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Victim of longest miscarriage in UK justice given just £46 compensation
Former Member
Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
Sean Hodgson, who spent 27 years in jail for a crime he did not commit, has been given just £46 by the government with which to restart his life.
The Prison Service has awarded the mentally ill former prisoner the equivalent of £1.70 for every year he was wrongly imprisoned.
The payout, a resettlement grant to help ease the victim of one of Britain's gravest miscarriages of justice back into society, was condemned as "the final insult" last night.
Julian Young, Hodgson's solicitor, said: "I am absolutely astounded. I find it quite unbelievable, it is scandalous that, in these exceptional circumstances, additional funds could not be found. He has served 27 years for something he didn't do and this is just insulting."
Hodgson, who requires psychiatric care and is described as deeply institutionalised, is staying at a hostel in central London. Lawyers said the payment, designed to tide the 57-year-old over until he can start supporting himself or apply for emergency loans, had left Hodgson even more confused following his release last week.
"He has no idea of budgeting or the cost of living. Every element of society - and his life - has changed," said Young.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/mar/22/sean-hodgson-compensation-justice
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Comments
I think it is , but then most aren't released for a crime they didn't commit. At the very least they need to give a decent amount to tide him over until the compensation comes through
Yes ...and it has to last two weks before you can claim any benefits which means some people end up shop lifting or whatever to survive.
Didn't mean to put compensation, don't know why I wrote that.
Either way, reminds me of this fella:
How can they expect people to survive on £46 for 2 weeks when they accept you need more than that for 1 week?
I don't know ...it's been an issue for years.
It's as if they are setting people up to fail.
Only fair minded and decent people would dare suggest such a thing.
This isn't compensation though. That claim will come in later, and has to be somewhere in the millions.
He does deserve much more but it must be remembered he was jailed because of overwhelming evidence at the time (even his lawyer admitted as much) PLUS the silly fooker admitted to the murder.
Under the circumstances, what was the law to do? It wasn't a case of 'bent coppers' as in other miscarriages of justice. It's very sad that the guy was a compulsive liar but its hardly our fault (seeing as the State represents us) that he couldn't avoid making up stuff.
it doesn't change the fact that the court was wrong in this case, and therefore he was wrongly convicted, and therefore he should be entitled to compensation for the 27 years or so he was in prison
I don't disagree with you.