Man wrongfully convicted of rape in 2003 has conviction overturned by Court of Appeal after 18 years in prison

Andrew Malkinson, 57, was jailed in 2004 for the attack on a woman in Salford, serving 17 years in prison before his case was referred to the Court of Appeal in January this year.

The court heard that new evidence pointed to another potential suspect, and Mr Malkinson was cleared by senior judges on Thursday.

Speaking outside the court, he said: "When a jury finds you guilty when you are innocent, reality does not change.

You know you did not commit the crime, but all the people around you start living in a false fantasy universe and treat you as if you are guilty." Mr Malkinson was first arrested in his hometown of Grimsby, two weeks after the assault and attempted murder in Salford, and was found guilty following a trial in 2003.

He was sentenced to life with a minimum term of seven years, but served a further 10 years in jail after his tariff expired.

Despite applying twice for his case to be reviewed by the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), Mr Malkinson was turned down, and he was not granted parole until December 2020.

The CCRC later commissioned its own testing which found that DNA from the victim's clothing matched another man on the national police database.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and Greater Manchester Police (GMP) confirmed in May that they would not contest a fresh appeal, and a man was arrested and released under investigation in light of the new information.

However, no decision has been made on whether he will be charged.

After the hearing, Mr Malkinson said: "It has taken nearly 20 years to persuade my kidnappers to let me go." He added that he was "left outside this court without an apology, without an explanation, jobless, homeless, expected to simply slip back into the world with no acknowledgement of the gaping black hole they opened up in my life." The case highlights the importance of the criminal justice system being able to identify and correct miscarriages of justice, and the need for continued scrutiny and A man who spent 18 years in prison for a crime he did not commit has had his conviction overturned by the Court of Appeal.

Andrew Malkinson, who was convicted of a rape in Salford in 2003, was cleared by judges who said there had been a "grave miscarriage of justice".

Ms Hose, the mother of the victim, has said she is "no longer a deluded mother" and her son is "no longer a monster".

However, she added that the damage to Mr Malkinson's reputation and the fact that the true offender has not been brought to justice will remain.

The court heard that there were grave failures in the handling of the original case by Greater Manchester Police (GMP) that may have led to a wrongful conviction.

The Court of Appeal has now ordered a fresh investigation into the case.

The judge said that the case raised "substantial and important" points about the handling of evidence and that a further decision would be given in writing.

GMP has apologized for the "grave miscarriage of justice" and conceded that there were failures in the handling of the case.

The force's Assistant Chief Constable said that the true offender may still be at large and that the force was determined to work with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to ensure that the true offender is convicted.

The case highlights the importance of fair and impartial handling of evidence in criminal cases.

It also underscores the need for ongoing review and investigation into potential wrongful convictions.

The Court of Appeal's decision to overturn Mr Malkinson's conviction is a reminder that justice can be a long and difficult road for those who have been wrongfully convicted.