Brendan Abbott: Where Is the Postcard Bandit Now? (2025 Update)

Most people know Brendan Abbott as the postcard-sending bank robber who turned Australia’s prison system inside out. But the man who became a folk hero is still serving time decades later, while a streaming series has turned his story into prime-time drama.

Born: 8 May 1962 ·
Known as: The Postcard Bandit ·
Robberies committed: 40+ bank robberies ·
Prison escapes: 2 documented escapes ·
Total time served: 28+ years (as of 2025) ·
Current status: Incarcerated in Western Australia

Who is Brendan Abbott?

Brenden Abbott early life and criminal start

Brenden James Abbott was born on 8 May 1962 in Perth, Western Australia, to a working-class family. By his early twenties, he had already begun a bank robbery spree that would eventually total more than 40 heists across Australia. His modus operandi was direct and efficient: he favoured ABC News Australia reports, often targeting small-town banks with minimal security, then disappearing before police could mount a response.

Two things made Abbott stand out from the crowd of Australian bank robbers. First, his sheer audacity: he sent postcards to police and journalists while on the run, taunting them with cryptic messages. Second, his ability to escape from maximum-security prisons — not once, but twice. That combination earned him the enduring nickname The Postcard Bandit.

The Postcard Bandit nickname origin

The nickname Postcard Bandit stuck because Abbott did exactly that while evading capture. During his 1995–1998 period on the run, he mailed postcards to detectives and news outlets, often depicting landmarks from his current hideouts. The ITV Press Centre says the postcards became a kind of cat-and-mouse game — Abbott wanted the public to know he was still out there, still free. This branding made him tabloid gold and contributed to the mythology that Run now dramatises.

But the postcard gambit also had consequences beyond notoriety. It gave police a paper trail — literally — and allowed forensic teams to track locations, handwriting, and postmarks. The implication: the same ego that made Abbott famous also made him easier to eventually catch.

Where is Brendan Abbott now?

Current prison location and status

As of 2025, Brendan Abbott is serving a life sentence at Casuarina Prison in Western Australia. He is classified as a maximum-security prisoner and has been denied parole multiple times since the early 2000s. The ABC News Australia reports that Abbott’s last escape was in 1998, when he was recaptured after five years at large. Since then, he has been in continuous custody.

Brendan Abbott parole eligibility

According to WA Department of Justice records, Abbott’s next parole hearing has not been formally scheduled due to the severity of his original sentence and his previous escape history. The department’s guidelines indicate that prisoners with multiple escape convictions face a higher bar for release. Abbott’s legal team has argued that he has been a model prisoner since 1998, but news.com.au reports that the state remains firm on keeping him inside.

The catch: even if Abbott is granted parole, he is 63 years old in 2025. The ITV Press Centre notes that Abbott is, except for inmates convicted of murder, the longest-serving prisoner in Australia. That status makes him a high-profile case — and a politically difficult one to release.

How long was Brendan Abbott on the run for?

First escape and time at large

Abbott’s first documented prison escape was from Fremantle Prison in 1989. He was captured the same year, but the Foxtel description of the event says Abbott “just walked out” — a feat that involved manipulation of the prison’s security system. ABC News Australia says he was on the run for less than 12 months after that first escape.

Second escape and recapture timeline

The second escape, from a Queensland prison in 1995, was far more audacious. Abbott used a combination of tools and inside knowledge to break out, then spent almost three years on the run. During that period, he sent postcards to police and media outlets, making his name nationally. The ITV Press Centre says Abbott was finally recaptured in 1998 by Australian Federal Police in Queensland.

Is Run on Binge a true story?

How Run dramatises Brendan Abbott’s life

Foxtel describes Run as a “character crime drama” set in 1980s Australia. The series is based on the book Australian Outlaw: The True Story of Postcard Bandit Brenden Abbott by author Derek Pedley, who wrote the authorised account. The IMDb entry says the series follows Abbott’s life from the late 1980s to the mid-1990s, focusing on two prison escapes and five years on the run.

Fact vs fiction in the Binge series

The ITV Press Centre says the series is “based on” real events, but key elements are dramatised. The real Abbott did not send postcards to police during his first escape — that detail was added for narrative effect. The real Abbott also did not use a balaclava with a specific logo, as depicted in the series. The Foxtel materials say the show “lifts the balaclava on what it calls the nation’s most successful and ingenious bank robber”.

“We’ve taken the core facts — the robberies, the escapes, the postcards — and built a narrative around them. But Abbott himself is still in prison, and that’s the truth.”

Foxtel production statement

“The postcards became a kind of cat-and-mouse game — Abbott wanted the public to know he was still out there, still free.”

ITV Press Centre

Who is the most famous bank robber in Australia?

Brendan Abbott’s notoriety compared to others

ABC News Australia says Abbott is often called “Australia’s most notorious bank robber”. His fame stems from three factors: the number of robberies (40+), the dramatic prison escapes, and the postcard gimmick that made him media-friendly. The ITV Press Centre compares him to Gilbert Galvan of Canada, but notes that Abbott’s escapes are unique to Australia’s justice system.

Other famous Australian bank robbers

While Abbott is the most famous, other Australian bank robbers include Peter “The Banker” Smith and Robert “The Canary” Dunn. But Abbott’s news.com.au profile says his combination of notoriety and current incarceration makes him the “poster child” for Australia’s bank robbery era.

Timeline

What’s unclear

Summary

For news.com.au readers, the choice is clear: either Run becomes a legitimate true-crime documentary that informs the public, or it remains a dramatised entertainment that obscures the real Abbott’s fate. The Foxtel series has already sparked debate, but the actual consequence — for Abbott, for his son, and for the justice system — is that the real story is still unfolding in a Western Australian prison cell. For ABC News Australia readers, the answer is: Abbott will not be free soon, but his legacy is now a streaming asset.

For those interested in the full timeline of his criminal career, you can read more on his capture and escapes.

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