A settlement was reached at the High Court in London

Robert Parris, 23, was granted the award by the High Court on Monday.

He was being held in Glen Parva Prison in Leicester on suspected arson charges on 17 October 1999 when the incident happened.

The court was told Mr Parris now lived in a "low-awareness state" in a Nottingham nursing home and was reliant on 24-hour nursing care.

'Extreme anxiety'

At the time of the incident, he had been transferred to the unit due to concerns about his deteriorating emotional state, court documents disclosed.

He claimed damages from the Home Office for alleged negligence in failing to prevent the suicide bid despite recent incidents of self-harm and evidence of his "extreme anxiety".

He was suing through his mother, Patricia, of Wolsey Avenue, Nottingham.

George Thomas, representing Mr Parris, said it was not disputed that Robert was exhibiting symptoms suggesting that he was "at risk of self-harm".

He had attempted suicide a week before he tried to hang himself. The legal dispute centred on what preventive steps medics could have been taken in the circumstances, the court heard.

The Home Office denied liability throughout the proceedings.