Paul Quinn Convicted Of 2003 Rape After Andrew Malkinson Wrongly Jailed For 17 Years

Paul Quinn, 52, was found guilty of a 2003 rape that led to Andrew Malkinson being wrongly jailed for 17 years, after a jury at Manchester Crown Court heard a six-week trial and convicted Quinn of two counts of rape, causing grievous bodily harm, and attempting to choke or strangle his victim.

“- Published A sex offender has been found guilty of a rape which saw an innocent man jailed for 17 years”

BBC

The BBC says Quinn attacked the young mother as she walked home in the Salford suburb of Little Hulton in the early hours of the morning on 19 July 2003, and that the court heard she was “brutally beaten, bitten and her cheekbone was fractured.”

BBC

The BBC also reports that Quinn strangled her unconscious and raped her, and that jurors heard his DNA was found on the woman’s vest, alongside evidence that he “had searched online to see how long police kept samples.”

The Independent says Quinn was identified in 2022 through advances in DNA testing that matched his profile to saliva found on the victim’s clothing, and that a jury found him guilty of two counts of rape, causing grievous bodily harm, and attempting to choke or strangle his victim.

The Greater Manchester Police statement says Quinn (52), now of Exeter, was unanimously found guilty of two counts of rape, one count of choking with intent, and one count of grievous bodily harm, and that the verdicts followed a jury hearing six weeks of evidence at Manchester Crown Court.

In the same statement, Greater Manchester Police says the original investigation in the summer of 2003 wrongly led to the arrest and prosecution of the innocent Andrew Malkinson, who served 17 years in prison before clearing his name at the Court of Appeal in 2023.

The conviction comes after years of forensic uncertainty and a wrongful identification that sent Andrew Malkinson to prison in 2004, despite the court hearing that DNA evidence later ruled him out.

The BBC says Malkinson was wrongly picked out at an identity parade, and that he was jailed in 2004 after protesting his innocence, while the BBC adds that the DNA sample from the vest top was “only recovered and identified in 2007” and was analysed and ruled out Malkinson.

St Helens Star

The BBC also states that Quinn was arrested almost two decades after Malkinson was wrongly jailed, following advances in DNA testing, and that in 2022 a “billion-to-one match of his DNA profile” was made with saliva left on the victim’s vest top.

The Times of India similarly frames the case as a “DNA breakthrough” that solved the 2003 rape case and exposed the wrongful jailing of Malkinson, saying fresh forensic analysis identified Quinn’s DNA on the victim’s clothing more than two decades after the attack.

The Times of India adds that “unidentified DNA had been known to investigators as early as 2007,” but that “further testing was not pursued at the time,” linking the delay to the miscarriage of justice.

The Guardian describes the case as beginning “before dawn” in Salford more than 20 years ago, and says the victim was attacked after being harassed, with her left cheekbone fractured and her left nipple partly severed from a bite.

The trial and verdict were accompanied by direct statements from Andrew Malkinson, the victim, and senior police officials, all describing both the harm of the original attack and the years of delay in justice.

“An innocent man wrongly jailed for 17 years has said he was a “handy patsy” for police as the real culprit of a brutal rape was finally found guilty”

St Helens Star

The BBC quotes Malkinson speaking after Quinn’s conviction, saying he was “content that the right result has finally been achieved for the victim, myself and the public,” while also insisting that “if the police had acted as they should have done, Paul Quinn could have been caught a long time ago.”

The BBC reports that Malkinson said the authorities “wanted a quick conviction and I was a handy patsy forced to spend over 17 years in prison for his horrific crime,” and it adds that a statement read on behalf of the victim said “two lives had been impacted” and that the miscarriage of justice “robbed Mr Malkinson of 17 years.”

Assistant Chief Constable Steph Parker, quoted by both the BBC and the Bolton News, told the court and public that “The fact that Andrew Malkinson was imprisoned for 17 years for a crime he didn't commit is clearly a failing of Greater Manchester Police, and the wider criminal justice system,” and she said, “And for that, we are absolutely sorry.”

In the Bolton News account, Parker also said, “Paul Quinn is a dangerous man. He is the one responsible for this horrific attack, and he has known it all along for more than 20 years,” and she added that “The harm he has done to the victim and the cowardice of watching the wrong man go to prison for his crime is unforgivable.”

The Greater Manchester Police statement similarly includes Parker’s apology and tribute language, saying “Today’s verdicts bring an end to an investigation launched in 2022,” and that “Today has come two decades too late for all involved in this horrendous case.”

While all the reports describe the same core outcome—Paul Quinn’s conviction for the 2003 rape and Andrew Malkinson’s wrongful imprisonment—each outlet emphasizes different aspects of the story, from the DNA timeline to the victim’s testimony and the scale of the reinvestigation.

The BBC focuses on the forensic and investigative mechanics, stating that jurors heard Quinn’s DNA was found on the woman’s vest and that he “had searched online to see how long police kept samples,” while it also highlights that the building of the case included a DNA sample “only recovered and identified in 2007” that ruled out Malkinson.

The Guardian

The Guardian, by contrast, foregrounds the victim’s account of being told her doubts were “just trial nerves,” quoting her as saying, “I remember telling one of [the police] that I wasn’t too sure it was the right man,” and that police replied: “Don’t worry, it’s just trial nerves, it will all be OK.”

The Times of India emphasizes the forensic breakthrough as a “major development” and says the conviction follows a renewed forensic review that “uncovered Quinn’s DNA on samples collected at the crime scene,” while it also stresses that “unidentified DNA had been known to investigators as early as 2007.”

The Mirror and Sun, both tabloid accounts, foreground the identity parade and the victim’s inability to name the victim, with the Mirror describing the victim as “walking along Cleggs Lane in Little Hulton, near Salford,” and the Sun describing the attack as a “prolonged assault” and stating that DNA evidence matched Quinn’s DNA profile on the clothing and body of the woman.

Greater Manchester Police’s own statement, meanwhile, shifts emphasis to the reinvestigation’s workload, saying investigators assessed “more than 6000 documents,” reviewed “760 exhibits,” and obtained “275 witness statements.”

The conviction does not end the broader fallout described in the reporting, because multiple investigations and inquiries are already underway into the original handling of Andrew Malkinson’s case and the conduct of officers involved.

“One of Britain’s most shocking miscarriages of justice began before dawn on a summer day in Salford more than 20 years ago”

The Guardian

The BBC says the Independent Office for Police Conduct said GMP's handling of the case was still under investigation, and it adds that five former GMP officers and one currently serving with the force are under investigation by the IOPC.

The Independent

The Independent similarly says the miscarriage of justice has prompted a public inquiry into systemic failings, an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct into Greater Manchester Police officers, and resignations from the Criminal Cases Review Commission.

The Guardian says “a catalogue of official failure will now be examined by a judge-led public inquiry,” and it describes the inquiry as examining “the role of police and prosecutors in Malkinson’s wrongful 2004 conviction” and how a “golden opportunity was missed” to help exonerate him just three years later.

The Guardian also reports that five GMP officers are currently under investigation by the IOPC on suspicion of gross misconduct, including one who could face criminal charges on suspicion of perverting the course of justice, and it says a sixth officer still serving is being investigated on suspicion of misconduct.

The Times of India adds that the IOPC is investigating several officers over potential misconduct, including possible failures in handling and disclosing evidence, and it says authorities are examining whether Quinn could be linked to other serious sexual offences during the period he remained unidentified.