Description
We’ve commended the bravery of a woman whose courage has led to a man being convicted of a violent rape in Little Hulton, 22 years after the wrong man was sent to prison.
Paul Quinn (52), now of Exeter, was today (Friday 17 April 2026) unanimously found guilty of two counts of rape, one count of choking with intent and one count of grievous bodily harm. He was convicted after a jury heard six weeks of evidence at Manchester Crown Court.
It follows the victim showing tremendous courage in supporting our investigation, which has meant reliving the attack and going through the court process for a second time.
The original investigation into the attack, in the summer of 2003, wrongly led us to the arrest and prosecution of the innocent Andrew Malkinson, who served 17 years in prison before clearing his name at the Court of Appeal in 2023.
We remain deeply sorry to the victim of this heinous attack, and Mr Malkinson, as the victim of a grave miscarriage of justice, for failing to bring the true attacker to justice during our original investigation.
Today’s verdicts bring an end to an investigation launched in 2022 when DNA samples from our original investigation, which returned no forensic hits at the time, came back to forensically match Quinn.
The events of 19 July 2003 were horrific - the victim was brutally attacked by Quinn and left for dead. Despite the severity of the attack the victim was able to provide detectives with details of her attacker, what he looked like and what he had said during the attack.
The victim recalled the attacker had a shiny appearance with a hairless chest and had his shirt open during the attack. The description provided by the victim was supported by eyewitness accounts provided in 2003 and further corroborated by evidence obtained from those close to Quinn during the reinvestigation.
Witnesses described Quinn’s prevalent sweating, his tendency to shave his chest during the summer months, and the fact that on the night of the attack he returned home without his shirt.
In 2022 a full DNA profile matching Quinn was located on the vest top the victim had been wearing when she was attacked. Quinn, then of Exeter but living in Little Hulton at the time of the attack, was arrested and interviewed.
When faced with the compelling evidence against him Quinn sought to explain away the presence of his DNA by claiming to have slept with two or three women a weekend at the time of the attack.
Quinn also claimed to have little knowledge of the incident beyond the fact that he recalled there had been some media coverage at the time, that an e-fit image of the attacker had been created and publicised by investigators, and that there had been an arrest.
However, our subsequent enquiries into Quinn’s phone history showed a considerable recent interest in the case during the time when Mr Malkinson was successfully campaigning to prove his innocence.
The investigation team worked tirelessly alongside the Crown Prosecution Service to present a clear and compelling case to the jury to prove that Quinn's explanations were nothing more than a desperate attempt to evade justice.
Throughout both investigations, the victim showed immense bravery and determination to get justice. Our investigators particularly commend her courage to support the GMP of today when having to relive the trauma of the attack during a second investigation, two decades later, to help successfully hold Quinn responsible.
Our team of investigators led a meticulous inquiry with a firm focus on bringing the right man to justice. The unprecedented circumstances of the case required detectives to assess more than 6000 documents, review 760 exhibits, and obtain 275 witness statements, including former officers.
The team has kept the victim updated throughout alongside specialist supporting agencies.
Assistant Chief Constable Steph Parker said:
“Today has come two decades too late for all involved in this horrendous case. To the victim of this heinous crime and to Andrew Malkinson, the victim of this profound miscarriage of justice, I apologise sincerely and unreservedly on behalf of Greater Manchester Police.
“I want to pay tribute to the victim who has shown unbreakable strength from day one to help bring her attacker to justice. And I commend the courage of Mr Malkinson who, despite everything, has supported this case. Our words can never repair the harm caused by this ordeal.
"Paul Quinn is a dangerous man. He is the one responsible for this horrific attack, and he has known it all along for more than 20 years. The harm he has done to the victim and the cowardice of watching the wrong man go to prison for his crime is unforgivable.
“The officers and staff working on this reinvestigation have put everything into bringing the true attacker to book. I want to thank the whole team for their unwavering commitment to getting long-awaited justice for the victim.
“However, while this is a significant moment for all concerned, I know today’s outcome only ends the criminal chapter in this case. We will continue to support the ongoing inquiry into Mr Malkinson’s wrongful conviction, and the Independent Office for Police Conduct’s investigation, to get much needed answers for all concerned.”
Detective Chief Superintendent Rebecca McKendrick, senior investigating officer on the case, said:
“My thoughts today are with the victim of this horrific attack who, despite having to relive the events of that night during a second investigation, has shown great strength in supporting the investigation team’s efforts to bring her attacker to justice. I hope that she can finally move on with her life knowing that her true attacker is now behind bars.
“Throughout this unprecedented investigation, my team and I have known the importance of making sure we get this absolutely right for everyone connected with this case.
"We began with crucial evidence that identified Quinn as a suspect, but it was only through painstaking investigative work involving numerous experts and witnesses that we have been able to satisfy the jury of Quinn’s guilt.
“Paul Quinn is a very dangerous man who has clearly been a risk to women. We are alive to the possibility he may have offended on more than this one occasion, and so I encourage anyone with information or concerns relating to the details of this case to know they can approach us in confidence.
“This case demonstrates that every contact leaves a trace. Put simply: if you’re an offender, you will be caught, and if you’re a victim, time is no barrier to justice.”