Man jailed after harbouring fugitive, taunting cops

Tyron Jai Lane posted a video to Facebook taunting the police as they were hunting for his mate who was suspected of being involved in a shooting in Sydney. The stunt backfired.

A Dungog man has been sentenced to 10 months in prison for harbouring a fugitive wanted for attempted murder.

Tyron Jai Lane pleaded guilty to hindering a police investigation in December last year after he allowed a friend to hide out at his home following a shooting in Western Sydney in 2020.

Strike Force Bellvue was established following the February 2020 shooting at an apartment in Lansvale.

In their hunt for a suspect in the Hunter region, investigators launched a covert operation involving two press releases issued with an image of the alleged suspect from the shooting.

Tyron Lane was sentenced in Newcastle Local Court on Monday.

After the documents were released, Lane took to social media platform Facebook to taunt police as they continued their investigations into the wanted man, the court heard.

Lane’s post shared images of the wanted man depicted in a selfie and also a picture of the police media releases, proving that he was aware his friend was a fugitive.

The post also contained a selfie video taken by Lane which depicted the wanted offender laying on a lounge.

In the video the wanted man states on camera that ‘he is a wanted man for an attempted murder he didn’t do’. He also added ‘he was hiding out here and the police won’t find him’.

Police said it was clear from the post that Lane knew his friend was wanted in relation to an attempted murder and was providing refuge to him.

Newcastle Court House. Picture: Amy Ziniak

Lane was arrested in June 2020 over the incident.

In Newcastle Local Court today, Lane’s lawyer argued his client played a brief part in the offence, claiming the accused had harboured the man for a relatively short time at an Airbnb and not his own place of residence.

He also alluded that Lane’s social media post was not well thought out, but at the same time inadvertently helped police capture the fugitive a short time later.

He also added Lane had consumed methamphetamine on a daily basis in the lead up to the event.

Magistrate Janine Lacey dismissed the claims, stating, “I find it deliberate hindering of police investigations,” and sentenced Lane with a custodial sentence of ten months with a non-parole period of seven months.

Lane, who is currently serving a three-year prison sentence after pleading guilty last year to fraudulently obtaining $30,000 from bushfire relief funds - and attempting to obtain a further $125,000 - will be eligible for parol in September 2023.