And finally… prisoner wins £480,000 compensation for hard time

Rodney Cotton, 50, of Brooklyn, New York, said prison wardens ignored his pleas for help as he lay in solitary confinement.

The condition, known as priapism, arose after he was given antipsychotic medicine Risperdal by the prison’s infirmary to deal with his bipolar disorder.

Two doctors told him it was not a medical emergency and gave him an ice pack and painkillers but a third allowed him to go to hospital for surgery.

In a £6.4 million lawsuit he said the delay resulted in “permanent injuries to his penis” as well as a “loss of function”.

He accepted a $750,000 settlement on the eve of the trial.

Mr Cotton said afterwards: “They took my manhood.

“It’s embarrassing. We’re here to create. I can’t perform my duties as a man.

“If I had the choice between the reward and having my manhood restored, I’d have my manhood restored in a heartbeat.”

He added: “It didn’t go down. It hurt and it started pounding.

“I had to wear briefs or boxers. I couldn’t wear jeans. They had me walking around like that for almost a week.”

Spokesman for the city Law Department, Nicholas Paolucci said: “Settling the case was in the best interest of the city.”