British man Andrew Malkinson, who was wrongly imprisoned for more than 17 years for a rape he did not commit, has criticised the prison term handed to the man responsible for the attack, describing the sentence as an “insult” after spending years behind bars.Paul Quinn, 52, was sentenced at Manchester Crown Court to 24 years for the 2003 rape and assault of a woman in Little Hulton, Salford. The sentence includes 21 years in custody followed by a three-year extended licence period.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.Following the sentencing, Malkinson said Quinn had received a lighter punishment than the life sentence imposed on him despite being innocent.“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,” Malkinson said as reported by BBC.He added that he hoped Quinn would serve longer in prison than he did, arguing that anything less would fail to deliver justice.The case stems from a brutal attack on a woman in her 30s who was walking home in the early hours of July 19, 2003. Prosecutors said Quinn followed her before dragging her from the street to a motorway embankment, where he beat, bit, strangled and raped her. The assault left her with a fractured cheekbone and lasting facial injuries.At the time, Malkinson, then working as a security guard, was wrongly identified during an identity parade. He consistently maintained his innocence but was convicted in 2004 and later lost appeals against his conviction in 2012 and 2020.After spending more than 17 years behind bars, he was released in 2020. His conviction was eventually quashed by the Court of Appeal in 2023 after fresh DNA testing identified Quinn as the attacker.The victim told the court that although justice had finally been achieved, the impact of the attack had never left her.“For him it was one night of his life; for me it was one 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 that an innocent man had lost 17 years of his life because of the wrongful conviction.Sentencing Quinn, Mr Justice Robert Bright praised the victim’s courage and said she was the person he would remember from the case.The court heard Quinn had previous sexual offence convictions and that DNA collected following an earlier case ultimately linked him to the 2003 attack. Jurors were also told he searched online about how long police retained DNA samples.Greater Manchester Police said the conviction finally brought the criminal proceedings to an end but urged any additional potential victims of Quinn to come forward.The fallout from the case continues beyond the conviction. A public inquiry is examining how Malkinson’s wrongful conviction was allowed to stand for years despite evidence that could have cleared him earlier. Several former and serving Greater Manchester Police officers remain under investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct, while senior figures at the Criminal Cases Review Commission have resigned following criticism of the handling of the case.
