A lawyer for the man wrongfully imprisoned for 27 years is urging a British Columbia Supreme Court judge to send a "strong message" when determining how much Ivan Henry should be compensated.
John Laxton says in closing arguments that Chief Justice Christopher Hinkson has almost unlimited discretion in deciding how much to award Henry because there are few legal precedents.
Laxton says Henry faced beatings from fellow inmates, constant oversight by guards and a "medieval" parole system before he was acquitted by the B.C. Court of Appeal in 2010 on 10 counts of sexual assault.
He says Henry should receive more than Steven Truscott, who was awarded $6.5 million for being wrongfully convicted in Ontario, because there was no suggestion the police or Crown did anything wrong in Truscott's case.
Laxton says Henry underwent about 20 strip searches a year and should therefore receive a multiple of the $5,000 that a court awarded another man for a wrongful strip search.
The province will deliver its closing arguments next week, as it is the only remaining defendant in Henry's suit for compensation after the federal government and City of Vancouver settled for undisclosed amounts.
