Face-tattooed fugitive known as Modboy taunts Australian police

A tattoo-covered fugitive has been mocking police from his social media channels and even phoned in a live TV show to explain why he is on the run.

Ethan Bramble, 23, – nicknamed ‘Modboy’ for inking almost every inch of himself – is wanted by Australian police for failing to appear in court on supposed assault-related charges.

The at-large Instagram influencer, who dubs himself ‘the world’s most modified youth’, may struggle to lay low as his 98 per cent tattooed body, inked eyeballs and forked tongue cast a striking image.

But Bramble has not been attempting to stay below the radar and instead has been entertaining his 200,000 followers with taunts to officers. 

In one post this week, he wrote ‘nananana you’ll never catch me’ after Victoria police issued a warrant for his arrest. 

And today he even phoned into the Studio 10 TV show to reveal why he is refusing to hand himself in.   

He told the show’s panellists that rumours he was wanted on assault charges were false and confessed he was accused of criminal damage.  

Bramble said police allege he smashed a car window, and that he didn’t know he had breached his bail conditions initially because he tried to reschedule his court date.

He said: ‘I emailed the courts to say I couldn’t make the date, and they said that was fine as long as I emailed the magistrate. I asked for his contact information but they didn’t give it to me.’

‘Technically I broke bail terms because I didn’t show up… but I am going to hand myself in, I’ve just been instructed to seek legal advice first.’

After he hung up, panelist Yvie Jones agreed with his decision.

She said: ‘You don’t want to go into a cop station without a lawyer. ‘He’s gotta lawyer up and then go in.’ 

A Victoria police spokesperson said the warrant had been issued for Mr Bramble after he failed to appear at the Melbourne Magistrate’s Court

The 23-year-old first dabbled with body modification at the age of 11, when he stretched his ears and developed a fascination with tattoos

Bramble addressed his decision to taunt police on social media after the warrant was issued. In one instance, he posted a picture captioned ‘Come get me’.

He said: ‘I’m a bit of an internet guru and this has turned into such a big thing… of course I’m going to have a bit of fun with it.

The 23-year-old, who is from the New South Wales’ Central Coast, suggested he was no longer in Victoria at all.  

Bramble first mocked police by commenting on his arrest warrant: ‘I’ve never once seen him in my life.’ 

He again appeared to taunt police hours later by live broadcasting a video on Instagram saying he wasn’t sure if he should turn himself in.

The young father mused he didn’t think he would be extradited back to Victoria if he fled to New South Wales.

Two hours after the warrant for his arrest was shared on social media, Mr Bramble uploaded a video on his personal Facebook

Mr Bramble, from the New South Wales’ Central Coast, didn’t take the warrant seriously and commented on the post: ‘I’ve never once seen him in my life’

But a spokeswoman for Victoria Police told Daily Mail Australia nothing could be ruled out.

Bramble said he was ‘going home to eat lasagne’ and weigh up his options before he was seen boarding a bus and asking for a ticket to ‘Rosehill’.

‘Well, now you know where I live,’ he said smiling at the camera. 

‘I smoke too much, I drink too much, I don’t want to go to jail,’ he told the audience of almost 200 people before shutting off the live stream on Wednesday.

‘Hopefully I don’t get life in prison, later crew.’