‘They’re everywhere’: police charge man allegedly behind ‘Pam the Bird’ graffiti on Melbourne landmarks
Man allegedly behind ‘Pam the Bird’ graffiti on Melbourne landmarks applies for bail
(about 2 hours later)
Victoria police say Yarraville man, 21, is accused of vandalism on Flinders Street station clock and other prominent locations
Victoria police say Yarraville man, 21, is accused of vandalism on Flinders Street station clock and other prominent locations
It is a bird, it is allegedly a pain, and Victoria police now say they have charged the man they believe is behind a series of “Pam” graffiti that has appeared on some of Melbourne’s most prominent landmarks.
A man accused of being one of Australia’s most prominent graffiti artists has faced court after allegedly causing thousands of dollars’ worth of damage with his cartoon-like bird murals.
A 21-year-old man from Yarraville was arrested on Thursday, police said in a statement on Friday morning. He faces more than 50 charges including criminal damage, burglary, shop theft and theft of a motor vehicle.
Jack Gibson-Burrell, 21, sat in the Melbourne magistrates court dock on Friday afternoon and smiled at times as the allegations against him were read out.
“In one of the most high-profile incidents, it’s alleged the man scaled and defaced the heritage listed Flinders Street railway station clock tower on 10 July 2024,” police said.
He was arrested on Thursday and charged with 50 offences, including criminal damage, burglary, shop theft and stealing a motor vehicle.
“It’s alleged he is also responsible for graffiti plastered across the rail network as well as the ‘Cheese Stick’ column on CityLink, a television station building in Docklands and concrete silos on Mercer Street in Geelong.
Snr Const Scott Nicholls told the court Gibson-Burrell was behind the “Pam the Bird” graffiti that had been popping up on Melbourne trains, buildings and landmarks in the past year.
“In the latest incident graffiti was on 20 January 2025 daubed across a hotel in South Wharf.”
The cartoon-like bird had garnered media attention and a social media following of more than 70,000 people on an Instagram account run by Gibson-Burrell, the officer said.
Police have had their eyes on the man for “quite some time”, and alleged he was the sole creator of “Pam the Bird”.
He alleged the 21-year-old broke into train stations, abseiled off buildings and scaled heritage-listed sites including the Flinders Street station clock tower to spray-paint the bird.
They alleged he has been working with a 39-year-old Abbotsford man, who allegedly uses the “Srock” tag and has been charged with more than 20 criminal damage offences linked to graffiti on suburban trains and a Docklands building.
The 21-year-old is also accused of punching a worker in the face at Emporium Melbourne, stealing multiple cars in Torquay and spray cans from Bunnings, and ramraiding a Nandos store in Footscray.
“We [will allege] we have the people responsible for ‘Pam the Bird’ and the ‘Srock’ graffiti tag,” Det acting Sen Sgt Jason Wombwell said on Friday.
Gibson-Burrell was a notorious vandal and one of the country’s most prominent graffiti artists, Nicholls said.
While some locals may find it funny, Wombwell said it was no laughing matter for taxpayers and business owners.
“It’s a certainty he will continue to offend at a high frequency in order to maintain his status,” the officer told the court in opposing bail.
“Not only that, it’s caused a disruption to public transport network users and people in the CBD, while this … gets cleaned up.”
It is alleged Gibson-Burrell and co-accused Matthew Raoul White, 39, trespassed into Flinders Street station on 10 July 2024.
Wombwell said the tags were particularly prevalent on major roads in Melbourne’s west.
The pair allegedly climbed an internal ladder network before abseiling from a balcony on to the clock tower and spray-painting Pam the Bird and the words “my clock”.
“They’re everywhere,” he said.
It is alleged the graffiti caused $24,000 worth of damage.
Police alleged the graffiti has caused more than $100,000 in damage in total.
Sen Const Nicholls told the court Gibson-Burrell also abseiled from the roof of Channel Nine’s Melbourne headquarters to graffiti a bird on 28 September 2024.
“The man has also been charged over an incident in Footscray where an allegedly stolen car was driven through the front window of a Barkly Street restaurant early on 20 December 2024,” police had earlier said.
He also allegedly scaled the “cheese stick” column on CityLink road on 21 October 2024 and spray-painted graffiti, which caused $20,000 in damage.
Police alleged they had also seized spray paint, illegal fireworks, abseiling equipment and property suspected to be the proceeds of crime.
The man has been remanded to appear at Melbourne magistrates court on Friday.
The underground graffiti movement has thrived for decades across the globe, and Melbourne is regarded as one of its most significant cities.
Within this movement, the ability to paint quickly and skilfully without being caught – despite the risks posed by moving trains and increasingly motivated law enforcement – is highly valued, one artist told Guardian Australia this week.
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Dean Sunshine, who has spent years documenting and curating street art in Melbourne, summed up the fascination behind Pam the Bird as “location, location, location”.
The Newport Railway Workshop was allegedly targeted by Gibson-Burrell multiple times, while a train carrying passengers was intercepted about 11.55pm on 30 October 2024.
“It’s the most prolific thing in Melbourne right now … it gets a lot of respect from the graffiti world because of the amount of artwork that’s going up and the positions of the artwork,” he said.
Police allege debris was thrown under the train stops, forcing it to brake, before Gibson-Burrell spray-painted a bird on the side of the carriage.
“It’s the positions … and getting to spots that are really hard to get to. That’s what’s making Pam the Bird such a legendary part of Melbourne graffiti culture.”
He was allegedly captured on CCTV wearing a Santa outfit during the offending.
Nicholls claimed Gibson-Burrell had expressed violence and animosity to railway workers, noting the 21-year-old had allegedly sprayed a worker in the eye with paint in Queensland.
Gibson-Burrell’s bail application was adjourned to Tuesday, when further allegations will be aired and his lawyer will make submissions for bail.
White also applied for bail on Friday but the allegations against him will be detailed to the court on Tuesday.
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Melbourne has long grappled with the city’s relationship with graffiti and street art, with the debate often becoming more prominent during city council elections.
Days after being sworn into the role, Melbourne’s lord mayor, Nicholas Reece, criticised the graffiti that appeared on Flinders Street station and then centred his re-election campaign on cleanliness and safety.
He pledged to implement a new policy that would require a victim impact statement from the City of Melbourne to be read when a person pleaded or was found guilty of damaging council property with graffiti.
Reece this week said he did not have a timeline for the implantation of the proposal but stressed it was a priority.
“This is not street art. This is out and out vandalism, and it needs to stop,” he said. “This is not a victimless crime. The city’s pride and reputation is being affected.”
He pointed to Melbourne’s designated legal spaces for street art, most notably famed Hosier Lane, which also features government-commissioned murals and artwork spruiking brands.
But a veteran graffitist told Guardian Australia that it was frustrating that governments openly welcomed places like Hosier Lane, but cracked down on graffiti.
