A Man Wrongfully Served 17 Years for Rape. Now Another Man Has Been Convicted

In the early hours of 19 July 2003, a 33-year-old mother of two was walking home alone through a semi-rural area of Salford after a heated argument with her partner. As she approached Little Hulton, a close-knit neighborhood, she heard a male voice from the bushes. The man claimed he had a gun, prompting the woman to flee and send a text to her boyfriend. Moments later, she noticed she was being followed by a man in a white shirt, partially unfastened. The attack occurred near a motorway bridge, where he pulled her down an embankment, choked her unconscious, and struck her face, causing a severe cheekbone fracture requiring surgery. When she regained consciousness, she realized she had been raped. Police and prosecutors initially treated the crime as attempted murder.

Twelve Years of Doubt and Delay

For two decades, Andy Malkinson from Grimsby was held accountable for the assault. He had moved into the area temporarily due to a short-term job, and police identified him as the main suspect after stopping him earlier. Though he had been followed by a man, the victim’s description matched Malkinson, leading to his conviction in 2004. From the moment of his arrest, he denied the charges. By 2007, advancements in DNA testing had prompted a nationwide review called Operation Cube. Yet, the evidence pointed to an unknown male DNA profile, not Malkinson. This inconsistency was overlooked by the Crown Prosecution Service and the Criminal Cases Review Commission.

The DNA Evidence That Changed Everything

The breakthrough came 12 years later, when Appeal, a charity investigating wrongful convictions, retested the sample. Scientists discovered a match with Paul Quinn, a man who had lived on the Kenyon Way estate, just minutes from the crime scene. Three DNA findings were pivotal: a strong profile from saliva on the victim’s vest top, a less certain match from a bra sample, and a surprising partial match from a speculum retrieved from an evidence bag after 20 years. The speculum, untouched since its use, yielded a sterile DNA trace that aligned with Quinn. Detective Chief Superintendent Rebecca McKendrick stated,

“Nobody came forward with any information in 2003, or during the span of that investigation, with Paul Quinn’s name. That was categorical.”

Quinn’s Conviction and a Conviction for Past Wrongdoing

Quinn’s DNA was already on file due to a 2003 conviction for two counts of unlawful sexual intercourse with a 12-year-old girl. Detectives note this offense would now be classified as rape. His recent conviction follows a month-long trial, where he was found guilty of rape, strangulation, and grievous bodily harm. The case highlights how early evidence, once dismissed, eventually led to the truth. James Burley, an investigator on the Malkinson case, remarked,

“It didn’t match Andy, and it was from an area which even the prosecution was describing back then as crime specific. That should have been the point where it was crystal clear that there’d been a miscarriage of justice.”