Briton Andrew Malkinson, who was wrongfully imprisoned for more than 17 years for a rape he did not commit, has criticized the prison sentence handed down to the man responsible for the attack, describing the sentence as an “insult” after he spent years behind bars.Paul Quinn, 52, was sentenced at Manchester Crown Court to 24 years in prison for raping and assaulting a woman in 2003 in Little Hulton, Salford. The sentence includes 21 years in prison followed by an extended license period of three years.Quinn was convicted earlier this year of rape, strangulation and causing grievous bodily harm after DNA evidence linked him to the attack two decades later.After the sentencing, Malkinson said Quinn received a lighter sentence than the life sentence imposed on him despite his innocence.“I am insulted that this violent and corrupt person, who was content to let me suffer two decades of defamation and more than 17 years in wrongly imprisonment for his crime, has received a lighter sentence than the one imposed on me,” Malkinson said.He added that he hoped Quinn would serve longer in prison than he did, arguing that anything less would fail to do justice.The case stems from a brutal attack on a woman in her 30s who was returning home in the early hours of July 19, 2003.
Prosecutors said Quinn followed her before dragging her from the street to the highway overpass, where he beat, bit, strangled and raped her. The assault left her with a fractured cheekbone and permanent facial injuries.At the time, Malkinson, who was then working as a security guard, was misidentified during an identification parade. He has consistently maintained his innocence, but was convicted in 2004 and later lost appeals against his convictions in 2012 and 2020.After spending more than 17 years behind bars, he was released in 2020. An appeals court eventually overturned his conviction in 2023 after new DNA testing identified Quinn as the attacker.The victim told the court that although justice had finally been served, the impact of the attack had never left her.“For him, it was one night of his life, and for me, it was a night that changed my life,” she said in a statement read to the court.She also acknowledged the impact the case had on Malkinson, saying she was aware an innocent man had lost 17 years of his life due to a wrongful conviction.While sentencing Quinn, Judge Robert Bright praised the victim’s bravery and said she was the person he would remember from the case.The court heard that Quinn had previous convictions for sex crimes and that DNA collected following a previous case eventually linked him to the 2003 attack.
Jurors were also told he searched online for how long police kept DNA samples.Greater Manchester Police said the conviction had finally brought criminal proceedings to an end, but urged any additional potential victims of Quinn to come forward.The ramifications of the case continue beyond conviction. A public inquiry is looking into how Malkinson’s wrongful conviction was allowed for years despite evidence that could have exonerated him earlier. Several former and current Greater Manchester Police officers remain under investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct, while senior figures on the Criminal Cases Review Commission have resigned following criticism of the handling of the case.
