Stephen Slevin spent two years in solitary confinement
SKY NEWS
A prisoner who was held in solitary confinement for two years has been
awarded £10.3m in compensation.
A court in southern New Mexico reached the record settlement to end
Stephen Slevin's long-running legal battle over the case, reports Sky
News.
Dona Ana County had appealed against a lower court decision to uphold
the original £14.6m judgement that was awarded last January.
According to the 58-year-old's lawsuit, he spent 22 months in jail
after being arrested for drink-driving in 2005.
He was never brought before a judge nor convicted of any crime.
But he was so neglected that his toenails curled around his foot and he
developed fungus on his skin because he was deprived of showers.
He eventually took out his own tooth.
His physical and mental health continues to deteriorate under the
strain.
He now has lung cancer but is currently beating the doctors' odds for
his survival.
"Why they did what they did I'll never know," Slevin told KOB4-TV
outside the court.
"Walking by me, watching me deteriorate day after day after day, and
they did nothing at all to get me help."
The county's board of commissioners said in a statement that it
regretted the harm Mr Slevin suffered while in custody.
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