Man Denies Rape Despite DNA Evidence

On March 26, a 51-year-old man named Paul Quinn is on trial for a brutal attack from July 19, 2003, in Little Holton near Southford.

He faces charges of two counts of rape, indecent assault, and serious harm after modern DNA tests linked him to evidence from the victim's vest.

Quinn admits the DNA is his, but insists he has no idea how it ended up there and strongly denies any involvement in the crime.

Prosecutors say the DNA match is a billion times more likely to be Quinn's than anyone else's, though other samples from the scene don't conclusively tie to him.

During his testimony at Manchester Crown Court, Quinn described his wild lifestyle back then, including affairs and relations with many women around.

The time of the attack, he claims he never knew the victim. This case ties back to Annie Malkinson, a man from Grimsby, who spent 17 years wrongfully imprisoned for the same crime.

Malkinson was convicted in 2004 based on flawed evidence, but his conviction was overturned in 2023 once new DNA, pointed elsewhere.

No evidence ever truly linked him to the victim or scene. Quinn also told the court he once looked up details on the national DNA database around the time police sampled him in 2012, but said it was just curiosity.

Neither he nor the victim recognize each other in their statements. The trial was ongoing, with jurors weighing this fresh forensic breakthrough against Quinn's denials and what could finally bring closure to a long, miscarriage of justice.