Paul Quinn, a sex offender, has been sentenced to 24 years in prison for a brutal rape that occurred in 2003, a crime for which Andrew Malkinson was wrongly convicted and imprisoned for 17 years. Quinn, now 52, attacked a woman in the Little Hulton area of Salford, leading to Malkinson's wrongful conviction the following year. This case is considered one of the most significant miscarriages of justice in British history.

Quinn's DNA was eventually discovered on the victim's vest, a crucial piece of evidence that came to light after extensive investigation. The court heard that Quinn had also conducted online searches regarding how long police retain DNA samples, suggesting a potential awareness of the evidence against him. The father-of-six, originally from Exeter but formerly of Little Hulton, was also found guilty of strangulation and causing grievous bodily harm.

During the sentencing at Manchester Crown Court, Quinn received a 24-year sentence, comprising 21 years imprisonment and an additional three-year extended licence period. He will be eligible for parole in 14 years. Quinn did not show any reaction as the sentence was delivered. The victim, who has been referred to as a hero by the judiciary, was subjected to a violent assault.

Malkinson, who was released in 2020 and whose conviction was finally quashed in 2023, expressed his profound disappointment and insult at the sentence handed down to Quinn. He stated that it was insulting for the "violent, depraved individual" who allowed him to suffer "two decades of vilification and more than 17 years wrongly imprisoned" to receive a lesser sentence than his own life imprisonment, which he served for over 17 years without certainty of release.

The attack took place in the early hours of July 19, 2003. Quinn, then 29, assaulted a young mother in her 30s as she walked home. The victim endured a severe beating, including being bitten and suffering a fractured cheekbone, before being strangled unconscious and raped. Malkinson, working as a security guard at the time, was misidentified at an identity parade despite maintaining his innocence.

Despite several appeals against his conviction in 2012 and 2020, Malkinson remained incarcerated. His release only came in 2020, more than 17 years after his initial sentencing. The Court of Appeal finally overturned his conviction in 2023 after new evidence emerged, including the DNA analysis of the victim's vest top, which had been recovered and identified in 2007, definitively ruling out Malkinson as the perpetrator.

The discovery of Quinn's DNA on the victim's clothing was a pivotal moment in the investigation, providing the irrefutable link to the actual perpetrator. This evidence, coupled with Quinn's online searches, formed the basis of the prosecution's case against him.

Malkinson expressed his hope that Quinn would not be granted parole and would ultimately serve a longer sentence than he endured. He emphasized that anything less than justice for the prolonged suffering he experienced would be unacceptable.