Misspelling nightmare: Simple typo lands innocent man behind bars, twice

In a case that reads like a script from a dark comedy but unfolds as a stark reality, a man in Western Australia was wrongly arrested not once, but twice, all because a dispatcher misspelled his name. The man, known under the pseudonym Marc Smith, found himself caught in a bureaucratic trap in January 2023 when he was mistakenly identified as a suspect with an outstanding arrest warrant. The error? His name was entered as "Mark" Smith, linking him to another individual with legal troubles he had nothing to do with.

A Crisis Born from a Typo
According to a report from the New York Post, it began with a call about a suspected boat theft. Ironically, Marc himself had phoned emergency services fearing for his safety and asking for police help. But when the call handler entered his name incorrectly into the police database, the system flagged a warrant for “Mark Smith,” a different person altogether.

Responding officers, instead of verifying Marc’s identity or addressing his concerns, arrested him for stealing the boat, possessing a stolen SmartRider transit card, and for the warrant attached to the other man. Despite Marc pointing out that his name had been written incorrectly, officers didn’t recheck or ask for additional details.

Fingerprints taken at the station didn’t match the real offender, but no further effort was made to confirm the mismatch. Bail was denied due to the warrant, and Marc was locked up for the night. The next day, it took a magistrate’s attention to spot the glaring mistake and dismiss the charges.

History Repeats Itself
But that wasn’t the end of the ordeal. Three months later, Marc walked into the same police station seeking help, only to be arrested again. An officer once again entered the incorrect spelling into the system, saw the mugshot of the other Mark Smith, and took Marc into custody. It was only after he insisted it was the second time this had happened that police began looking into the situation. Eventually, they released him.

Watchdog Outrage and Police Accountability
The Western Australian Corruption and Crime Commission (CCC) sharply criticized the police in a damning report. It found the officers failed to follow basic protocols, and that Marc’s wrongful arrests were a direct result of poor investigative procedures and systemic negligence.

“The gravity of this should have been considered appropriately from the start,” the commission stated. “The failure to follow basic procedure is concerning.”

Though a criminal investigation into the first incident concluded there wasn’t enough evidence to charge officers with deprivation of liberty, the CCC condemned the inadequate internal inquiry. The case underscored how vulnerable individuals can be failed by the very system meant to protect them.

Police Response: ‘One Mistake Is Too Many’
WA Police admitted fault. A spokesperson acknowledged the service’s responsibility and confirmed that three officers involved had received "sustained managerial outcomes" following internal reviews.

“Our agency and our officers are dealing with roughly 1.5 million calls for help every year,” the spokesperson said. “But we accept that even one mistake is one too many.”

As the force vows to improve its systems and procedures, Marc’s story serves as a chilling reminder that sometimes, justice can be derailed by something as small, and devastating, as a single misplaced letter.