrates Court.
It is alleged he grabbed his wife by the neck, pulled her to the ground and restricted her breathing, with Prosecutor Sergeant Jeanette Grigoris telling the court, “she thought she was going to die and she was in fear of her safety”.
As a result of the allegations, the fitness personality’s alleged behaviour has been condemned by many of his collaborators, including the group his 28 by Sam Wood brand is owned by.
“As a result of further considerations, DBG Health has now terminated all arrangements,” the company said.