Her husband put his arm around her, sharing a caring word or glance, as she relived the worst day of her life. Friday, June 12, 2026 was a day of contradictions.
Although it was a day when she finally saw justice in court in her case, it was also a day to reflect on the untold harm and misery caused by that notorious night more than 20 years ago.
In court that day, while sat feet away from the man who had so brutally and viciously attacked her, the circumstances surrounding her ordeal were rehearsed again.
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This was a man who had not only horrendously violated his victim in what a judge described as ‘direct, physical evil’, but also committed ‘indirect evil’ against an innocent man who found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time.
In 2003, the woman, then 33, had been making her way home through the streets of Little Hulton in the early hours. She had been at her boyfriend’s home, but decided to make her way home on foot. Suddenly, she was swept off her feet and pushed down a motorway embankment.
There, she was subjected to horrors which have remained with her for the rest of her life. She was knocked unconscious, raped, and brutally attacked. What would follow would become one of the worst miscarriages of justice in the English criminal justice system.
Andrew Malkinson, a wholly innocent man, was wrongly picked out as the attacker and ended up serving 17 years in prison before he was eventually cleared.
Paul Quinn, the true attacker, had watched on for almost two decades. His internet search history revealed he was aware of Mr Malkinson’s plight, and was actively researching it as he remained a free man.
‘I live in constant fear’
Judge Mr Justice Bright told Quinn, who remained emotionless throughout his sentencing hearing: “It is utterly clear that you knew, throughout, that another man had been arrested, charged, convicted and imprisoned.
“You knew that his conviction was wrongful. You also knew that it was extremely useful to you. It must have preyed on your conscience that another man was in prison, in effect serving your sentence; it certainly should have preyed on your conscience. But you were only too willing to sit back and take advantage of his misfortune.
“It is true that you never did anything positive to implicate Mr Malkinson. However, but for your offending, he would never even have been questioned.”
The woman said in her victim impact statement: “After 20 years, I now have justice but that does not change the fact that two lives have been impacted in such a way. I am aware that someone has had 17 years robbed as a result of this case and that stays with me.”
For the first time, the victim told in detail how her ordeal has affected her and remained with her every day for those two decades, as she was lauded as a ‘hero’ by the judge.
“Every day I look at my face and see the disfigurement, the scarring,” she said in a statement read on her behalf by prosecutors in court.
“It is a permanent reminder of that night and what I experienced. I have to live with that. I have always been a little reserved, take time to come out of my shell but following those events, everything changed.
“I live in constant fear that someone is behind me, even in places that others wouldn’t consider a risk, like the supermarket. The permanent state of anxiety which has stopped me feeling able to socialise, always wanting to get home and shut the door as quickly as possible.
“With work, home and a couple of appointments with known individuals being the only places I can muster up enough courage to attend alone. For everything else, I have my family or husband who escort me and reassure me, try and make me feel safe.
“The impact has been massive but the ripple effect on my family has also been hard to watch, not being able to stay more than a couple of hours at family gatherings, wanting to head back to the room after tea on holiday instead of enjoying the scenery, not opening up about how I feel for fear of not being able to put everything back in its box.”
‘I will remember her for the rest of my days’
She was in court as Quinn was sentenced to 21 years in prison after being found guilty of two counts of rape and well as inflicting GBH and a charge of attempting to choke, suffocate or strangle with intent. He will serve two-thirds of the sentence, before he can be considered for release by the Parole Board.
She looked on ahead as Quinn, to her right, wearing a blue navy jumper, white t-shirt and glasses, listened intently. Before passing sentence, the judge paid tribute to the bravery of the victim in Quinn’s case as well as other rape survivors.
He said: “Much has been said in the last several years about how uncomfortable our processes are for people who have endured rape, having to tell their story over and over again, to the police, to the CPS and ultimately to the jury.
“I am well aware that, in fact, there are, nowadays, scores of carefully trained and sensitive professionals, in the police, in the CPS, in witness support, and in several other bodies, who go to great lengths to care for and help the people affected. I wish that the excellent work they do were better publicised.
“Nevertheless, it is an undeniably uncomfortable process. The people who put themselves through it are, in my view, heroic. For me, the only word for them is not complainant or victim; nor, even, survivor. It is hero.
“That is how I choose to think of the woman at the heart in this case. She, not you, Paul Quinn, is the person, from this case, whom I will remember for the rest of my days. She is, truly, a hero.”
‘Insulted’
Mr Malkinson issued a statement after the hearing, telling how he felt ‘insulted’ by the judge’s sentencing and believed Quinn had ‘gotten off lightly’.
He said: “I am insulted that this violent, depraved individual – who was content to let me suffer two decades of vilification and more than 17 years wrongly imprisoned for his crime – has received a softer sentence than was imposed on me, an innocent man.
“I got sentenced to life imprisonment and served more than 17 years inside. Throughout that time I didn’t know if I would ever be released.
“Paul Quinn, who has a track record of violence and sexual offences, and who let me rot whilst he enjoyed his freedom, could now be out after just 14 years, and will certainly be out after 21 years. I hope that this man does not get parole and that he serves longer than me. Anything less is not justice.
“I am also appalled for the victim, who has suffered so gravely and whose real attacker has today gotten off lightly. My thoughts are with her and her loved ones – who I hope today nevertheless brings some peace.”
Just the beginning
Following the conclusion of Quinn’s criminal case, the focus turns to an inquiry set up to examine how such a grave miscarriage of justice took place. The inquiry, led by Old Bailey judge Sarah Munro KC, was paused while Quinn’s trial was ongoing.
An update on the inquiry’s website said: “Now that the Jury at Manchester Crown Court have returned their verdicts on 17 April 2026 in a trial presided over by Mr Justice Bright, the Inquiry can recommence and continue its work to discharge and address the Terms of Reference which will ultimately result in the publication of the Andrew Malkinson Inquiry Report. Further updates will be provided as soon as the Inquiry is able.”
An investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) remains ongoing. The watchdog previously said four retired GMP officers were under investigation for potential gross misconduct in connection with the case. That number is now five. Another officer, who is still serving, is being investigated for possible misconduct.
One of the former officers is also under criminal investigation for potential offences of misconduct in public office and perverting the course of justice.
In an update released following the trial, IOPC director Amanda Rowe said: “A team of highly experienced investigators continues to carefully consider Mr Malkinson’s complaints, relating to the actions of GMP during the investigation and the trial in 2004.
“This is a hugely complex and time-consuming process, in part because of the passage of time and the large amount of evidence and lines of inquiry to consider, but our work is vital to get Mr Malkinson the answers he deserves and give the public confidence that, when things go wrong like this, there will be scrutiny and lessons will be learned.
“Now that the criminal matters have concluded, we will consider how any evidence heard during the trial may affect our investigation and resume paused lines of inquiry, including approaching witnesses we believe may be able to assist us.
“We understand the impact this investigation will have for those involved and we will do everything in our power to conclude matters as soon as possible, while ensuring all of Mr Malkinson’s complaints are thoroughly investigated.”
Appeal for other potential victims
GMP are also investigating whether Quinn may have committed similar offences between 2003 and his prosecution in this case. No evidence has currently been found, but it is a line of enquiry which detectives are pursuing.
After the hearing, Detective Chief Superintendent Rebecca McKendrick, senior investigating officer on the case, said: “When Paul Quinn attacked and raped a lone woman late that night in July 2003, he knew what he had done. He knew his crime was horrific and he knew how cowardly he was for watching another man go to prison.
“Twenty years later, he denied it – telling us he would have been ashamed of committing such an offence. Well tonight I hope that shame runs deep to his core.
“We know this outcome has come two decades too late for those impacted by this case. However, we will not allow time to be a barrier to justice for anyone who has further information about Paul Quinn and any further potential sexual offending. To commit such a violent attack raises concerns that there may be other victims out there.
“If you believe you have been a victim or have information you have not yet shared with us, please know we want to hear from you. We promise you that we will support you and we will listen to you.”
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