A Salford MP has written to the Attorney General urging a review of the sentence handed to the perpetrator of a Salford rape attack, for which Andrew Malkinson was wrongly jailed.
Paul Quinn, 52, was given a 24-year sentence for attacking a woman in Little Hulton in 2003 but could be eligible for parole in 14 years.
The father of six kept the secret of his brutal rape of a young mother to himself for 23 years while the innocent Mr Malkinson spent 17 years behind bars in one of the worst miscarriages of justice in British history.
After Quinn was jailed for 24 years at Manchester Crown Court, Mr Malkinson said he was “insulted” by the soft sentence given to the real rapist.
Now Yasmin Qureshi MP, Member of Parliament for Bolton South and Walkden, has written to the Attorney General, Lord Hermer KC, urging him to refer the sentence handed to Paul Quinn to the Court of Appeal over concerns it was unduly lenient.
In her letter to Lord Hermer, Ms Qureshi acknowledged that the sentencing judge imposed a term above the standard guideline range and clearly considered the case with care.
However, she argued that the totality of Quinn’s offending, including the extreme and prolonged violence inflicted on the victim, the deliberate isolation and abduction, the lasting physical and psychological harm caused, and the extraordinary injustice done to Mr Malkinson, placed this case in a category of exceptional gravity that warrants scrutiny by the Court of Appeal.
Ms Qureshi also highlighted that Quinn was aware throughout that an innocent man had been convicted and imprisoned for his crimes, and chose to remain silent for years. The sentencing judge identified this as a highly unusual and serious aggravating factor.
Speaking after writing to the Attorney General, Yasmin Qureshi MP said: “This conviction was meant to close the door on one of the gravest miscarriages of justice this country has ever seen. An innocent man spent 17 years in prison for a crime he did not commit.
“A woman who was raped and subjected to appalling violence has had to relive that trauma in court, more than 20 years on, to ensure that the man who attacked her was finally held to account.”
She continued: “It cannot be right that the actual perpetrator of these crimes may serve less time in prison than the innocent man who was wrongly convicted for them. That is especially troubling given that Quinn knew of Andrew Malkinson’s wrongful imprisonment and said nothing.
“As a barrister and a former prosecutor at the Crown Prosecution Service, I know that sentencing guidelines exist to guide courts, not to cap them. In cases of exceptional gravity, judges have the power to go further. I trust that if this is referred to the Court of Appeal, the Crown will seek a sentence that truly reflects the seriousness of what was done.”
Ms Qureshi’s letter comes days after Mr Malkinson said depraved perpetrator Quinn had been given a “stronger sentence” than the one he was incorrectly handed, despite evading justice for decades.
“I got sentenced to life imprisonment and served more than 17 years inside,” Malkinson said in a statement released on Friday. “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 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.”
