Daniel Galbraith granted bail after social media posts taunted police while on the run in Mittagong

A Mittagong man has been granted bail after police were taunted in the comments section of their social media posts while a warrant was out for his arrest.

A Mittagong man has been granted bail after police were taunted in the comment section of a social media post asking for public help to locate him.

Daniel Hunter Galbraith, 25, appeared via video link in Moss Vale on Tuesday after pleading not guilty to common assault and possession of a prohibited drug.

Mr Galbraith was in custody at John Morony Correctional Centre after police put out a warrant for his arrest in July for breaching a court order. A social media post on July 15 asked the public for help locating the accused for an outstanding arrest warrant.

In the now-deleted comment, a person purporting to be the accused commented “weee” on the Hume Police District appeal for information on his whereabouts.

Daniel Hunter Galbraith has pleaded not guilty to assault and drug possession. Picture: NSW Police

To the amusement of many of the public, the person continued to taunt police in the comments section, saying he would turn himself in when he was “cashed up”.

When someone remarked on his long rat’s tail, he wrote he’d prioritised the look for his mugshot.

The court heard Mr Galbraith was taken into custody on July 27 when the warrant was executed, a week and a half after the teasing comments on the police post.

Mr Galbraith’s lawyer Michael Doughty told the court his client had been serving an intensive corrections order when he failed to report to police or complete the community service hours required.

“He tells me he was subject to some credible threats to his safety,” he said.

Police allege Mr Galbraith assaulted a man at 6.30pm on February 6 without provocation while on a train near Bowral. He is also accused of having 0.1 grams of methamphetamine on him at the time.

The police prosecutor told the court Mr Galbraith has a “lengthy history of violent offences”, including assault, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and affray. Police allege Mr Galbraith is reluctant to stop offending.

Magistrate Mark Douglass said the “very serious” offence in combination with Mr Galbraith’s violent history meant the risk to the community was heightened.

Someone purporting to be Daniel Galbraith commented on a Hume Police District post notifying the public of a warrant for his arrest.

“Random attacks on trains are of great concern,” he said.

“Because of your history of violence, there’s always a risk of you committing a further offence.”

The court heard police were concerned that Mr Galbraith would fail to appear in court if granted bail, especially given police had been required to issue an arrest warrant to get him to appear in court.

However, Magistrate Douglass said the month Mr Galbraith spent in prison should be enough time for him to realise the importance of complying with court orders. He decided to impose very strict bail conditions that would effectively place Mr Galbraith “under house arrest” at his parents’ home until his next court date on February 21, 2022.