A local court in Zhejiang Province approved compensation Friday for two men after they were acquitted of rape charges that landed them in jail for 10 years, the Zhejiang Provincial Higher People's Court said on Monday.

The court decided to give Zhang Hui and Zhang Gaoping 1.11 million yuan ($180,808) each to compensate them for being deprived of their personal freedom and for psychological damage.

The decision came after Zhang Hui and his uncle Zhang Gaoping applied for combined compensation of 2.66 million yuan on May 2.

Zhang Hui was given a death sentence and Zhang Gaoping was sentenced to life in prison by the Hangzhou Intermediate People's Court in 2004 for allegedly raping a 17-year-old girl.

During a second trial by the provincial court, a two-year reprieve was later given to Zhang Gaoping, and a 15-year prison term was issued to his nephew Zhang Hui.

The men gave a lift to the girl on May 18, 2003, while they were transporting freight to Shanghai.

They dropped the girl off in Hangzhou around 1:50 am the next day and continued on their way to Shanghai. The girl's naked body was discovered later that day. The two men became the principal suspects and were detained later, as they were the last people to have seen the girl alive.

They were freed on March 26 this year, as new evidence showed the possibility of another suspect and previous evidence was not enough to support their conviction.

Global Times - Xinhua