Paul Quinn, 52, has been sentenced to 24 years in prison for a brutal rape that took place in Salford in 2003, a crime for which Andrew Malkinson was wrongly imprisoned in one of the worst miscarriages of justice in modern British history. Quinn evaded justice for nearly two decades until a fresh forensic analysis uncovered traces of his DNA on the victim's clothing.
The attack occurred when Quinn followed a woman for approximately one mile before dragging her into a secluded woodland area. There, he strangled her until she lost consciousness and then raped her twice. The victim, now in her late 50s, was present in the courtroom and wiped away tears as her attacker was sentenced.
Mr Justice Bright, the presiding judge, described the woman as a hero and noted that it was a minor miracle she survived. He said labels like victim, complainant, and survivor did not fully capture her strength. In a victim impact statement read to the court, the woman said the ordeal has stayed with her and will remain for life. She explained that she lives with permanent anxiety and constant fear, even in places like supermarkets, and that the attack changed her entire life.
Quinn, a father of six, was not investigated at the time of the rape despite being a convicted sex offender living near the scene. Instead, police focused on Malkinson, who was jailed in 2004 and spent 17 years in prison maintaining his innocence. His conviction was quashed in 2023, making it one of the most notorious miscarriages of justice in recent British history.
Authorities are now investigating Quinn as a potential suspect in other serious sexual assaults, including three rapes. The case is being examined by a judge-led inquiry and the police watchdog. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is investigating five former Greater Manchester police officers for gross misconduct, with one under criminal investigation. A sixth officer still serving is being investigated for misconduct. The IOPC is also looking into the destruction of evidence in the Malkinson case, the failure to disclose criminal histories of two key witnesses in the 2004 trial, and whether those witnesses were offered incentives to testify against the innocent man.
During sentencing, Judge Bright described the attack as the most grave, noting that the victim was abducted from a safe place and subjected to extreme violence. She was strangled until unconscious, punched with such force that her cheekbone was fractured, and her nipple was partially severed from a bite. The judge said it was a minor miracle she did not die or suffer significant brain damage.
Police and prosecutors had known since 2007 that an unidentified man's DNA was found on the victim's clothing but decided not to conduct further tests at that time. Quinn's DNA was finally identified in October 2022 after a fresh forensic review of the clothing samples. Quinn had previously lived in the Little Hulton area of Salford before moving to Exeter in 2017. He had a history of sexual offenses, including twice raping a 12-year-old girl when he was 16, and receiving a caution for indecent assault at age 12. He also had convictions for burglary, actual bodily harm, possessing an air gun, and arson with intent after setting fire to a wheelie bin outside an ex-girlfriend's home while she and her children were inside.
During the trial, it emerged that Quinn had repeatedly searched online for details about the Malkinson case, even before it became widely known as a miscarriage of justice.
