NASSAU, Bahamas (CMC) – Matthew Sewell, a Jamaican man who spent nine years in and out of prison, was awarded a settlement of US$125,000 when he appeared in court on Tuesday.

Last year October, the judge, Stephen Isaacs, ordered Sewell’s immediate release from the detention facility.

The hearing on Tuesday was held to update the judge concerning ongoing discussions between counsel for Sewell and the Crown on an appropriate amount in damages and taxation for the time he was detained at the Department of Correctional Services and the Detention Centre without trial.

Sewell, 28, spent nine years in and out of the prison system; however he was never tried on any of the charges he faced.

In 2006, while in the country, visiting his father, Sewell was first arrested for the alleged rape of a six-year-old girl.

He was released on bail in 2008, but was arrested in April 2009, and charged with the alleged rape of a girlfriend.

He received bail for that charge in August 2013, only to be arrested two months later for allegations of housebreaking and murder.

However, those charges were thrown out in 2014 when it was found that Sewell was in custody when the alleged crimes occurred, but he was later detained at the Carmichael Road Detention Centre.

In addition to ordering his immediate release last October, the judge also ordered that his travel documents be returned to him and that he be allowed 60 days to resolve his legal status in The Bahamas upon making an application to the Immigration Department.