| Brendan Abbott |
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He has escaped from custody several times using various means. Once he made uniforms that resembled prison guards' at Fremantle Prison , and in 1997 he escaped with four other dangerous criminals from Sir David Longland Prison in Brisbane, under a hail of gunfire from an external accomplice, after sawing through cell bars and cutting through four external perimeter fences. Abbott has been on the run three times, for six months in 1986/1987, and most famously as Australia's Most Wanted Man from 1989-1995 (five and a half years) and from 1997-1998 (six months). He was eventually caught in the Northern Territory in 1998 and is presently serving a 23-year sentence in Queensland for bank robbery and prison escape. After serving two years of his sentence in solitary confinement, he sued the Queensland Government for mistreatment. Dubbed the "Postcard Bandit", media reports said that Abbott sent postcards of his travels to the police who were chasing him. But the "postcard bandit" story was made up by the media to help in his capture. {Link without Title} The "postcards" were photos from a holiday Abbott took with another prison escapee, Aaron Reynolds, in 1989/1990, including an infamous picture of Reynolds outside the Dwellingup police station in Western Australia. It is expected that when his current sentence has been completed he will be handed over to the West Australian authorities where he still has time to serve on prior convictions. Queensland authorities have approved his transfer but WA authorities refuse to accept him. He also faces charges including escaping legal custody and armed robbery in Western Australia. There are also charges pending in South Australia for armed robbery and other offences. If convicted of these offences it is unlikely that he will be released from prison. A film about Abbott, '' The Postcard Bandit '', was made for television by Nine Films/Pacific Coast Entertainment in 2003 and released on DVD on March 22 , 2005. REFERENCES
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