A man from County Durham who spent 27 years in prison after being wrongly convicted of murder could receive compensation worth millions.
Sean Hodgson’s conviction for the murder of Teresa De Simone, 22, in Southampton in 1979 was quashed when new DNA evidence became available.
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He has lodged a compensation claim against the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), Forensic Science Service and Hampshire police.
The MoJ refused to comment specifically on the case, but a spokesperson said: “Ministers need to approve an application for compensation.
“If they do then it is for the independent assessor to decide how much they should be awarded based on the application made by the individual or their solicitors.”
Miss De Simone was killed near the Tom Tackle pub, and her body was found in the back seat of her Ford Escort in the car park.
When he was questioned after the murder, Mr Hodgson provided a confession but later pleaded not guilty at his trial in 1982, where his defence team argued that he was a pathological liar.
A new DNA test carried out in 2008 showed that the actual killer was more than likely David Lace.
Mr Lace confessed to the murder in 1983, and subsequently commited suicide in December 1988 while living in Brixham, Devon at the age of 26.
It is likely that Mr Hodgson would be awarded the maximum £1m compensation from the MoJ, while his claims against the Forensic Science Service (FSS) and Hampshire police could also be worth more than £1m.
In 1998, a request was made to the FSS for exhibits from the case to be re-examined but the service said none existed.
But ten years later, in 2008, a new request was made and further tests on DNA evidence found at the scene proved it was not Mr Hodgson’s.
His injury solicitor, Julian Young, said doctor’s reports were currently being compiled that would ultimately be sent to the MoJ as part of the process for determining whether compensation should be awarded.
Mr Young told the BBC: “Sean does not want this issue to be dragged out, we want it sorted quickly.
“I am in the process of contacting Hampshire police and the FSS.
“I would hope they would get together and provide us with a figure we are all happy with, Sean doesn’t want this dragged through the courts.”