A man named Andrew Malkinson, who was wrongly imprisoned for 17 years, is calling for a thorough investigation into the police following the conviction of the real perpetrator of a brutal rape incident.

Paul Quinn, aged 52, was found guilty on Friday for a 2003 sexual assault that Andrew had been mistakenly jailed for. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is investigating five former Greater Manchester Police (GMP) officers and one current officer in connection with the case. The chair and chief executive of the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) have resigned in light of this development.

A public inquiry has been initiated after a 2024 review highlighted shortcomings that could have cleared Andrew’s name nearly a decade earlier. Andrew continues to be a victim of one of the most severe miscarriages of justice in British legal history.

Expressing his demand for transparency, Andrew stated to The Sunday Times, “I want a fearless investigation and comprehensive answers now. These were not innocent errors. The police deliberately overlooked evidence of my innocence, destroyed crucial information, and hindered my attempts to prove my innocence. People must be held accountable for these decisions.”

Following a six-week trial at Manchester Crown Court, Quinn was convicted of assaulting a young mother in Little Hulton, Salford, in 2003. Despite Andrew, who worked as a security guard at a local shopping center, protesting his innocence, he was falsely identified in a lineup and imprisoned. The victim had expressed doubts about identifying the right man during her testimony in 2003, but the police dismissed her concerns as mere trial nerves.

DNA evidence from the victim’s clothing, recovered and identified in 2007, excluded Andrew as the perpetrator, a fact that should have raised suspicions, as heard in court. Quinn, a father of six and a registered sex offender since the age of 12, was arrested nearly two decades after the trial when his DNA profile matched saliva found on the victim’s clothing.

In 2022, advancements in DNA testing revealed a billion-to-one match with Quinn’s DNA, leading to his arrest. Meanwhile, Andrew, hailing from Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire, had faced multiple unsuccessful appeals until his release in 2020, with his conviction overturned by the Court of Appeal in 2023.

Reflecting on the ordeal, Andrew shared with The Sunday Times, “The police should have focused on Quinn instead of pursuing me, especially when the victim had doubts about my involvement.” He expressed relief at the recent developments and hoped for the victim’s peace of mind.

Andrew’s mother, Trish Hose, described her son as profoundly impacted by the wrongful conviction, emotionally and psychologically. She criticized the Greater Manchester Police and the Criminal Cases Review Commission for their incompetence in handling the evidence, allowing the true perpetrator to remain at large.

Regarding the victim, Ms. Hose expressed empathy, acknowledging the challenging circumstances she faced believing her attacker was incarcerated. Assistant Chief Constable Steph Parker of GMP issued a sincere and unreserved apology for the delayed justice in the case.

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