Prisoner uses free legal services to win compensation

Free legal advice has been successfully used by a man to win compensation after he was imprisoned for too long.

Daniel Faulkner won £10,000 after using legal aid, which has been estimated to cost the public purse over £50,000.

Lord Justice Sedley ruled that Faulkner, 28, had lost ten months of freedom and had his human rights breached as a result of being jailed unnecessarily.

Justice Sedley said: "A figure of £10,000 is appropriate and necessary to reflect the loss of some ten months' conditional liberty."

Mr Faulkner's parole board hearing was erroneously delayed by the Justice Department.

However, a number of individuals and groups, such as the TaxPayers Alliance, have criticised the record payout.

Furthermore, barrister Nick Armstrong recently told the BBC that free or paid legal help is crucial in a court case as the majority of people do not have the ability to represent themselves in such a situation.

Published by Phil Hammond