Brett Maston: Notorious bank bandit once regarded as Australia’s most wanted man arrested in Perth after 12 hour police manhunt
A bank robber once dubbed Australia’s most wanted man has been found hours after he sparked an urgent manhunt by allegedly shutting down his electronic surveillance device.
Western Australian Police Police launched a major hunt at 5.50am on Monday for 57-year-old Brett Maston, who was last seen at Mount Lawley, in Perth’s north.
He spent almost 12 hours on the run before being arrested without incident by detectives from the Rapid Apprehension Squad in Kenwick, in the city’s south-east, on Monday evening.
He was transported to Perth Watch House for treatment.
“No further information will be available this evening,” a police statement said.
Maston is said to have removed his GPS tracking device less than a week after he was granted bail.
Brett Maston (pictured) went on the run again after allegedly disabling his electronic monitoring device, sparking a major police investigation
Maston had previously been charged with three counts of stolen property after police found him in Warwick with a gun, cash and another stolen item.
He was released on bail on May 13 and placed under strict house arrest.
His lawyer had told the court that his new partner, who has himself been given a suspended prison sentence, would keep him on the straight and narrow despite Maston’s significant criminal record.
The convicted bank robber, who spent more than a decade behind bars, had already escaped police custody twice.
The 57-year-old (pictured) was arrested by police at 5.50am on Monday evening after he was last seen at Mount Lawley, in Perth’s north.
His most infamous escape from custody occurred in 1995, when he walked away from Fremantle Hospital with the help of his ex-girlfriend Christine Evagora, after faking a suicide attempt.
Evagora stormed into the hospital waiting room with a shotgun and threatened patients and staff.
The dramatic escape led to Maston and Evagora being nicknamed ‘Bonnie and Clyde’, after notorious American crime bandits.
Maston became a wanted man and was later arrested before spending fourteen and a half years in prison.
He has the words ‘Australia’s Most Wanted’ tattooed on his back.
Convicted bank robber had the words ‘Australia’s Most Wanted’ tattooed on his back (pictured)
After his release from prison in 2008, Maston fled to the Philippines but was extradited back to Western Australia in 2012, where he was charged with illegally possessing weapons and cash.
Last year, Maston told Nine News his brushes with the law were behind him.
“My life has been destroyed and I know my actions have destroyed the lives of other people,” he said.
‘And I sincerely think that’s a shame.’