It’s a valuable lesson for wannabe criminals to learn and one discovered the hard way by Warrawong man Darren Butler last Friday.

Wanted on an outstanding arrest warrant after failing to front court last year, Butler had been on the run from police for almost two months when officers finally received a tip-off on his whereabouts on Friday morning.

They honed in on a house in Berkeley. Butler came striding right out the front door a few minutes later.

But he refused to give up peacefully.

Instead, he turned around and bolted through the house to backyard, where he began vaulting over rear fences in a bid to escape.

The police dog gave chase, managing to corner Butler in nearby Barnes Street in a matter of minutes.

The dog handler ordered him to put his hands up and get on the ground but Butler disobeyed the command and tried to take off again.

The dog subsequently lunged at Butler and lock his powerful jaw around Butler’s right arm, rendering him incapacitated on the spot.

Paramedics were called to treat the wound to Butler’s arm.

He was taken to Wollongong Hospital for surgery on the bite wound and was sporting a large white bandage on his right arm when he eventually appeared in Wollongong Local Court on Wednesday.

He sought bail, with defence lawyer James Howell saying Butler would abide by a curfew and report to police daily if release.

However, prosecutors opposed the application, saying Butler had been on bail for serious kidnapping charges relating to his girlfriend when he failed to front court last year.

Magistrate Michael Stoddart refused to release Butler on account of his “dreadful” prior record.

“Quite frankly, I’ve got no confidence if granted any sort of bail he will attend court,” he said.

The case was adjourned to next month.