(Photo: Shoal Bay Country Club/Facebook)

A clerical glitch led to the accidental release and eventual recapture of a convicted criminal in Newcastle, Australia.

Randolph Convery, 49, had been handed a 12-month minimum prison sentence for assault and was set for release in January 2024. Due to a yet-unexplained paperwork error, he walked out of jail five months early.

Sources say that Convery informed authorities of the mistake but was released nonetheless.

Shortly after, police embarked on an over-week-long hunt to find and arrest Convery, who had been sighted throughout the area. According to reports, the first stop he made out of jail was to his mom’s house.

On his ninth day of would-be freedom, authorities found Convery at the upscale Shoal Bay Country Club, an hour’s drive east of Newcastle Local Court.

Officers discovered Convery drinking a tequila sunrise — the 1970s-infamous orange juice and grenadine cocktail — as he unknowingly enjoyed the last moments of his temporary release. He was promptly rearrested.

Convery has been charged with escaping custody but pleads not guilty. He’s currently set to reappear in Newcastle Local Court in October.

In an interview with 9News, Convery’s mother said: “He got out and started walking away… and he came home. He is disappointed today.”

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