'Embarrassing': Chris Minns left red-faced after inmate was released on the same day he was SENTENCED

Published: 00:52, 17 April 2026 | Updated: 01:01, 17 April 2026 The NSW Premier has admitted he's 'embarrassed' after an inmate was wrongly released from jail just hours after he was sentenced.  Kyle Quayle, who is currently serving a 12-month sentence for stealing and assault offences, was freed from Clarence Correctional Centre on Tuesday. According to court documents seen by the ABC, Quayle was released on the same day he was sentenced for the offences.  The 35-year-old was found in Hamilton North in the Newcastle area on Thursday afternoon, some 450km south of where he was released. He was arrested and taken to Newcastle Police Station where he was charged on an outstanding arrest warrant.  Premier Chris Minns described the incident as 'embarrassing.' 'I'm sorry it happened, really - it's embarrassing,' he told reporters outside the Sydney Opera House on Thursday. 'In 2026, with the biometric and identification tools available, it shouldn't happen. I want to make sure it doesn't happen again.' Kyle Quayle (pictured) was wrongfully released from Clarence Correctional Centre on Tuesday - the same day he received a 12-month sentence for stealing and assault offences NSW Premier Chris Minns (pictured) called the blunder 'embarrassing' and said he wanted to ensure an incident like this could never happened again Quayle was released from Clarence Correctional Centre, near Grafton in NSW The ABC reports the mistake was due to an administrative error by Corrective Services NSW and prison operator Serco. A Serco spokesperson told the Daily Mail: 'Staff at Clarence Correctional Centre released an inmate according to the court information available to them.' Quayle was refused bail and is due to appear before Bail Division Local Court 2 today. The incident echoes a similar scenario in 2023 when a paperwork blunder saw a convicted criminal mistakenly released from prison five months early. Randolph Harrison Convery, 49, who was in prison for domestic violence offences, was released from the Newcastle Court House in August 2023. Convery reportedly even told officers that he was not meant to be freed. He was arrested at a country club at Port Stephens more than a week after his accidental release. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.