Paul Quinn jailed 21 years for 2003 Salford rape that put innocent man away

Paul Quinn, 52, has been sentenced to 21 years at Manchester Crown Court for a rape that led to Andrew Malkinson's wrongful 17-year imprisonment.

Quinn sentenced to 21 years for Salford rape that wrongly imprisoned Andrew Malkinson

Paul Quinn, 52, was sentenced to 21 years in prison with a three-year extended licence period at Manchester Crown Court on Wednesday for the 2003 rape of a young mother in Salford, Greater Manchester — a crime for which innocent man Andrew Malkinson spent 17 years wrongly imprisoned.

According to the Daily Express, Quinn had been found guilty in April of rape, strangulation and grievous bodily harm following an attack on the woman as she walked home in July 2003.

Mr Justice Bright described the victim as "a remarkable person" and "a hero" during his sentencing remarks. "She, not you Paul Quinn, is the person from this case who I will remember for the rest of my days," the judge said. "She is truly a hero." He acknowledged how "excruciating" it had been for her to return to court for a second time.

The judge said the victim "thought she was going to die" during the attack. He added that she was "very lucky she did not die" and equally fortunate to have avoided significant brain damage given the oxygen deprivation she suffered. Mr Justice Bright described the strangulation as "extreme", as was the period of unconsciousness it caused. "The fact remains that these injuries were intentionally inflicted on a woman who lay on the ground, unconscious, and completely defenceless," he said.

The attack was, in the judge's words, "certainly unusually violent, even by the standards of stranger rapes."

Mr Justice Bright said the police's attention had "swiftly" turned to Andrew Malkinson, who was subsequently wrongly convicted. The judge revealed that Quinn had visited an archived news article on the Manchester Evening News website from 2004 relating to Malkinson's conviction — evidence that Quinn was aware both of what he had done to the victim and of the consequences for the innocent man who took his place in prison.

"Neither of these things appears to have troubled you at any point during the 20-plus years that have passed," the judge told Quinn.

Mr Justice Bright said the effects on Malkinson had been "dire." "It is utterly clear that you knew throughout that another man had been arrested, charged, convicted and imprisoned. You knew that his conviction was wrongful," he said.

In setting the sentence above the standard guideline range, the judge explained his reasoning directly. "I recognise that this is above the normal guideline range, even for a rape in the A1 category, but I consider this unavoidable given the extreme and unusual circumstances of this case," he said. A three-year extension period was added on grounds of dangerousness, bringing the total term to 24 years.

This is a developing story.

Source: Daily Express