A 52-year-old father of six received a 21-year prison sentence on Friday for a sexual assault that took place more than two decades ago, while an innocent man spent 17 years wrongfully imprisoned for the same crime in what authorities are calling one of Britain’s most severe wrongful conviction cases in recent memory.
Paul Quinn, now 52, was convicted in April after a six-week trial at Manchester Crown Court on charges including two counts of rape, choking with intent, and grievous bodily harm. His sentence includes 21 years behind bars plus an additional three-year extended license period with release conditions upon his eventual freedom. Quinn becomes eligible for parole after serving 14 years.
During Friday’s sentencing, Justice Robert Bright addressed Quinn directly, stating: “You sat back and enjoyed your liberty at the expense of an innocent man.”
Quinn was 29 when he committed the assault and had a history of sexual offenses dating back to age 12.
The wrongfully convicted man, Andrew Malkinson, now 60, had his conviction overturned by the Court of Appeal in July 2023 when DNA evidence connected Quinn to the brutal 2003 attack on a 33-year-old woman in Greater Manchester. The victim had identified Malkinson from a police lineup.
Malkinson, who worked as a shopping center security guard when the attack occurred, was convicted in 2004 and received a life sentence with a seven-year minimum term. Because he consistently proclaimed his innocence, he remained incarcerated for ten additional years beyond the minimum sentence. Prison officials released him in 2020, though his name continued to appear on Britain’s sex offender registry.
Malkinson expressed anger that Quinn did not receive a life sentence, saying in a statement through Appeal, a British organization fighting wrongful convictions: “I hope that this man does not get parole and that he serves longer than me. Anything less is not justice.”
Improvements in genetic testing technology enabled Malkinson’s legal team and Appeal to discover Quinn’s DNA on pieces of the victim’s clothing.
Malkinson is pursuing compensation from British officials for his wrongful imprisonment and has questioned whether police improperly influenced the victim during the identification process.
Toby Wilton, representing Malkinson through law firm Hickman & Rose, stated: “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.”
The case’s repercussions continue with an ongoing public investigation launched after a 2024 review revealed institutional failures that could have cleared Malkinson ten years before his actual release.
Six Greater Manchester Police officers, including five former and one current member, face investigation while two senior officials from the agency responsible for reviewing potential wrongful convictions have stepped down.
The police department has issued an apology to Malkinson.
Detective Chief Superintendent Rebecca McKendrick, who leads the current investigation, commented: “We know this outcome has come two decades too late for those impacted by this case. However, we will not allow time to be a barrier to justice for anyone who has further information about Paul Quinn and any further potential sexual offending.”
