A father of six was sentenced Friday to 21 years in prison for a rape committed 23 years ago, a crime for which another man had been wrongly convicted in what is widely regarded as one of the United Kingdom's most severe miscarriages of justice in recent years.
Quinn's Sentencing
Paul Quinn, 52, was found guilty in April following a six-week trial at Manchester Crown Court. The sentence comprises 21 years in custody with an extended license of three years, during which he will be subject to release conditions upon leaving prison. He will be eligible for parole in 14 years.
“You sat back and enjoyed your liberty at the expense of an innocent man,” Justice Robert Bright told Quinn during the sentencing hearing on Friday.
Quinn was 29 at the time of the rape but had been a sex offender since the age of 12.
The Wrongful Conviction of Andrew Malkinson
Andrew Malkinson, 60, had his conviction quashed by the Court of Appeal in July 2023 after DNA evidence linked Quinn to the crime. Malkinson spent 17 years behind bars for the brutal 2003 attack on a 33-year-old woman in Greater Manchester, who had identified him from a police lineup.
The judge described the woman attacked by Quinn, who twice had to endure giving evidence at trial, as “heroic.”
Malkinson, who worked as a security guard at a local shopping centre at the time of the attack, was found guilty in 2004 and sentenced to a minimum term of seven years. He always maintained his innocence, which resulted in an additional 10 years in prison. He was eventually released in 2020, but his name remained on Britain's sex offenders register.
Advances in DNA Technology
Advancements in genetic technology allowed Malkinson's legal team and the legal charity Appeal to find Quinn's DNA on fragments of the victim's clothing.
Malkinson is now seeking compensation from British authorities for the time he spent in prison.
“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,” said Toby Wilton, of law firm Hickman & Rose, which represents Malkinson. “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.”
Ongoing Fallout and Investigations
The fallout from the case continues, with a public inquiry now underway after a 2024 review found failings that could have exonerated Malkinson a decade before his eventual release.
Five former Greater Manchester Police officers, and one currently serving with the force, are under investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct. Both the chair and chief executive of the Criminal Cases Review Commission have resigned.
The police force has since apologized to Malkinson.
