Daniel Beattie, who was locked up for nine months in June with the state’s worst criminals, including murderers and violent rapists, has told his Facebook friends he is running Barwon Prison.

“Enjoying my time at barwin (sic) prison, surrounded by victorias most notorious murders, armed robbers, and violent offenders. youngest bloke at barwin and the fittest and the most ripped and cant wait to get out feb 2nd 2011. i don’t loose mate!,” he posted when he last accessed Facebook on October 3.

In another posting he warned: “Sendin me to jail was a mistake!, the things i’ve learnt the things i’ve been taught, and the people i’ve met.”

Beattie’s contributions on Facebook come despite a Corrections Victoria spokesperson denying any evidence to suggest a prisoner had accessed the internet while in custody.

“Prisoners do not have access to the internet and Corrections Victoria strongly discourages the promotion of any prisoner or criminal activity on websites.”

She said any staff member found to have breached Corrections Victoria’s computer policy would face tough disciplinary action.

The 20-year-old led police on high-speed car chases, burgled a home twice while its occupants were inside and sparked a central Warrnambool manhunt after escaping police custody in May.

He was finally arrested at McDonald’s restaurant after taunting authorities online for being too unfit to catch him, saying it was because they ate too much fast food.

He pleaded guilty in the Warrnambool Magistrates Court to 34 charges including aggravated burglary (2), reckless conduct endangering life (2), dangerous driving (2) and theft of a motor vehicle.

Before his court appearance on June 28, Beattie was in custody at Melbourne’s Metropolitan Remand Centre where he was first able to access the internet.

“This is my once of (sic) time on facebook in jail. i slily (sic) convinced a female prison officer in to letting me use her internet,” he wrote at the time.

Beattie managed to update his Facebook status four times and submit one comment during the 13-minute period.

The fugitive was then sent to Barwon after being sentenced to two years and six months in jail with a nine-month non-parole period.

But the maximum-security surroundings didn’t stop his social networking skills and Beattie was soon back at the computer. On July 25 he changed his status five times in a 40-minute session at the keyboard, and during a short period on August 8 he logged another two comments.

Beattie then unsuccessfully appealed against the severity of his sentence in a hearing at Warrnambool’s County Court on September 21.

The court was told Beattie was serving time with hardened criminals because he had been allocated a high rating after escaping from police custody and being involved in a fight on the prison bus heading to Barwon.

Beattie, who was said to have witnessed two deaths since being in custody, claimed to have been a victim in the bus fight.

Judge Davis Parsons said it was undesirable Beattie be in the state’s toughest jail and he asked prison authorities to review the rating. Beattie rejected an offer to be assessed for a three-year term in a youth justice centre and was returned to Barwon.

In his latest Facebook stint on October 3, Beattie managed to log nine status updates and two comments in the space of 20 minutes.

His Facebook page now lists 1034 friends and he has accepted requests from 40 new friends since he entered prison.

According to the standard guidelines for corrections in Australia, prisoners should be able to use computers for legitimate study purposes but internet access should be strictly controlled.

Opposition corrections spokesman Andrew McIntosh yesterday labelled Beattie’s ability to access the internet as “extraordinary”.