Wrongful conviction award for British Columbia man capped at $8 million
VANCOUVER — The B.C. Court of Appeal says the provincial government will not have to pay the full $8 million in compensation awarded to a man who spent 27 years in prison before he was acquitted of sexual assault.
A B.C. Supreme Court judge granted Ivan Henry the award last year, saying the Crown wrongfully withheld relevant information in a “shocking disregard” for his rights.
Henry was convicted of 10 counts of sexual assault in 1983 and was given an indefinite sentence before he was released on appeal and then acquitted of the charges in 2010.
Henry had settled out of court in a damage claim against the City of Vancouver and the federal government for $5.1 million, with the lower court judge ruling the money should be deducted from the damage award against the province.