Thirty-two years ago, Ivan Henry was wrongfully convicted of committing 10 sexual offences, declared a dangerous offender and sent to prison indefinitely.

He ended up spending 27 years behind bars before the B.C. Court of Appeal quashed his convictions and acquitted him of the charges.

On Monday, Henry, 68, will be back in court seeking compensation from the provincial and federal Crown and the Vancouver police for all that he and his family lost during his time in prison, to “vindicate his breached rights and to deter future breaches by government actors.”

“He’s looking forward to his day in court, no question,” said author Joan McEwen, who wrote Innocence on Trial: The Framing of Ivan Henry.

“He’s looking forward to being vindicated. He’s ready to go.”

Henry has travelled a long road to get to this point.

In July 1982, he was arrested and charged with three counts of rape, two counts of attempted rape and five counts of indecent assault in connection with a series of sexual assaults over a two-year period in Vancouver.

The assaults involved an assailant who broke into ground-floor and basement suites late at night.

In his lawsuit, Henry alleges that the police who investigated his case were grossly negligent and engaged in wilful misconduct.

Examples cited include a bizarre police lineup during which Henry was restrained by officers, failing to disclose evidence to Crown, failing to preserve evidence and failing to adequately investigate similar sexual assaults.

“The VPD (Vancouver Police Department) did a lot of horrible things,” said McEwen. “They worked hand in glove with Crown to get him convicted.”

Henry represented himself at trial and less than a year after his arrest, he was convicted of all charges. He alleges that the provincial Crown intentionally failed to disclose information and documents material to his defence, among other things.

Henry maintained his innocence while serving his sentence and filed countless appeals, motions and applications from prison, all of which were dismissed.

However, in January 2009, the B.C. Court of Appeal finally agreed to reopen his case.

He was released on bail in June 2009 and moved in with his daughter in North Vancouver.

On Oct. 27, 2010, Court of Appeal quashed Henry’s convictions and entered acquittals for each because “the verdict on each count was not one that a properly instructed jury acting judicially could reasonably have rendered.” ()

Henry and his daughters wept and embraced each other after the decision, and spoke of vindication and freedom. But Henry had suffered what McEwen described as “incalculable” financial, physical and psychological harm because of his imprisonment.

“Any right-thinking person can’t imagine spending a day, let alone 27 years, in prison as an innocent person,” McEwen said.

“It is a miracle he survived that experience in jail.”

His family also suffered in his absence. His daughters were without a father for most of their lives and undertook considerable efforts to help with his appeal and reintegrate him into society.

In June 2011 Henry filed a civil lawsuit, citing negligence, malicious prosecution and breach of his charter rights, and seeking compensation for himself and a trust for his daughters.