An innocent man who spent 17 years in jail for a crime he did not commit is seeking nearly £1million compensation after police found his criminal lookalike. Richard Jones, from Kansas City, was released last year after a judge called into question his original conviction. He had been jailed for armed robbery in 1999 after an eye witness said he was the robber.
However, while he was in prison, other inmates repeatedly told him he looked like a criminal named Ricky Amos. Mr Jones lives on the other side of Kansas while his lookalike lived near where the robbery took place. It later turned out there was no DNA or fingerprint evidence linking Mr Jones to the crime. Mr Jones has now filed a petition seeking $1million (£771,545) in compensation from the state of Kansas. The father-of-two, who has missed seeing his 24-year-old and 19-year-old daughters grow up, is also asking for future financial assistance for tuition, housing and counselling.
He said: ‘It took a big chunk of my life that I can never get back. I am just trying to get stable in my everyday life. I am still transitioning.’