A man has walked free from court after spending 20 years in jail for a crime he did not commit.

Marco Contreras was ordered to be released by a judge in Los Angeles after he was declared factually innocent.

The 41-year-old, who has spent almost half his life behind bars, celebrated with his family and a "good Mexican meal".

He is the second man to walk free from custody in Los Angeles in the last two weeks having been found to have been wrongfully convicted.

Andrew Wilson was released on 17 March after spending 32 years in prison for a murder he said he did not commit.


Image: Andrew Wilson is embraced by family as he talks to reporters following his release from jail

Both men owe their freedom to students and lawyers from the Loyola Law School's Project for the Innocent, which uncovered new evidence and pushed for new court hearings.

Mr Contreras had been convicted of an attempted murder and robbery at a service station in Compton in Los Angeles in 1996. He was sentenced to life in prison plus seven years.

The case relied on the evidence of a witness to the incident. Another man has now been arrested.

After his release, Mr Contreras said he always believed he would win freedom: "I just had to be patient and wait."

He said he got through his sentence by "living the spiritual life, focusing on positive things, helping others, reaching out to others".

Professor Laurie Levenson, the Loyola professor who led the defence team, said: "Marco Contreras didn't get out on a technicality, he got out because he's actually innocent."

She also paid tribute to prosecutors for admitting that errors had been made.

"It takes a very big person, like our district attorney, to say mistakes were made but we'd rather fix the mistakes than have the conviction. Not everyone is willing to do that."

Campaigners say that erroneous witness identifications account for three-quarters of all wrongful convictions in the US.

The Loyola project first gained nationwide attention in 2013 after securing the release of Kash Delano Register, who served 34 years in prison for a murder he did not commit.