British man wrongfully jailed for murder charged nearly $50,000 for room

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Sure, spending 11 years in prison for a murder you didn’t commit sucks, but then to charge the poor bloke for his stay?!

Now, that’s just cruel.

Michael O’Brien, now 54, was just a teenager when life threw him a curveball — he was 19 years old when he got arrested and later charged with the 1987 murder of businessman Phillip Saunders.

O’Brien spent 11 years and 43 days behind bars before his conviction was overturned. He eventually pocketed over £600,000 (approx. $789,000) in compensation from the UK Government. However, they deducted £37,000 (over $48,500) from that payout for “living expenses.”

Basically, he was charged for food and a bed during his time in prison.

37 years later, the murder of Saunders remains unsolved.

According to Wales Online, ex-prisoners in the UK, like O’Brien, haven’t seen a penny of the money they believe is owed to them for the board and lodging costs deducted during their time in prison. The Ministry of Justice insists that they won’t be giving out refunds “retrospectively.”

What’s the logic in this? They don’t charge guilty people, they only charge innocent people. I think it’s really a final insult for what they’ve done to me and the rest of the people wrongly convicted and imprisoned.

…

I think I’m well within my rights to feel really aggrieved. This isn’t just about me – it’s about every individual who has been wrongfully convicted and then charged for their stay in prison – a place they should never have been in the first place.

This guy was only 19, with his whole life ahead of him. He was married and expecting his first child when he was arrested.

To make his unjust prison sentence even more heartbreaking, he tragically lost both his child and, later, his wife.

It’s had a profound effect on me. I lost my daughter while in prison. It destroyed my marriage. I’ve lost a hell of a lot. I do find it really difficult. I suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder and I’m seeing a psychiatrist and I imagine I will do for the rest of my life.

In a statement, the Ministry of Justice explained that compensation awarded after August 6, 2023, under the Miscarriage of Justice scheme will no longer have living expenses deducted, but this change won’t apply to past cases.