A man who was somehow wrongly released from a Sydney jail called police to let them know where he was after hearing about the search for him on the news.
Corey Hastings, 30, called police about 6am this morning to tell them he was in a hotel in Bondi, having spent the night in slightly more comfortable accomodation than the local jail.
He had been on remand in Long Bay Correctional Complex after appearing in court on dangerous driving charges, meaning he was not serving a jail sentence but had been denied bail.
He walked out at about 1pm on Thursday, and was seen in an Eastgardens shopping centre about two hours later.
Officials have blamed a paperwork error for his early release, something that really puts my typos into perspective.
A statement by police said an extensive search was undertaken to find him.
“Officers attached to Eastern Suburbs Police Area Command located the man at a hotel in Bondi about 6am this morning,” it said.
“He has been taken to Waverley Police Station and arrangements are being conducted to return him to the correctional facility.”
Corrective Services NSW (CSNSW) said that it was investigating how the incident happened.
“Staff are required to follow detailed procedures when processing inmate detention, sentencing decisions and releases from custody,” it said in a statement.
“The release was due to an administration error following a court appearance. CSNSW is investigating how the error occurred.”
What’s more, this is not the first time the first time that an inmate has been accidentally released early. In August last year, a man was released from a cell at Newcastle Local Court five months early due to an administrative error.
A warrant for his re-arrest was issued two days after his release, and he was arrested a week later.
