ACT Justice Minister 'deeply troubled' by mistaken release of man facing court over alleged assault
Updated
ACT Justice Minister Shane Rattenbury says he is "deeply troubled" by the mistaken release of a man facing court over an alleged assault.
Scott Alan Insull, 41, came before the ACT Magistrates Court on Wednesday after allegedly attacking his partner.
But he was then released before his bail application was finalised.
Fairfax media reported that Insull applied for bail, and told the court of a Sydney address he could stay at during the court proceedings to help keep him away from the ACT.
But the Magistrate delayed the bail application to allow prosecutors to check out the Sydney address, ensure it was legitimate, and that Insull would be welcome there.
On Friday, Mr Rattenbury confirmed Insull was released before certain checks could be finalised for his bail.
An arrest warrant has since been issued and police are still searching for Insull.
Mr Rattenbury said he wants to know what happened.
"This is obviously a very serious matter and I'm deeply troubled by the reports that have come to light," he said.
"The Government is looking at this now.
"We've got both an individual case now and the police are very much pursuing the individual involved.
"[But] we've also been very quick to make sure that the victim in this matter, because it's a domestic violence matter, has both been made aware and that her safety has been taken care of."
Mr Rattenbury said he would meet with Attorney-General Simon Corbell and Police Minister Joy Burch to discuss the incident.
"[We will also be] bringing in officials from Justice and Community Safety, to both find out what's happened and to address any systemic problems that we have that have allowed this to occur," he said.
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