Nsw Police Are Searching For Kyle Quayle After His Mistaken Release: Manhunt Continues in Newcastle Area
nsw police are searching for kyle quayle after his mistaken release from Clarence Correctional Centre, with officers saying the 35-year-old is believed to be in the Newcastle area. Police issued an alert on Thursday, April 16 ET, and appealed for public help as the search widened. The case has drawn scrutiny because court information was blamed for the mistaken release of a wanted man from custody.
Search under way after release from custody
NSW Police said Quayle was erroneously released from Clarence Correctional Centre on Tuesday, April 14 ET, while serving a sentence for stealing and assault-related offences. He is wanted on an outstanding warrant for being unlawfully at large, and police released an image of him as investigations continued. In its appeal, police described him as unshaven and of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander appearance, about 180 centimetres tall, of medium build, with black hair and brown eyes.
Police said Quayle is believed to be in the Newcastle area. The alert came after court records showed he had been sentenced in Newcastle Local Court to a year in jail on the same day he was released. Magistrate Trevor Khan handed down orders for two counts of larceny, two counts of common assault, stalking or intimidating, and shoplifting.
How the mistake was discovered
Court records also show Quayle was convicted but had no further penalty imposed for a further larceny charge and another charge of failing to appear in accordance with his bail acknowledgment. He was due to become eligible for parole in September, the court documents. On April 9 ET, less than a week before the release, he was fined $850 in Newcastle Local Court for two shoplifting offences.
Questions about how the mistake happened now sit at the center of the case. A spokesperson for the correctional centre said staff released an inmate the court information available to them. The same statement said community safety remains the top priority and that NSW Police are actively working to locate the man.
Official responses as the search continues
A spokesperson from the Department of Communities and Justice, which manages the courts, confirmed it was aware that a prisoner had been mistakenly released from Clarence Correctional Centre. The correctional centre is managed by Serco under a public-private partnership with the state government, after the inquiry was passed on from Corrective Services NSW.
For now, the focus remains on finding Quayle and checking how the paperwork or custody process led to the error. NSW Police are searching for Kyle Quayle after his mistaken release, and officers are urging anyone with information to come forward as the case moves forward in the Newcastle area.
