Rapist jailed three years after wrong man cleared

A significant story is unfolding on the international scene. Rapist jailed three years after wrong man cleared28 minutes ago Share Save Add as preferred on GoogleLauren HirstNorth WestGreater Manchester PolicePaul Quinn's DNA was discovered on the woman's vest after the attackA 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. 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 Details

After the sentencing hearing, Malkinson said: "I am insulted that this violent, depraved individual - who was content to let me suffer two decades of vilification and more than 17 years wrongly imprisoned for his crime - has received a softer sentence than was imposed on me, an innocent man. "I got sentenced to life imprisonment and served more than 17 years inside. "Throughout that time I didn't know if I would ever be released.

"He added that he hoped Quinn would not get parole and would ultimately serve a longer sentence than he had. "Anything less is not justice," he said. PA MediaA DNA sample from the victim's vest top, only recovered and identified in 2007, was analysed and ruled out Andrew Malkinson as the attackerThe court heard Quinn, who was 29 at the time, 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.

What Experts Say

Malkinson, now aged 60, 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. GMPPolice are now investigating whether Paul Quinn is linked to other unsolved sex attacks The victim, referred to as a "hero" by the judge, wept in court as her lawyer read out her impact statement: "For 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.

The story has become one of the most prominent items on the global agenda.