Wrongly jailed for 8 years: man gets $1m

THE Appeal Court has increased to $1 million the damages awarded to a man who spent nearly eight years in prison despite being formally discharged by a magistrate.

Wendell Beckles remained behind bars from December 18, 2001, until September 8, 2009, even though a magistrate had ordered his discharge in connection with an arson charge.

In a judgment delivered last Friday, the appellate court found that the original award of $800,000 in general damages failed to adequately reflect the psychological suffering Beckles endured and the circumstances surrounding his continued detention.