Who is Andrew Malkinson and how long did he spend in prison?
ANDREW MALKINSON was cleared by the Court of Appeal after spending nearly 20 years in jail for a crime he didn’t commit.
The man, from Grimsby, rejected a police apology after being cleared of raping a woman in 2003.
Who is Andrew Malkinson?
Malkinson is a man who was found guilty in 2003 of raping a woman in Greater Manchester.
He was jailed for life with a minimum term of seven years and was released in December 2020.
Andrew maintained his innocence throughout his ordeal, never wanting to “falsely confess” to the crime.
In January 2023, he had his case referred to the court by the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC).
He was then cleared on July 26, 2023, after DNA evidence implicated another man in the rape.
The other man is expected to be charged.
How long did Andrew Malkinson spend in prison?
Malkinson spent 17 years in prison.
Greater Manchester Police issued an apology to Andrew after he was cleared.
Assistant Chief Constable Sarah Jackson said: “We are truly sorry to Mr Malkinson that he is the victim of such a grave miscarriage of justice in being convicted of a crime he did not commit and serving a 17-year custodial sentence.
“Whilst we hope this outcome gives him a long overdue sense of justice, we acknowledge that it does not return the years he has lost.
“I have offered to meet with him to personally deliver this apology.”
What has Andrew Malkinson said?
Speaking after his conviction was overturned, Malkinson rejected the police apology as “meaningless” and “hollow”.
He also described the “extremely heavy toll” his 17 years in jail took on his mental health, saying he felt like he had been “kidnapped by the state”.
“It’s taken an extremely heavy toll on my person, my psyche, my psychology, my being, my soul,” Andrew said.
“I can’t articulate how I even managed to get through it.”
Describing his reaction to the moment he learned he had been cleared, Andrew told the Guardian: “The judge said, ‘You can walk away a free man,’ and that’s when I started shaking.
“My eyes welled up but I wasn’t ready to start crying.
“One of the first things I thought was, this means I can go away on holiday.”
Malkinson also spoke to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme about his financial situation, revealing that he is living on benefits and fears he may struggle to get a pay-out.
Malkinson said that in a “a normal course of events” he would expect compensation.
“I lived in Holland for a long time which is a libertarian country and that would be, I understand, just the natural result of all this,” he said.
“But in England, somehow it’s become the norm to fight tooth and nail after you’ve already fought tooth and nail to clear your name – it’s a whole new battle.
“They don’t like paying compensation and there’s resistance every step of the way.”