A man has been awarded £1.4 million in compensation after suffering a stroke following his wrongful imprisonment for murder.

Ellis Sherwood had spent 11 years in jail after being convicted of murdering a Cardiff newsagent in 1988.

The compensation was awarded to him by the Home Office after it was proven in court that his stroke was a direct result of the drug abuse he took part in during his time in prison, reports the South Wales Echo.

Mr Sherwood has previously been given compensation by the South Wales Police for the miscarriage of justice he suffered.

In October 2006 he received £200,000 from the police force after his conviction was quashed by the Court of Appeal.

Last week, the Lowestoft Journal reported that Suffolk Constabulary have paid out almost £600,000 in compensation claims against them in the past five years.

The claims included cases of wrongful arrest, physical injury and damage to property.

A man who was imprisoned for four years after being convicted of a murder he did not commit has been awarded compensation for the miscarriage of justice.

Stephen Miller was jailed for life for the 1988 murder of Cardiff prostitute Lynette White, but was released in 1992 after the conviction was found not fit to stand up in court, Wales Online reports.

Another man named Jeffrey Gafoor pleaded guilty to Ms White’s murder in 2003 and Mr Miller’s legal representatives launched a compensation claim.

He has now been awarded £50,000 in compensation for his loss of liberty, as well as separate payouts for injury to feelings and hardship, bringing his total to £185,000.

A miscarriage of justice can result from unreliable confessions due to police pressure – as Mr Miller’s lawyers argued in this case – or psychological instability.

Anyone affected should seek the advice of a solicitor in order to discuss a potential compensation claim.