A vulnerable man kept as a slave for almost 26 years has won a “record payout” after his family sued the government for denying him adequate compensation.

The man, known only as Victim A, waited so long for compensation that his captors, who beat him, fed him on scraps and forced him to lay driveways for little or no pay, have been released from prison.

His sister said the £352,000 compensation payment would fund round-the-clock care for her “lovely brother”.

However, lawyers said the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) was “not fit for purpose” after other victims died before they could take similar action. CICA said over £165m was awarded to victims of crime in 2023/24.

Victim A, who was in his fifties, was kept in squalor by the Rooney family on a travellers’ site in Lincolnshire, while they lived a life of luxury.

The family violently exploited their victims who were often homeless people or men with learning disabilities, a 2017 trial at Nottingham Crown Court heard.

When 11 members of the family were convicted it was the biggest modern slavery case in British legal history.