An innocent dad, Richard Jones spent 17 years in a US jail for an armed robbery carried out by a lookalike who shared the same name with him.

Jones from Kansas City, Kansas, who was locked up for a crime he did not do has been set free after cops found his lookalike, who actually committed the crime.

Jones was jailed for armed robbery in 1999 after an eyewitness said he was the robber. But during a new hearing into his case this same witness could not tell Jones from a man called Ricky, who looks just like him.

Jones also lived on the other side of Kansas where his lookalike lived when the robbery happened. It also turned out that there was no physical, DNA or fingerprint evidence of the innocent man.

After being released, Jones told the Kansas City Star.: “I don’t believe in luck, I believe I was blessed.” Jones had unsuccessfully appealed his case several times. But two years ago he heard about a man in jail who looked just like him and even shared his first name.”

After realising this could be the man who committed the crime, Jones contacted the Midwest Innocent Project, a non-profit organisation that provides legal services to the wrongly-convicted.

An attorney working on Jones’ case said: “We were floored by how much they looked alike. Everybody has a doppelgänger, luckily we found his.” 

Jones is now getting used to life on the outside and says he is happy to be back with his kids.

 He said: “When it comes to my kids, it’s been a rough ride, but they are now at an age where they can understand.”