Jack Gibson-Burrell: Accused Pam the Bird graffiti artist seeks bail to live with grandmother

The man police allege is behind Melbourne’s infamous Pam the Bird graffiti is being probed by police over a knife attack, a court has been told.

The man police allege is behind Melbourne’s infamous Pam the Bird graffiti is being probed by police after a knife attack last month, a court has been told.

Jack Gibson-Burrell, 21, was arrested and charged last week in connection with a series of high-profile graffiti incidents depicting a cartoon bird in jaw-dropping locations.

He returned before the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday to continue a bail application, hoping to be released from custody to live with his grandmother in Geelong.

Matthew White and Jack Gibson-Burrell are seeking bail. Picture: NewsWire/ Paul Tyquin

Police allege Mr Gibson-Burrell is the sole creator behind the Pam the Bird graffiti murals, including on the clock face of the Flinders Street station, the Novotel Hotel, the 9News studio and the Clifton Hill Shot Tower.

He has been charged with 59 offences, including criminal damage, theft, assault and burglary, with police now estimating the cost to clean up the graffiti at about $210,000.

Senior Constable Scott Nicholls, from the Transit Safety Division, told the court it was alleged Mr Gibson-Burrell graffitied some of the most notable works while abseiling the structures.

Mr Gibson-Burrell is accused of a series of high-profile graffiti incidents. Picture: Supplied.

He described Mr Gibson-Burrell as a “bit of a loner” who only associates with other graffiti artists “he thinks are at his level”.

Police have opposed bail, alleging Mr Gibson-Burrell is a “notorious vandal” who will continue to offend to maintain his status in the graffiti community.

Constable Nichols told the court that Mr Gibson-Burrell had a history of being violent when confronted, including an incident in Queensland where he sprayed paint into a rail security officer’s face, partially blinding him.

“He has to be held in custody to prevent him causing chaos in our state,” he said.

“Bail will not be sufficient to stop his offending... he simply doesn’t not care.”

The court was told the accused man was under surveillance of police for more than 200 hours in 2024 and early 2025 as they worked to build a case against him.

Police allege Mr Burrell-Gibson has been linked as the creator through phone records, CCTV, surveillance and posts to Instagram page Good Bird Art, which now boasts 75,000 followers.

Several Pam the Bird pieces are dozens of metres in the air. Picture: Supplied

Mr Gibson-Burrell was arrested on Thursday. Picture: Victoria Police

Constable Nicholls said there was an ongoing investigation into allegations Mr Gibson-Burrell engaged in the violent bashing and stabbing of an associate shortly before 4am on January 3.

He told the court the man had signed a statement alleging Mr Gibson-Burrell had punched him repeatedly to the back of his head on the street in West Footscray and stabbed him in the left thigh.

“He lost consciousness and woke up to paramedics treating him,” Constable Nicholls said.

The officer confirmed Mr Gibson-Burrell had not been charged with any offences in relation to the alleged incident.

A second man, Matthew Raoul White, 39, was charged alongside Mr Gibson-Burrell in relation to the graffiti, with police alleging the pair are frequent collaborators.

Mr White is accused of using the SROCK tag that occasionally appears alongside Pam the Bird. Picture: Supplied

Mr White, who owns the Bodega Paint Shop in Abbotsford, is seeking bail on 17 charges, including criminal damage and possessing items reasonably suspected of being the proceeds of crime.

Senior Constable Michael McCarthy told the court it was alleged Mr White was “one of the most well-connected graffiti vandals in Australia”, with tags sighted internationally.

He said the investigation into Mr Gibson-Burrell expanded to include Mr White in September last year after he was allegedly observed photographing the creation of the Pam the Bird graffiti on 9News’ office in Docklands from the street level.

The officer alleged that in the months since, Mr White had been identified spray-painting tags on trains and public transport infrastructure a dozen times.

Constable McCarthy told the court it was alleged on December 18 the two men were observed using a “fireman’s key” to access an apartment building in Melbourne, walking up 63 flights of stairs to the roof before they were confronted by a security guard and removed.

Jack Gibson-Burrell. Picture: Supplied

Matthew Raoul White. Picture: Supplied/ BART Police Department

Arguing in support of bail, Mr Gibson-Burrell’s lawyer Jonathan Millar said his client was a young man with no prior criminal convictions and suggested there could be an 18-month delay before the case reached trial.

He told the court the risk police allege Mr Gibson-Burrell posed could be managed with strict bail conditions, as he lived in Geelong East with his grandmother.

Mr White’s lawyer, Jonathan Barreiro, described the police case as “complicated and circumstantial” and noted his client’s alleged offending was relatively minor.

“Each charge will have to be proved beyond reasonable doubt the relevant street art was not committed by any of the hundreds of thousands of Pam aficionados in the city,” he said.

Magistrate Johanna Metcalf will deliver a decision on bail on Wednesday.