Jack Gibson-Burrell, 21, to remain behind bars over concerns the prolific design would continue across Melbourne if he was released
A Melbourne man alleged to be the creator of the prolific “Pam the Bird” graffiti will remain behind bars, with a magistrate saying there was a risk of him continuing to target prominent locations to boost his social media notoriety if released.
Jack Gibson-Burrell, 21, appeared in the Melbourne magistrates court on Wednesday morning where he was denied bail over concerns he would commit a serious offence if released.
Police last week charged Gibson-Burrell, from Yarraville, with more than 50 offences, including criminal damage, aggravated burglary, shop theft and stealing a motor vehicle.
Refusing his bail application, the magistrate Johanna Metcalf said the “totality” of the alleged offending showed a “disregard for the law”.
“The offending before the court has escalated in seriousness over the period of a year as publicity around Pam the Bird graffiti has increased,” she said.
Gibson-Burrell’s co-accused, Matthew Raoul White, 39, of Abbotsford, was granted bail, with conditions including a nightly curfew. White has been charged with more than 20 criminal damage offences relating to the alleged graffiti of suburban trains and a Docklands office building.
Both men plan to contest their charges, the court has heard.
Metcalf said White’s alleged offending was of a lower magnitude that what Gibson-Burrell has been charged with. She said a term of imprisonment, if White was found guilty, was likely to be of shorter duration than the time he would spend behind bars on remand.
She said the prosecution had demonstrated Gibson-Burrell may commit a serious offence while on bail and endanger the public. She said this could involve a risk of further aggravated burglaries to gain access to prominent locations and landmarks.
“I think there is a risk of continued offending to boost and maintain followers on social media,” she said.
She told the court Gibson-Burrell had demonstrated a compelling reason to be granted bail due to his young age, lack of criminal history and the time the case could take to reach trial, which his lawyer argued could be 18 months. But Metcalf said she was not persuaded that potential bail conditions would mitigate the risks of Gibson-Burrell committing a serious crime.
Police had on Tuesday argued Gibson-Burrell’s alleged abseiling of tall structures endangered the public because it was a risk to anyone below the buildings.
Metcalf said she agreed with the police argument that an untrained person abseiling tall structures was dangerous and risked the lives of people walking under the buildings.
“There is an element of deliberate risk-taking and thrill,” she said.
The magistrate said she accepted there would probably be delays in the matter, as she granted police 12 weeks to compile a hand-up brief.
Police have alleged Gibson-Burrell’s vandalism included spray-painting the Flinders Street station clock with the signature cartoon-like bird that had caused more than $100,000 worth of damage.
Sen Const Scott Nicholls on Tuesday said police believed Gibson-Burrell would continue offending if released and had serious concerns about the dangerous and costly nature of the alleged incidents.
Nicholls said Gibson-Burrell was endangering the public beneath him during “high-level graffiti stunts”.
It is alleged White is associated with various graffiti tags, including “SROCK” that has been spray-painted alongside Pam the Bird.
Gibson-Burrell is due to appear before the Melbourne magistrates court on 6 June for a committal mention.
