TORONTO -- The $6.5 million awarded to Steven Truscott nearly five decades after he faced the gallows as a terrified 14-year-old proved a "bittersweet" victory Monday for the man who called it the final, long-awaited step in exonerating him of the rape and murder of schoolmate Lynne Harper.
Robbed of his adolescence and forced to live most of his life under an assumed name, Truscott and his wife maintained that proving his innocence -- not compensation -- was their sole purpose when they sought to re-open his case more than 10 years ago.
Steven Truscott, in August 2007, served nearly a decade in jail before being released on parole in 1969.
"This is a bittersweet moment for us," the couple said in a joint statement from Guelph, Ont.
"Although we are grateful for the freedom and stability this award will provide, we are also painfully aware that no amount of money could ever truly compensate Steven for the terror of being sentenced to hang at the age of 14, the loss of his youth, or the stigma of living for almost 50 years as a convicted murderer."
The Truscotts added they now hope to live the rest of their lives in "peace and tranquility."
The financial award, to be paid out equally between Ontario and Ottawa, comes nearly a year after the province's top court declared Truscott a victim of a miscarriage of justice.
While acquitting Truscott of the 1959 crime, the Ontario Court of Appeal stopped short of declaring him innocent due to a lack of physical evidence.
All the physical evidence from the case was destroyed in 1967. Harper's body was exhumed in 2006, but a forensic examination failed to yield any DNA evidence.
Truscott became the youngest person in Canada ever sentenced to death after he was convicted in 1959 of raping and strangling 12-year-old Harper near Clinton, Ont., north of London.
The death sentence was later commuted to life in prison and Truscott served nearly a decade in jail before being released on parole in 1969, although he steadfastly maintained his innocence.
He eventually settled into a quiet life in Guelph with his wife and three children until the family abandoned their life in anonymity to go public with his case.
Truscott's legal ordeal was an "unprecedented" and "extraordinary" journey, Ontario Attorney General Chris Bentley said after announcing the award.
"It is my hope that Mr. Truscott and his family will now be able to spend all of their time on the rest of life's journey," Bentley said.
Truscott's wife, Marlene, will also receive $100,000 for income she lost in working to clear her husband and the couple won't have to repay nearly $1 million in Legal Aid fees, Bentley added.
The award follows the recommendations of former Appeal Court Justice Sydney Robins, who was asked by the province to review the issue of compensation following Truscott's acquittal.
In his 57-page report, Robins recommended that Truscott, 63, receive $6.5 million -- $250,000 for every year he spent in jail and $100,000 for each year he spent on parole.
"It will provide him with financial security for the remainder of his life. It will enable him to provide a substantial legacy to his children," Robins wrote.
-- The Canadian Press
Big payouts
Other wrongfully convicted Canadians who have been compensated:
David Milgaard spent 23 years in prison for the murder of Saskatoon nursing aide Gail Miller and received $10 million after DNA evidence helped catch the real killer.
Guy Paul Morin was tried twice for the 1984 killing of Christine Jessop, 9, just north of Toronto. Exonerated in 1995 on the strength of DNA evidence, he was awarded $1.2 million in compensation.
Thomas Sophonow received $2.5 million after spending four years in prison on charges of strangling Winnipeg coffee shop clerk Barbara Stoppel. He was exonerated in 2000 with the use of DNA evidence.
Donald Marshall spent 11 years in jail after being convicted at age 17 of murder in Nova Scotia and received a settlement of $1.5 million.
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