‘Postcard Bandit’ Brenden Abbott pleads guilty to 1989 Fremantle prison break

THE notorious bank robber who escaped from Fremantle prison in 1989 and earned lifelong notoriety as a criminal genius has finally pleaded guilty.

Bank robber fugitive prison escapee Brenden James Abbott was dubbed the Postcard Bandit.

BRENDEN Abbott, the notorious “postcard bandit” who evaded police for five years after a 1989 Fremantle prison break, has finally pleaded guilty to the escape.

Abbott, 54, was extradited to Perth from Queensland in May last year, after being paroled 18 years into a sentence for bank robberies and a second jail break in that state in 1997.

He has been in custody since being captured after his second jail break, from Queensland’s Wacol prison, in 1998.

Armed robber and prison escapee Brenden Abbott was extradited to Perth after being paroled in Queensland last year. Picture: Robin Sellick

The notorious bank robber’s escape from Fremantle prison in 1989 earned him lifelong notoriety as a criminal genius.

He and another inmate jumped the prison walls, wearing fake guards uniforms Abbott had made in the jail tailor shop.

He remained on the run for nearly six years

Abbott was dubbed the “postcard bandit” amid reports he sent postcards to West Australian police to taunt them while he was on the run.

Following his extradition, WA Premier Colin Barnett said while Abbott had spent a long time in prison it was appropriate he face the WA justice system again, where he may serve up to 16 years behind bars.

Originally published as ‘Postcard Bandit’ Brenden Abbott pleads guilty to 1989 Fremantle prison break