The man accused of vandalising heritage-listed sites with “Pam the Bird” graffiti has been bailed on a second attempt after a magistrate found strict conditions could reduce his risk.
Jack Gibson-Burrell, 21, smiled and nodded as the decision was handed down at Melbourne Magistrates Court on Thursday morning.
It’s alleged Gibson-Burrell has been breaking into Victorian train stations, abseiling off buildings and scaling heritage-listed sites to spray-paint the cartoon-like “Pam the Bird”.
He’s further accused of stabbing a man in West Footscray, punching a worker in the face at Emporium Melbourne, stealing multiple cars in Torquay and ramraiding a Nandos restaurant in Footscray.
Gibson-Burrell was denied bail on February 5 when Magistrate Johanna Metcalf found he was an unacceptable risk of reoffending because the social media notoriety was too enticing for him.
The murals have garnered an Instagram following of more than 70,000 people, with police enlisting the US Federal Bureau of Investigation to prove Gibson-Burrell is also the one behind the account.
But Ms Metcalf on Thursday found the risk was now reduced due to factors including the availability of a stable address with his grandmother, a job and a $30,000 surety.
“I am persuaded the ground has shifted since his previous bail application,” she said.
“He has now experienced being incarcerated and has an idea what is at stake for him.”
He will have to follow conditions including a 9pm to 6am curfew, and a prohibition on contacting police witnesses and spray-painting graffiti.
It’s alleged Gibson-Burrell and co-accused Matthew Raoul White, 39, trespassed into Flinders Street Station on July 10, 2024, to paint the bird.
The pair allegedly climbed an internal ladder network before Gibson-Burrell abseiled from a balcony onto the clock tower and spray-painted Pam the Bird and the words “my clock”.
Gibson-Burrell also allegedly graffitied Footscray’s heritage-listed Uncle Toby’s factory in June, Channel Nine’s Melbourne headquarters in September and the “Cheese Stick” column on CityLink road in October.
The Clifton Hill shot tower was also allegedly targeted that month, while police say a Santa suit-clad Gibson-Burrell painted a bird on the side of a train after thrown debris forced it to brake between Spotswood and Yarraville stations.
Police estimate the damage bill for Gibson-Burrell’s alleged vandalism is more than $100,000.
The 21-year-old and co-accused White are due back in court in June.
