Calls to assessment ‘unduly lenient’ sentence for rapist in Andrew Malkinson miscarriage of justice | UK prison justice

The authorities’s most senior regulation officer has been requested to assessment the “unduly lenient” jail sentence handed to a rapist who evaded police for practically twenty years in one in all Britain’s largest miscarriages of justice.

Paul Quinn was jailed final week for at least 14 years, which means he might spend much less time in jail than Andrew Malkinson, who was wrongly convicted of his crime.

Malkinson, 60, spent 17 years behind bars earlier than his conviction was quashed in 2023. He mentioned he was “insulted and appalled” that Quinn had “got off so lightly”.

Yasmin Qureshi, a Labour MP, mentioned on Monday she had written to the legal professional common, Richard Hermer, to request the sentence be reviewed. The legal professional common has the facility to refer a case to a courtroom of attraction in the event that they suppose the sentence is just too lenient.

Qureshi mentioned: “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 added: “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.”

Sentencing Quinn at Manchester crown courtroom on Friday, Judge Bright mentioned it was a “minor miracle” the lady had survived the act of “direct physical evil” as she walked residence in Salford within the early hours of 19 July 2003.

He mentioned Quinn would serve a most of 21 years in jail however can be eligible for parole after 14, three years wanting the time period served by Malkinson.

Prosecutors had requested the choose to impose a life sentence however he declined, saying he was glad that Quinn had modified his life-style since 2017, when he left Salford after a medication dispute, though he nonetheless introduced “a significant risk of serious harm – not indefinitely, but for a period of some years”.

The girl, who had been strolling residence from her boyfriend’s home within the early hours of the morning, was strangled till she handed out earlier than being raped and punched with such power that her cheekbone was fractured. Her nipple was partly severed from a chunk.

Bright mentioned Quinn had kidnapped the lady from a protected place and “savagely” attacked her in “the most grave” method.

Qureshi mentioned: “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.”

A spokesperson for legal professional common’s workplace mentioned: “We have received a request for Paul Quinn’s sentence to be considered under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme.

“The law officers have 28 days from sentencing to carefully consider the case and make a decision.”