diff --git a/src/main/java/org/apache/sling/jcr/jackrabbit/accessmanager/post/AbstractAccessPostServlet.java b/src/main/java/org/apache/sling/jcr/jackrabbit/accessmanager/post/AbstractAccessPostServlet.java
index 2887921..63d9eae 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/apache/sling/jcr/jackrabbit/accessmanager/post/AbstractAccessPostServlet.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/apache/sling/jcr/jackrabbit/accessmanager/post/AbstractAccessPostServlet.java
@@ -402,6 +402,45 @@
 
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Returns an <code>AccessControlList</code> to edit for the node at the
+     * given <code>resourcePath</code>.
+     *
+     * @param accessControlManager The manager providing access control lists
+     * @param resourcePath The node path for which to return an access control
+     *            list
+     * @param mayCreate <code>true</code> if an access control list should be
+     *            created if the node does not have one yet.
+     * @return The <code>AccessControlList</code> to modify to control access to
+     *         the node or null if one could not be located or created
+     */
+    protected AccessControlList getAccessControlListOrNull(
+            final AccessControlManager accessControlManager,
+            final String resourcePath, final boolean mayCreate)
+            throws RepositoryException {
+    	AccessControlList acl = null;
+        // check for an existing access control list to edit
+        AccessControlPolicy[] policies = accessControlManager.getPolicies(resourcePath);
+        for (AccessControlPolicy policy : policies) {
+            if (policy instanceof AccessControlList) {
+                acl = (AccessControlList) policy;
+            }
+        }
+
+        if (acl == null) {
+            // no existing access control list, try to create if allowed
+            if (mayCreate) {
+                AccessControlPolicyIterator applicablePolicies = accessControlManager.getApplicablePolicies(resourcePath);
+                while (applicablePolicies.hasNext()) {
+                    AccessControlPolicy policy = applicablePolicies.nextAccessControlPolicy();
+                    if (policy instanceof AccessControlList) {
+                        acl = (AccessControlList) policy;
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+        }
+        return acl;
+    }
 
     /**
      * Bind a new post response creator
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/apache/sling/jcr/jackrabbit/accessmanager/post/DeleteAcesServlet.java b/src/main/java/org/apache/sling/jcr/jackrabbit/accessmanager/post/DeleteAcesServlet.java
index da8e3ec..f58eceb 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/apache/sling/jcr/jackrabbit/accessmanager/post/DeleteAcesServlet.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/apache/sling/jcr/jackrabbit/accessmanager/post/DeleteAcesServlet.java
@@ -43,6 +43,8 @@
 import org.osgi.service.component.annotations.Reference;
 import org.osgi.service.component.annotations.ReferenceCardinality;
 import org.osgi.service.component.annotations.ReferencePolicy;
+import org.slf4j.Logger;
+import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory;
 
 /**
  * <p>
@@ -85,6 +87,11 @@
 public class DeleteAcesServlet extends AbstractAccessPostServlet implements DeleteAces {
 	private static final long serialVersionUID = 3784866802938282971L;
 
+	/**
+     * default log
+     */
+    private final Logger log = LoggerFactory.getLogger(getClass());
+
     /**
      * Overridden since the @Reference annotation is not inherited from the super method
      *  
@@ -151,26 +158,46 @@
 
 			try {
 				AccessControlManager accessControlManager = AccessControlUtil.getAccessControlManager(jcrSession);
-				AccessControlList updatedAcl = getAccessControlList(accessControlManager, resourcePath, false);
-
-				//keep track of the existing Aces for the target principal
-				AccessControlEntry[] accessControlEntries = updatedAcl.getAccessControlEntries();
-				List<AccessControlEntry> oldAces = new ArrayList<AccessControlEntry>();
-				for (AccessControlEntry ace : accessControlEntries) {
-					if (pidSet.contains(ace.getPrincipal().getName())) {
-						oldAces.add(ace);
+				AccessControlList updatedAcl = getAccessControlListOrNull(accessControlManager, resourcePath, false);
+				// if there is no AccessControlList, then there is nothing to be deleted
+				if (updatedAcl == null) {
+					// log the warning about principals where no ACE was found
+					for (String pid : pidSet) {
+						log.warn("No AccessControlEntry was found to be deleted for principal: " + pid);
 					}
-				}
-
-				//remove the old aces
-				if (!oldAces.isEmpty()) {
-					for (AccessControlEntry ace : oldAces) {
-						updatedAcl.removeAccessControlEntry(ace);
+				} else {
+					//keep track of the existing Aces for the target principal
+					AccessControlEntry[] accessControlEntries = updatedAcl.getAccessControlEntries();
+					List<AccessControlEntry> oldAces = new ArrayList<AccessControlEntry>();
+					for (AccessControlEntry ace : accessControlEntries) {
+						if (pidSet.contains(ace.getPrincipal().getName())) {
+							oldAces.add(ace);
+						}
 					}
-				}
 
-				//apply the changed policy
-				accessControlManager.setPolicy(resourcePath, updatedAcl);
+					// track which of the submitted principals had an ACE removed
+					Set<String> removedPidSet = new HashSet<>();
+					
+					//remove the old aces
+					if (!oldAces.isEmpty()) {
+						for (AccessControlEntry ace : oldAces) {
+							updatedAcl.removeAccessControlEntry(ace);
+					
+							// remove from the candidate set
+							removedPidSet.add(ace.getPrincipal().getName());
+						}
+					}
+
+					// log the warning about principals where no ACE was found
+					for (String pid : pidSet) {
+						if (!removedPidSet.contains(pid)) {
+							log.warn("No AccessControlEntry was found to be deleted for principal: " + pid);
+						}
+					}
+
+					//apply the changed policy
+					accessControlManager.setPolicy(resourcePath, updatedAcl);
+				}
 			} catch (RepositoryException re) {
 				throw new RepositoryException("Failed to delete access control.", re);
 			}