Customs officer wrongly leaves undisciplined tourist James Nolan leaving New Zealand

Customs officials are reviewing its processes after a man wanted for a scam at the roof in Auckland was passed through customs using someone else 's passport.

James Anthony Nolan, 26, has a warrant for arrest after failing to appear in court in recent weeks.

He faces allegations of fraud, armed aggression and careless driving.

Nolan is linked to the British family, widely known as "unruly tourists" who caused considerable damage in New Zealand during the holidays.

At the end of last week, police said their investigations of where he was led them to believe he had fled New Zealand.

Since then it has been revealed that an error had been committed by a member of the customs staff. which led Nolan to slip to Auckland International Airport.

In a statement released tonight, Customs said they have robust procedures and systems in place to protect our borders, while recognizing that Nolan was able to get out under false pretenses.

"James Nolan deliberately circumvented the border controls using a valid passport that was not his.

"He used an eGate, which uses biometric data to establish correspondence and confirm the identity of a passenger." The eGate identified that additional checks were needed on the passport.

"The image was automatically sent to a customs officer, who incorrectly identified Nolan as the owner of the passport.

"Unfortunately, it was a case of human error, which should not have occurred."

Customs officials have since launched a review of its processes leading up to the incident and said that they took the violation seriously.

"Staff are reminded of the importance of visual controls and validation of the identity of all travelers."