Suspect Describes DNA Inquiry as 'Complete Coincidence' Following Forensic Breakthrough
A man accused of a 2003 rape has told a jury his internet searches about DNA testing were a "complete coincidence" following a police breakthrough in the case. Paul Quinn, 51, from Exeter, Devon, faces allegations of sexually assaulting a woman on July 19, 2003, on Cleggs Lane in Little Hulton, Salford, Greater Manchester.
Wrongful Conviction Preceded New Investigation
Another individual, Andrew Malkinson, was originally misidentified in a police lineup, convicted, and imprisoned for the brutal attack. He served seventeen years in prison before being released in December 2020, with judges ultimately overturning his conviction in July 2023 to fully exonerate him.
Law enforcement authorities subsequently reopened the investigation, achieving a significant DNA breakthrough. Forensic evidence from the victim's vest top revealed genetic material from a previously unknown suspect.
Internet Searches Followed News Reports
After news of the forensic development became public, Quinn conducted online searches regarding how long police retain DNA samples, according to court testimony. The defendant reportedly began to "fear a knock on the door" from officers following these inquiries.
Advanced testing methods eventually produced a billion-to-one match between Quinn's DNA and the genetic material recovered from the victim's clothing. The father of six has now appeared at Manchester Crown Court, where he denies any involvement in the rape.
Prosecution Presents Timeline of Searches
Prosecutor John Price KC informed the jury that news of the new DNA evidence emerged in August 2022. He stated that Quinn, who had relocated from Little Hulton to Exeter by that time, began conducting internet searches on his iPhone, sometimes during late-night hours.
The defendant, who was twenty-nine years old at the time of the alleged attack, also searched for information about excessive sweating. Mr. Price questioned Quinn directly about his emotional state during this period.
"Did it keep you awake? Couldn't you sleep? Were you feeling anxious at the time? Were you worried?" the prosecutor asked.
"No," Quinn responded.
The legal representative continued: "And you were frightened if they had that DNA on the database still, it would come up with a match for yours - which is what happened?"
"No," Quinn answered again.
Defendant Claims Inquisitive Nature
Quinn explained that he conducted the online searches because he possessed an "inquisitive" nature after police collected his DNA in 2012 and because he maintained an interest in true crime television programmes.
Mr. Price pressed further: "So, is it then, a coincidence, you did this so shortly after the existence of DNA in the Malkinson case, became public?"
"Complete coincidence," Quinn replied.
"The truth, isn't it Mr Quinn," the prosecutor continued, "is by the late summer and autumn of 2022, you feared the police would be knocking on your door?"
"Not at all," the defendant responded. "That didn't interest me."
Mr. Price indicated that evidence demonstrated Quinn had periodically searched online for information about developments in the case. Concluding his cross-examination, the lawyer stated: "Then Mr Quinn, there came the day I suggest, when you learned of the new DNA evidence and you started to sweat?"
"No, I have always been a hot-blooded person," the defendant said.
Mr. Price added: "It's you who did it. And that's why your DNA is on her vest top, part of which was bitten by you."
Original Victim Returns to Testify
The victim of the original rape, who was in her thirties with young children at the time, was walking home when the assault occurred. She was attacked from behind during the early morning hours at the height of summer.
The woman was strangled unconscious, beaten, and subjected to two rapes during what has been described as a "prolonged assault" down a motorway embankment. She identified Mr. Malkinson as her attacker during a digital identification parade days after the assault, but expressed doubts during the subsequent trial.
The woman is now providing evidence in court for a second time, following Mr. Malkinson's exoneration and Quinn's identification as the primary suspect. She told the jury that police advised her not to worry ahead of Mr. Malkinson's trial, suggesting that second thoughts were normal due to "trial nerves."
Lisa Wilding KC, representing Quinn, stated: "At no stage, after that day in 2004, did you go to the police and say, 'I have got that wrong'."
The woman, who cannot be identified, replied: "I did. I remember one of the trials telling one of them, I was not too sure it was the right man and they said, 'Don't worry, it's just trial nerves'. I was very naive, I was scared coming into the court. I was reassured it was fine, it was the right man."
She continued: "I said, 'I was not sure it was the right man', and he said it was trial nerves and a lot of people think this and it will be okay."
Ms. Wilding asked: "Who said that? A policeman?"
"Yes," the witness answered.
The lawyer responded: "If that was right, you could have said 'I'm not sure' but you didn't."
The witness explained: "No, because I was reassured, I got nervous and the evidence, the process of the court, it was not just on my identification. The other things will tell whether he was guilty or not. I said I was unsure because I had not seen the other gentleman with glasses on, so it threw me a bit. I was unsure, then reassured, it was just nerves. I was reassured that it was normal to have second thoughts."
Legal Proceedings and Charges
Quinn has pleaded not guilty to two counts of rape, two alternative counts of indecent assault, grievous bodily harm, and attempting to choke or strangle his victim to render her unconscious. The trial has been adjourned until Tuesday of next week.
Mr. Malkinson, 60, from Grimsby, Lincolnshire, who was originally accused of the crime, was compelled to make multiple appeals for authorities to review his case. His final attempt ultimately led to the Court of Appeal granting his appeal against conviction.
Legal representatives at Quinn's trial have described Mr. Malkinson's case as "a most terrible miscarriage of justice, one of the worst there has been." Jurors previously heard that Mr. Malkinson first appealed against his conviction in 2006, but this was dismissed. He made two subsequent attempts in 2009 and 2018 to ask the Criminal Cases Review Commission to send his case to the Court of Appeal, both of which were rejected before his final attempt in 2021 succeeded.
