(Reuters) - A Connecticut man who spent 21 years in prison after being wrongfully convicted of rape and murder was awarded $6 million on Thursday in the first such payout by the state.

 

Kenneth Ireland, who was found guilty at age 18 of raping and murdering a woman, was released in 2009 after DNA tests exonerated him.

The tests led instead to the conviction of Kevin Benefield, who had known the victim, Barbara Pelkey. Benefield was sentenced to 60 years in prison.

Ireland, now 44, said on Thursday through the office of his attorney, William Bloss, that the payment "ensures my security and affords me some room to explore the world and see things I've missed."

"It still hasn't completely registered yet," he said. "I'm still trying to wrap my head around it all."

It is the first-ever award made by the state's Office of the Claims Commissioner since such compensation was approved in 2008 by the state legislature.