It began as a single file at the Perth Armed Robbery Squad and grew to involve every operational police officer in Australia. For five-and-a-half years, Brenden James Abbott was a grinning shadow in an Akubra who couldn’t be caught.

When on the run, Abbott traversed the nation with a regularity and breadth previously unheard of in the world of crime. And it was travel – as well as his much-vaunted intelligence – that was the key to his success as a fugitive. There were suburban residences and an assortment of storage sheds and hideaways scattered across the country, but these served only as a base for operations – there was no fixed address.

With each bank robbery and escape, Abbot became progressively more sophisticated in his approach, transforming the hit-and-miss occupation of violent crime into a precise art that netted millions of dollars. The media, detecting a whiff of anti-hero from the start, followed Abbott’s career with glee, coining a new title for every occasion, from the Drop-In Bandit, to Speedway Captain and finally Australia’s Most Wanted.