Stephen Slevin, 58, was recently awarded the equivelant of £12 million after being largely forgotten about for two years in jail following an arrest for
driving offences. An incident which iccured in August 2005 meant that Slevin was arrested and charged with a string of motoring offences including possession of a stolen vehicle, aggravated driving whilst under the influence and driving with a suspended license. His case was not resolved until June 2007 after Slevin had spent nearly two year in jail, to "decay" as his lawyer argued. The judge dismissed the case and allegedly said the defendant was, "not dangerous." The authorities in Donna Ana County blamed the then district attorney's office, the public defender's office and District Court. They intend to appeal against the award and pointed out Slevin's apparently colourful history with the law.