Paul Quinn, 52, was sentenced to a minimum of 14 years in prison on Friday for a 2003 rape in Salford, for which Andrew Malkinson spent 17 years wrongfully imprisoned. The judge, Mr Justice Bright, described the attack as an act of 'direct physical evil' and said it was a 'minor miracle' the victim survived.
Quinn will be eligible for parole after 14 years, three years fewer than the term served by Malkinson before his conviction was quashed in 2023. Malkinson, 60, said he was 'insulted and appalled' that Quinn had 'got off so lightly', adding: 'I hope that this man does not get parole and that he serves longer than me. Anything less is not justice.'
The victim, now in her late 50s, told the court the attack had left her with permanent anxiety and a constant fear of being followed. 'For him, it was one night of his life. For me it was one night that changed my life,' she said. Quinn followed the woman for about a mile before dragging her into woodland, strangling her unconscious, and raping her twice.
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 protesting his innocence. His conviction was quashed in 2023 in one of the most notorious miscarriages of justice in modern British history.
The judge declined to impose a life sentence, saying Quinn had changed his lifestyle since 2017 but still posed 'a significant risk of serious harm – not indefinitely, but for a period of some years'. Sources close to the investigation suggested the sentence could be referred to the attorney general for being too lenient.
Quinn is now being investigated as a potential suspect in other serious sexual assaults, including three rapes. The Independent Office for Police Conduct is investigating five former Greater Manchester police officers for gross misconduct, including one under criminal investigation, over the handling of the Malkinson case.
