Photos: Man released after spending 17years in prison for looking like a real criminal, reunites with famliy

(left)Innocent Richard Jones, Richard Amos, the real criminal (right)

Richard A. Jones was convicted of aggravated robbery for resembling a real criminal nearly two-decades ago. 
Jones has been released and is now seeking $1million as compensation from the police after he was found innocent of the crime years later.
According to Metro UK reports, mr Jones, was released after a judge called into question his original conviction for robbery, after which no DNA or fingerprint evidence linking Jones to the crime was found.

He was sent to prison in 1999 after an eyewitness identified him as the robber.

Jones said that in prison other inmates repeatedly told him he looked like a criminal named Ricky Amos.

"it took a big chunk of my life that I can never get back. I am just trying to get stable in my everyday life. I am still transitioning. At that time, I was pretty much trying to be responsible as a father, I was not perfect, but I was a big part of their lives, and when I got incarcerated, it was hard for me because I was used to being around for my kids. It was a hard pill to swallow". Jones said.

"This compensation is relatively small given the unfathomable hardship of 17 years of wrongful imprisonment.’ he added.

Justice was finally served when the 42 year old contacted the midwest innocent project (who privovide legal services for people wrongly convicted) after hearing of man that looked like him and even had similar first name with him.

He was then released after the real bad guy was nabbed, but not after spending 17 years in prison and miss seeing his two daughters who are now 24 and 19 years old grow up.

See More photos below.