Amputee told to give ex-wife half of £500,000 payout

A man who lost a leg in a car crash and was then ordered by a judge to hand over the bulk of his £500,000 compensation money to his ex-wife today received permission to appeal against the payout.

Kevin Mansfield, 41, of Chelmsford, Essex, was a student when he was hit by a car in 1992. He met his now ex-wife Catherine, 37, five years after he received a £500,000 compensation payout in 1998. They split in 2008 after having two children together.

At a divorce hearing last May, a judge ruled that the money should be "put in the pot" and divided as an asset of the marriage, with £285,000 going to his former partner.

Mr Mansfield was granted permission to appeal at London's Civil Appeal Court, which heard he would have to sell his home because of the original ruling.