Castro foe's family awarded $253m

Del Pino was imprisoned shortly after Cuba's Communist Revolution

A Miami jury has awarded nearly $253m (£126m) to the children of one of Fidel Castro's former friends, who died in a Cuban jail after turning against him.

Rafael del Pino Siero, a US citizen, fell out with Mr Castro over his political views before he led the Communist Revolution in Cuba.

Del Pino was imprisoned in 1959 after trying to help a Cuban escape to Miami, and died in his cell in 1977, aged 51.

His family accused the Cuban government of torturing and killing him.

The Cuban government chose not to be represented in the Miami court during the case.

Del Pino's family said the award, reportedly the largest such penalty to date against Cuba in a US court, was five times more than they had sought.

I was flabbergasted - I kept thinking why did they give us so much more? Rafael del Pino Jr

"I was flabbergasted," Rafael del Pino Jr said, moments after the verdict was announced. "I kept thinking why did they give us so much more?"

One juror, Thomas Crews, said the award was a political statement which would "send a message to the world that countries don't mess around with US citizens".

Correspondents say, however, that it is unlikely the children will get much - if any - of the money because Cuban state assets frozen in New York are dwindling.

Their father's death also happened five years before the US state department designated Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism.