Rapist jailed three years after wrong man cleared

A sex offender who was found guilty of a rape which saw an innocent man jailed for 17 years has been sentenced to 24 years.

Paul Quinn, now 52, attacked the woman in the Little Hulton area of Salford in 2003 but Andrew Malkinson was wrongly convicted the following year in one of the worst miscarriages of justice in British history.

Jurors at Manchester Crown Court heard Quinn's DNA was later found on the woman's vest and he had searched online to see how long police kept samples.

The father-of-six from Exeter in Devon and formerly of Little Hulton, was also found guilty in April of strangulation and causing grievous bodily harm.

• Follow live as Paul Quinn is sentenced to 24 years

Quinn did not react as he was given a 24-year sentence, comprising of 21 years in prison with an extended licence period of three years.

He will become eligible for parole in 14 years – less than the term served by Malkinson.

The court heard Quinn attacked the young mother, aged in her 30s, as she walked home in the early hours of the morning on 19 July 2003.

She was brutally beaten, bitten and her cheekbone was fractured before being strangled unconscious and raped.

Malkinson, who had been working as a security guard at a local shopping centre at the time of the attack, was wrongly picked out at an identity parade.

He protested his innocence but was jailed in 2004.

Malkinson failed in several appeals against his conviction in 2012 and 2020.

He was only released in 2020 after 17 years in jail, with his conviction finally quashed by the Court of Appeal in 2023.

The victim, referred to as a "hero" by the judge, said in her impact statement: "For him it was one night of his life, for me it was one night that changed my life.

"After 20 years I now have justice but that does not change the fact that two lives have been impacted in such a way.

"I am aware that someone has had 17 years robbed as a result of this case and that stays with me.

"As for me, the impact of what happened that day has stayed with me and will remain with me for life."

She added that every day she looked at her face and saw the disfigurement and scarring that had been inflicted upon her in the attack.

"It is a permanent reminder of that night and what I experienced," she said. "I have to live with that."

Addressing Quinn directly, Mr Justice Robert Bright said: "She, not you Paul Quinn, is the person from this case who I will remember for the rest of my days.

"She is truly a hero."

Before he passed sentence, the judge said it was obvious how "excruciating" it must have been for the victim to come back to court for a second time.

"She is a remarkable person," he added.

"You sat back and enjoyed your liberty at the expense of an innocent man.

"It's true you never did anything to implicate Mr Malkinson, however, but for you he would never have even been questioned."

Following the sentencing hearing, Malkinson's representative Toby Wilton said: "While Andy is relieved this chapter of his ordeal is now closed, it is not the end of this matter as far as he is concerned.

"Andy is still fighting to persuade the government to overhaul the scheme by which the victims of miscarriages of justice receive nowhere near the compensation they deserve.

"Currently, the costs incurred in trying to achieve a fair and suitable compensation are deducted from the final amount some victims receive.

"This effectively means that victims of the most serious miscarriages of justice, such as Andy, are expected to pay for the privilege of securing justice."

The court heard Quinn was a convicted sex offender at the time of the attack.

He was cautioned in 1986 for two counts of indecent assault against a female, when he was 12 years old.

In November 1992, he was convicted of two counts of underage sex, an offence which today would be classified as rape.

Mr Justice Bright said Quinn was aged 15 or 16 and the girl was 13 at the time of the offences.

It was this offence that led to his DNA being taken by police a decade later, which ultimately linked him to the 2003 rape.

The six-week trial heard Quinn stalked his victim as she walked home, dragging her from the street and down a motorway embankment.

He was finally brought to justice after saliva found on her top was recovered years later.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said it was appealing for any further potential victims of Quinn to come forward.

Senior Investigating Officer Det Ch Supt Rebecca McKendrick said: "We know this outcome has come two decades too late for those impacted by this case.

"However, we will not allow time to be a barrier to justice for anyone who has further information about Paul Quinn and any further potential sexual offending."

McKendrick added that she knew key questions must be answered by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) and a judge-led inquiry about Malkinson's wrongful conviction.

"GMP stands ready to support these vital reviews," she said.

"Today brings to a close the criminal chapter to this case.

"The right man - this horrific attacker, Paul Quinn - is finally behind bars."

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