A man has finally been convicted for a brutal 2003 rape that saw innocent Andrew Malkinson locked up for 17 years.
Paul Quinn Found Guilty of 2003 Attack
Paul Quinn, 52, was found guilty by a jury on Friday following new forensic tests that matched his DNA to the victim. The father-of-six was convicted of two counts of rape, attempted strangulation, and grievous bodily harm. He was cleared of two indecent assault charges linked to the case. Quinn sat silently, head bowed, as the verdicts were read out.
Broader Investigation and Police Failures Exposed
Now under the spotlight, Quinn is being probed as a suspect in other serious sexual assaults, including three more rapes allegedly committed while he was free. Questions are mounting over Greater Manchester Police’s handling of the case. Quinn, a known sex offender living near the attack scene, was not investigated at the time. Instead, detectives chose to focus on Malkinson, who was wrongly convicted in 2004. Malkinson’s conviction was quashed in 2023 after spending nearly two decades in jail proclaiming his innocence – one of the UK’s most notorious miscarriages of justice.
DNA Evidence Ignored for Years
The breakthrough came when Quinn’s DNA was identified on the victim’s clothing in October 2022, but shockingly, police had known since 2007 that an unknown man’s DNA was present. They failed to pursue further testing back then. The Criminal Cases Review Commission also refused twice to trigger a court appeal, despite evidence that could have freed Malkinson much earlier. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is now investigating five former Greater Manchester officers for gross misconduct. One officer faces a criminal investigation, while a serving officer is probed for potential misconduct. The watchdog is also scrutinising destroyed evidence and the mishandling of witness information.
Paul Quinn’s Dark Past Comes to Light
- Quinn admitted in court the DNA on the victim’s torn vest was his.
- He claimed the woman was one of “hundreds” of local women he had “copped off with”.
- Quinn lived locally until 2017 before moving to Exeter, believed to be fleeing a drug debt.
- His criminal record includes two rapes of a 12-year-old girl in 1990 and 1991.
- He received a criminal caution at age 12 for indecent assault and was later convicted of burglary, assault, and arson in his teens.
During the trial, it emerged that Quinn had researched the case online in 2019, including Googling “wrongly convicted cases UK.” He also checked how long DNA is kept on databases, just weeks after news broke linking another man to the 2003 attack. Quinn’s DNA was collected as part of a 2012 Police operation targeting serious offenders whose crimes predated the national DNA database set up in 1995. This sample eventually led police to him in 2022.
