After 17 years behind bars for a crime he didn’t commit, Andrew Malkinson finally walked free yesterday, thanks to new DNA evidence linking the original perpetrator to the rape case.
In an emotional statement outside the Royal Courts of Justice, Malkinson expressed his relief and bitterness, accusing Greater Manchester Police (GMP) of ignoring his pleas and treating him as a “false fantasy”. forcing them to live while they insist on their guilt.
Malkinson’s painful journey through the justice system came to an end when the Court of Appeal overturned his conviction. No DNA evidence ever linked him to the crime, and the prosecution’s case rested entirely on selective eyewitness identification. “Today we told this court that I am innocent and they finally listened – but I have been innocent all my life,” he noted.
Throughout his imprisonment, Malkinson maintained his innocence and refused to make a false confession, which he claims earned him an additional ten years in prison. He expressed his frustration, “They claimed I was in denial and sentenced me to another 10 years in prison because I wouldn’t give a false confession… I’m not in denial, I’m not a liar – but I I’ll tell you. Who it is: Greater Manchester Police are liars! And they’re in denial.”
Malkinson’s case was reopened after new DNA evidence came to light, implicating another suspect who has now been arrested. Greater Manchester Police and the Crown Prosecution Service did not contest the appeal, leading three senior judges to acquit him.
Despite being relieved at his release, Malkinson shared the toll it took on his life, leaving him unemployed, homeless, and struggling to reintegrate into society. He asserted, “I spent 17 years guarding myself against every threat; 17 years counting the minutes to lock up so I could stay behind my door and be safe from other prisoners, safe from my own mind.” stay, thinking I will die there.”
GMP Assistant Chief Constable, Sarah Jackson, issued an apology to Malkinson, acknowledging the “serious miscarriage of justice”. However, the years of lost freedom and the traumas he endured are irreparable.
