Burnside jail prisoner released 43 days late

A prisoner was released Wednesday from the Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility in Dartmouth more than 40 days after his sentence had expired.

Justice Department spokesman Bruce Nunn said the prisoner was freed from the jail in Burnside when staff realized the mistake.

"At this point, it appears that the offender may have been held longer than he should have, possibly by 43 days. But, we're still gathering the facts on that and we need to get more details," Nunn said Wednesday.

"The minister has asked for an internal inquiry and that has begun. So we will know more as further research into the court information is carried out and that's ongoing now."

The mistake may have been a misinterpretation of court documents, or a clerical error, he said.

Nunn said he could not release any information about the prisoner including why he was serving time, his name or his age.