Little Hulton rape suspect ‘came home with shirt missing’

Catherine Quinn was giving evidence at the trial of Paul Quinn, 51, who is accused of raping a woman after dragging her away from a motorway bridge between Little Hulton and Farnworth in 2003.

More than 20 years on Mrs Quinn told Manchester Crown Court she had seen a report about the attack on the television news and joked to Quinn she hoped his shirt would not be found there.

Mrs Quinn said she and her ex-husband were together from 1996 to 2016 and that their divorce was finalised in 2019.

She said they kept in touch via phone calls and messages and that in December 2022 Quinn had told her that he had been “arrested and let go” about an incident that happened in 2003.

The trial opened at Manchester Crown Court (Image: Anthony Moss)

Mrs Quinn said: “He said it was about a lady who had been attacked at about that time.”

She added that the rape attack was “massive news at the time”.

Security guard Andrew Malkinson was arrested, convicted and spent 17 years in prison for the crime, of which the prosecution say he was entirely innocent.

Questioned by John Price KC, prosecuting, Mrs Quinn said she remember how her then husband had gone out on his own the night of the attack and came home with his shirt missing.

She said she remembered that when Quinn was hot or was dancing he would “take it off or open it” and that he would often go out on nights out in Farnworth without her.

Pressed by Mr Price, Mrs Quinn said she first heard about the rape investigation off Cleggs Lane when she saw a report about it on the television news.

The prosecution say Andrew Malkinson was wrongly convicted of the crime (Image: GMP)

This was after Quinn had come home with his shirt, which she described as cotton, white with vertical and horizonal blue stripes, missing.

Mrs Quinn said that on seeing the news about the rape investigation she jokingly told Quinn “I hope they don’t find it anywhere near there”.

Questioned by Lisa Wilding KC, defending, about how she could remember the design of the shirt so well after 20 years, Mrs Quinn said “Paul didn’t have many shirts”.

Ms Wilding suggested that Mrs Quinn could not have seen the TV report about the rape investigation the same day as her husband came home without his shirt.

She said no such report appeared until a day later and asked if Mrs Quinn could have been mistaken in how she remembered the timings.

Mrs Quinn said anybody’s memory could have been affected after “that amount of time”.

Further pressed by Mr Price on what she meant about hoping Quinn’s shirt was not found near the scene of the alleged rape, Mrs Quinn agreed it was a “kind of joke”.

She could not remember if in response he had laughed.

Next to give evidence was Clifford Anthony Minor, a friend of Quinn’s since primary school who had gone on to work with him as a fencer between 2002 and 2010.

Mr Minor said as a younger man he had often gone out to Chuffers nightclub on Market Street in Farnworth with Quinn, who had sometimes stayed out longer than him after meeting women.

He said he had never seen Quinn use cocaine or other drugs until around 2007 to 2008.

Questioned by Mr Price, Mr Minor said that if Quinn had ended the night in Chuffers by “getting off with girls” then he would end up going home on his own.

Quinn, of Whipton Barton Road, Exeter, denies two counts of rape, one count of attempt to strangle, and one count of assault, intending to cause grievous bodily harm.

The trial, before Mr Justice Robert Bright, continues.