Man Accused of 2003 Rape Searched Malkinson Case Online
A jury at Manchester Crown Court has been informed that Paul Quinn, who denies raping a woman in Little Hulton, Salford, in 2003, conducted frequent internet searches related to the case involving Andrew Malkinson. Malkinson was wrongfully imprisoned for 17 years for the same attack before his conviction was overturned in 2023.
Andrew Malkinson was convicted in 2004 despite the absence of DNA evidence at his trial. Subsequent advances in forensic science excluded Malkinson's DNA from the victim and her clothing. The court heard that DNA recovered from the victim matched that of Paul Quinn.
During a police interview, Quinn admitted to being very promiscuous while residing in Salford at the time of the alleged offence, claiming to have had sexual relations with thousands of women.
Prosecution Details Quinn's Internet Activity and Malkinson's Campaign
John Price KC, prosecuting, outlined the extensive campaign Andrew Malkinson undertook to prove his innocence, which garnered increasing media attention over the years.
Price revealed that Quinn had conducted internet searches about the Malkinson case three years before he was informed of a DNA profile linking him to the crime.
"His [Mr Quinn's] research was undertaken by him before ever he was told about the DNA which had been found and which matched with his profile."
"If what [he] said in the [police] interview on December 13 2022 is true and he is not the person who attacked [the alleged victim] then prior to the day of the interview, he would have had no earthly reason to believe that he should ever be suspected of committing a crime, which after all, by then, had occurred so very many years ago."
Price also noted Quinn's limited interest in news websites generally, but highlighted that the Andrew Malkinson campaign was an exception that caught his attention before it gained prominence in 2020.
"The data recovered from [Mr Quinn's] Gmail account shows he was someone who had little interest in what might be called news outlet websites.
He very rarely visited them. But there was one news story which did catch his eye. It was the Andrew Malkinson campaign, and Paul Quinn was onto it before it became prominent in 2020."
Significant Changes in Quinn's Internet Searches After DNA Link Revealed
Price informed the jury that Quinn's internet browsing habits changed markedly after media reports in 2022 disclosed that DNA evidence linked another man to the crime.
"The available evidence shows a very profound change in [Paul Quinn's] internet-browsing habits not long after information [about the DNA] was published. A man now living in Exeter, in Devon, he searched the website of Manchester Evening News, including its front page, on 249 occasions between 16th August 2022 and 13th December 2022."
The prosecution further stated that Quinn conducted online searches concerning the retention period of DNA samples on police databases. The jury was told that Quinn had provided a DNA sample in 2012, indicating his awareness that his DNA was stored in the national database at the time of his 2022 searches.
Charges and Denials
Paul Quinn denies charges of rape, strangulation, and inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent.
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