Manhunt is launched for prisoner in NSW after he was MISTAKENLY released

By MATT JONES, SENIOR NEWS REPORTER, AUSTRALIA Published: 03:56, 16 April 2026 | Updated: 03:58, 16 April 2026 A manhunt is underway in NSW after a man was mistakenly released from jail this week. Kyle Quayle, who is currently serving a sentence for stealing and assault offences, was freed from Clarence Correctional Centre on Tuesday.  The 35-year-old is believed to be in the Newcastle area, some 450km south of where he was released. NSW Police have issued a warrant for him for being unlawfully at large and are asking the public for help as they try to track him down. NSW Police told Daily Mail Quayle was still at large as of 11am on Thursday.  Quayle is described as being of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander appearance, 180cm tall, of medium build, with black hair, brown eyes, and unshaven. An investigation has been launched to see if incorrect paperwork from the court system led to the chain of events which enabled Quayle to be released. Police are urging anyone with information to contact them. Kyle Quayle was wrongfully released from Clarence Correctional Centre on Tuesday It's believed he's now in the Newcastle area, more than 450km from the prison Daily Mail contacted Serco, which runs Clarence Correctional Centre, for further comment. 'Staff at Clarence Correctional Centre released an inmate according to the court information available to them,' a spokesman said. 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 his cell by Corrective Services NSW officers at 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.