Manchester Rape Trial Defendant Testifies He Cannot Explain DNA Evidence
Paul Quinn, a 51-year-old man accused of a 2003 rape that led to the wrongful imprisonment of Andrew Malkinson for 17 years, has told a jury at Manchester Crown Court that he does not know how his DNA was found on the victim's clothing. Quinn, a father of six, was arrested in December 2022 after fresh forensic analysis linked his genetic material to the victim's vest and bra, items recovered from the crime scene nearly two decades earlier.
Defendant's Testimony and Cross-Examination
During his testimony on Thursday, Quinn acknowledged that his DNA was present on the victim's garments but insisted he had no knowledge of how it got there. When questioned by his barrister, Lisa Wilding KC, about whether the DNA resulted from him raping and attacking the woman, Quinn firmly replied, "No." The defendant provided a DNA sample to police in December 2012, a full decade after the assault, and later searched online for information regarding how long such samples are retained on databases.
Under cross-examination by prosecutor John Price KC, Quinn could not account for searches on his phone in 2019 related to "Andrew Malkinson" and "wrongly convicted cases UK." Price suggested that these searches indicated Quinn knew Malkinson's conviction was wrongful long before it was officially quashed in 2023, a claim Quinn denied. The prosecutor further highlighted a significant increase in Quinn's visits to the Manchester Evening News homepage in late summer 2022, coinciding with the emergence of new DNA evidence linking a suspect to the rape. Quinn attributed this change to altered work break patterns, not an interest in case updates.
Background and Additional Charges
Quinn described himself as "very promiscuous" around the time of the 2003 attack, suggesting this might explain the DNA transfer. In police interviews, he admitted to being unfaithful to his former wife, Catherine Quinn, during their 20-year marriage, which ended in separation in 2016. He expressed remorse, calling himself a "disgrace" and "disgusting" for engaging in unprotected sex with strangers. At the time of his arrest, Quinn was living in Exeter and involved in a new relationship.
Earlier on Thursday, Quinn pleaded not guilty to two additional charges of indecent assault, which were added to the indictment to address discrepancies between the prosecution and defense regarding the original rape charges. Judge Mr Justice Bright KC clarified to jurors that, under 2003 law, rape specifically requires penetration by a penis, whereas other forms of non-consensual sexual penetration constitute different offenses.
The trial continues as the jury deliberates the complex evidence surrounding this high-profile case, which has drawn significant attention due to its connection to Andrew Malkinson's wrongful conviction and subsequent exoneration.
