A man convicted of a 2003 rape has been sentenced to 24 years after DNA evidence linked him to the attack that previously led to an innocent man’s long imprisonment. Paul Quinn, 52, was found guilty at Manchester Crown Court of rape, strangulation and causing grievous bodily harm following the attack in Little Hulton, Salford on 19 July 2003.
Quinn was sentenced to 21 years in prison with an extended licence period of three years. He will be eligible to apply for parole after 14 years. The court heard jurors were told Quinn’s DNA was later identified on the victim’s vest and that he had searched online about how long police retain samples.
The case has stark links to one of Britain’s most serious miscarriages of justice. Andrew Malkinson was wrongly convicted for the same attack in 2004 and served more than 17 years in prison before his conviction was quashed. Malkinson, now 60, said he was “insulted” that Quinn had received a lighter effective sentence than the time he spent jailed for a crime he did not commit. He told reporters he hoped Quinn would serve a longer term than he had and that anything less would not be justice.
The victim, described by the judge as a “remarkable person”, gave an impact statement read in court and wept as her lawyer spoke. She said the assault changed her life: she was beaten, bitten, had a fractured cheekbone, was strangled unconscious and raped. She described permanent scarring and disfigurement that she lives with every day and acknowledged that another person had lost 17 years as a result of the investigation.
Mr Justice Robert Bright, addressing Quinn, said the court would remember the victim rather than the defendant and noted the “excruciating” experience of the survivor returning to court. He added that Quinn had enjoyed his liberty while an innocent man suffered the consequences of the investigation.
The trial heard Quinn, who has six children and now lives in Exeter but formerly lived in Little Hulton, stalked the victim as she walked home, dragged her from the street and down a motorway embankment. Saliva recovered from the victim’s top was later analysed and linked to Quinn. Detectives said the DNA match was crucial to identifying him as the attacker.
Quinn did not visibly react as sentence was imposed. The court was told he had previous sexual offences on his record: he was cautioned in 1986 for indecent assault and in 1992 was convicted of underage sexual offences. It was those earlier convictions that ultimately led to his DNA being on record and, later, to the match with evidence from the 2003 attack.
Greater Manchester Police said the conviction brings to a close the criminal chapter of this case and urged anyone else with information about Quinn or potential further offending to come forward. Senior investigating officer Detective Chief Superintendent Rebecca McKendrick said the outcome was two decades too late for those affected but that time would not be a barrier to pursuing justice. She also said GMP would support inquiries by the Independent Office for Police Conduct and a judge-led review into failings around the original investigation and Malkinson’s wrongful conviction.
Fallout from the case continues: a public inquiry is under way after a 2024 review found investigative failures that could have led to Malkinson’s earlier exoneration. The IOPC is investigating five former Greater Manchester Police officers and one currently serving officer, and the Criminal Cases Review Commission has seen senior resignations connected to the case.
