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Men Spent 50 Years In Prison Without Trial
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Men Spent 50 Years In Prison Without Trial

News – After spending 50 years in prison on delayed trial 80-year-old D.P.James from Shri Lanka has been released last week when...

Tags: Crazy, Prison, Trial, Bizzare, Breaking News, Weird News

View Story Discuss (47) (afp.google.com) 171 days ago by Sandra_honestly

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2008-01-16 02:32:37

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Rating: +10 (+10/-0) | 2008-01-15 10:52:08
Sandra_honestly
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Maybe I'm crazy but I really think $14,000 is just not enough.

50 years :S

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Rating: +3 (+3/-0) | 2008-01-15 15:34:48
JessicaLaurie
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$14,000 = 1,516,908 Sri Lanka Rupee

He is a millionaire!

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Rating: +0 (+0/-0) | 2008-01-15 21:57:01
Teech
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50 years? $14,000? Bummer, man.

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Rating: -1 (+0/-1) | 2008-01-15 22:28:59
ThKng
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to people in some of the remote villages and even to some of the poorer people in rest of the country $14,000 USD is alot of money.

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Rating: +4 (+4/-0) | 2008-01-15 23:04:26
kctrixter
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to people in some of the remote villages and even to some of the poorer people in rest of the country 50 years is a long time.

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Rating: +5 (+5/-0) | 2008-01-15 10:56:15
JeremyR
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Hm, I think that's a lot of money for Shri Lanka.

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Rating: +16 (+16/-0) | 2008-01-15 11:19:10
Sandra_honestly
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I know. Even though he is old and probably doesnt have anything to do with money or anyone to give it to, somehow $14,000 for half of his life or 2/3 sounds like a joke to me. But in the end no matter how much money he gets, he cant get his life back and that's what really matters.

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Rating: +3 (+3/-0) | 2008-01-15 11:06:52
Kaileena
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seeking compensation for $14,000 dollars! thats sound crazy

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Rating: +3 (+4/-1) | 2008-01-15 11:19:00
Sandra_honestly
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crazy? You mean he should ask for more or?

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Rating: +5 (+5/-0) | 2008-01-15 19:22:59
BronxBomber
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Get a better lawyer...

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Rating: +1 (+2/-1) | 2008-01-15 19:24:56
Sandra_honestly
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yeah my thought exactly ;)

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Rating: +0 (+0/-0) | 2008-01-15 22:33:13
ThKng
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If most people knew any thing about the rest of the world specially third world countries they would realise they dont hand out Ridiculous ammounts of money like in the US.

But sadly things like this do happen all over the world

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Rating: +10 (+10/-0) | 2008-01-15 11:55:59
daducha
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no matter what amount, they can not give him back his youth and time.

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Rating: +8 (+8/-0) | 2008-01-15 11:58:00
matters5
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50 years... poor man! You only get one life.

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Rating: +5 (+5/-0) | 2008-01-15 12:22:44
rdy2rck
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This is one reason why I'm on the fence about the death penalty. mistakes do and will happen.

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Rating: +0 (+0/-0) | 2008-01-16 10:53:50
ZiegfeldGirl
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Yes they do. That's why I oppose the death penalty. That, and, how can we say killing is wrong, and then turn around and coldly and (supposedly) rationally decide to end someone's life? Why do we get to decide that someone no longer has the right to be alive?

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Rating: +10 (+10/-0) | 2008-01-15 12:24:38
dexlovex2
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The authorities at the very least should pay all his medical and other welfare bills. It should not come out of the $14,000.

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Rating: +7 (+7/-0) | 2008-01-15 14:24:50
1-2-Oscar
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You don't get it, dexlove2. The reason they are discharging him NOW is because he is old and infirm and caring for him is apparently going to become expensive.

Admitting a "mistake" and dumping him onto the street is an economy measure. $14,000? A single surgical procedure could easily exceed that amount.

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Rating: +1 (+1/-0) | 2008-01-15 18:34:47
rdy2rck
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14,000 wouldn't cure a common cold:)

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Rating: +10 (+10/-0) | 2008-01-15 12:39:03
natashas
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Very sad to think his life is almost over and he spent all of his good years isolated.

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Rating: +6 (+6/-0) | 2008-01-15 12:55:27
Endoscopy
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A very good reason to be thankful that I live in a country where that will never happen. Anybody here that went for too long without a trial would have a bunch of jail house lawyers inform him of how to get the legal process started. Free lawyer would have this kick started in no time with papers served on the court.

It is a pity that this can happen there and probably other places as well.

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Rating: +2 (+4/-2) | 2008-01-15 17:45:34
pongping
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Who says it can't happen here?

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Rating: +0 (+0/-0) | 2008-01-16 12:38:10
pongping
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In fact it has!

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Rating: +5 (+5/-0) | 2008-01-15 17:59:20
HomeGMan
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I agree w/pp.. though there is a difference between being forgotten about and wrongfully convicted and sentenced, the outcome is about the same.

The posit that he was either ignorant of the law or mentally incompetent to comprehend his fate made me feel the worst.

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Rating: +1 (+1/-0) | 2008-01-16 18:45:38
Endoscopy
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That is why it wouldn't happen here. Fellow prisoners would jump start a habeas corpus and have justice move on.

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Rating: +9 (+9/-0) | 2008-01-15 13:10:04
CoolCrazyStuff
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I agree with You Natashas that is really sad

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Rating: +6 (+6/-0) | 2008-01-15 13:19:23
triizine
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Talk about slipping through the cracks!

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Rating: +3 (+4/-1) | 2008-01-15 16:01:30
Charlson
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The crack must have been pretty large for them to take 50 years to discover their mistake. I would be a bitter and angry man if that happened to me (oh wait, I already am) and someone would have to pay. And I'm not talking money!

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Rating: +2 (+3/-1) | 2008-01-15 14:59:56
Dionys
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People think he should be awareded more (and I absolutely agree). I wonder if these same people would then agree that those captured, taken into custody and tortured by the US who are never charged (and sometimes released) should also be compensated.

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Rating: +1 (+1/-0) | 2008-01-16 08:09:14
Justice4All
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Yes. And those responsible should be held personally responsible.

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Rating: +3 (+3/-0) | 2008-01-16 08:33:49
capecoralM
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What took you so long to drag the US and prisoners of war (enemy combatants)into this story?

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Rating: +7 (+7/-0) | 2008-01-15 17:35:49
HarryWatson00
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You can't give this man anything that will fix the loss that he has already had. He never had a life. He lived the majority of it with no freedom. The only thing that would fix this now would be a flux capacitor.

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Rating: +6 (+6/-0) | 2008-01-15 19:27:02
BronxBomber
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Or drink from the proverbial "Fountain of Youth"

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Rating: +0 (+0/-0) | 2008-01-15 18:49:20
DebraJMSmith
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wow...

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Rating: +1 (+1/-0) | 2008-01-15 19:02:43
Mdiar
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Thats just wrong. One reason to be in the middle about the death penalty right there.

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Rating: +3 (+3/-0) | 2008-01-15 20:06:47
Aotearoa
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Pretty sad to think that somebody can spend the best part of his life paying for a crime he didn't do. Nothing can bring back the stolen years of his life. Poor soul.

leve leva e malanga kae tau

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Rating: +1 (+1/-0) | 2008-01-16 02:50:18
1powershop
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A:50 youth and time=$14,000 b:50 youth and time>$14,000 c:50 youth and time . Please choose soberly!

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Rating: +1 (+1/-0) | 2008-01-16 05:21:04
maytaloosh
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50 years with no trial!!!! thats unimagineable!!

Maytal

SuTree.com - Learn Anything.On Video.

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Rating: +2 (+2/-0) | 2008-01-16 05:58:23
Daylight
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Justice delayed is justice denied. Poor James.

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Rating: +2 (+2/-0) | 2008-01-16 07:31:31
rufio
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It happens, even here. Sometimes because no officer will listen about needing to see a judge and sometimes because they are so agreeable to their situation. Recently a man came to my attention who slipped through the cracks without a hearing for months. He has a form of demitia where he is happy, nice, aware, but has almost no concept of time. He was warm, dressed and fed, not disturbed that he was in jail. It took concerned judge, attorney, and DA to evaluate and move him to a senior living center and not just release to the street. Should it have happened - No, but it will again.

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Rating: +1 (+1/-0) | 2008-01-16 19:49:24
Endoscopy
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A few months. And the authorities caught it. This man was there for 50 years. I can see a few months here but not 50 years.

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Rating: +2 (+2/-0) | 2008-01-16 09:11:48
ReasonableMind
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"D.P. James, now 80, was arrested in August 1958 for attacking and wounding his father with a knife"

I think some people don't realize that this guy was in jail for a reason. He's not getting the money for Wrongful arrest. He is getting it for not ever getting a trial. This has nothing to do with death penalties or anything else. He didn't get a trial. If he did 50 years ago, he might still be in jail? A 3rd world country in the 50's? Who knows, they may have killed him.

For the people that can't comprehend that $14,000 USD is a lot of Money in a place like this: "Average income per person $800 which is 2.5% of the average US citizen"

http://www.24-7prayer.com/ow/country2.php?count...

Also, people need to get a clue and realize that the rest of the world is nothing like the US. He's lucky to be getting anything from that government.

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Rating: -1 (+0/-1) | 2008-01-16 09:16:34
unome2
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The young boys we have illegally locked up in Guantanimo are well on their way to breaking this record.

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Rating: +3 (+3/-0) | 2008-01-16 10:58:48
ZiegfeldGirl
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Well on their way? Bush has only been president for 8 years, get real. There is an astronomical difference between 50 years and less than 8. A lifetime, in fact.

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Rating: +3 (+3/-0) | 2008-01-16 11:29:17
palama
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Another way to look at it is that he should pay the government for 50 years of room and board. I jest, of course. They noticed him only because he became ill and needed medical attention. I guess free room and board is one thing but free medical care is something else.

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Rating: +0 (+0/-0) | 2008-05-18 19:58:20
savusavu
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really $14,000 is not enough. It does not compensate for the past 50 years in prison

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