A prisoner mistakenly released from custody in NSW has been arrested two days after he left the correctional centre

Kyle Quayle, 35, was wrongly released from a correctional centre in Grafton on Tuesday, where he had been serving a sentence for stealing and assault-related offences.

NSW Police released an image of Quayle after he was identified as wanted on an unlawfully at large warrant.

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Officers believed he had travelled from Grafton to the Newcastle area, where he was arrested on Boreas Street in Hamilton North on Thursday afternoon.

He was taken to Newcastle Police Station, where he was charged on an outstanding arrest warrant.

Quayle was refused bail and is due to appear before Bail Division Local Court 2 on Friday.

NSW Premier Chris Minns said the error was “embarrassing”.

“I’m sorry it happened, really. It’s embarrassing,” he told the ABC.

“In 2026, with the biometric and identification tools available, it shouldn’t happen.

“I want to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”