Andrew Malkinson, the British man who was wrongfully imprisoned for more than 17 years without raping, has criticized the prison sentence given to the man responsible for the attack, calling the sentence an “insult” after spending years behind bars.Paul Quinn, 52, was sentenced to 24 years at Manchester Crown Court for the rape and assault of a woman in Little Hulton, Salford, in 2003. The sentence includes 21 years in custody followed by an extended license period of three years.Quinn was convicted earlier this year of rape, strangulation and causing grievous bodily harm after DNA evidence linked him to the attacks two decades later.After the sentencing, Malkinson said that Quinn had received a lighter sentence than a life sentence despite his innocence.Malkinson said, “I am outraged that this violent, corrupt man, who was content to let me suffer two decades of infamy for his crime and more than 17 years of wrongful conviction, has received a lesser sentence than he imposed on me,” Malkinson said, according to the BBC report.He said he hoped Quinn would remain in prison longer than him, arguing that anything less would fail to serve justice.The case relates to a brutal attack on a 30-year-old woman who was walking home in the early hours of July 19, 2003. Prosecutors said Quinn stalked her before dragging her off the road to a motorway embankment, where he beat, bit, strangled and raped her. The attack left him with a broken cheekbone and permanent facial injuries.Malkinson, who was working as a security guard at the time, was incorrectly identified during an identity parade. He consistently maintained his innocence but was convicted in 2004 and later lost appeals against his conviction in 2012 and 2020.After spending more than 17 years behind bars, he was released in 2020. His conviction was eventually overturned by the Court of Appeal in 2023 after new DNA testing identified Quinn as the attacker.The victim told the court that although justice was finally served, the impact of the attack never left her.In a statement read in court she said, “For them it was a night of their lives; for me it was a night that changed my life.”She also acknowledged the impact of the case on Malkinson and said that she knew that an innocent man had lost 17 years of his life because of a wrongful conviction.Sentencing Quinn, Mr Judge Robert Bright praised the victim’s courage and said she was the person he would remember from the case.The court heard that Quinn had previously been convicted of a sexual offense and DNA collected after an earlier case ultimately linked him to the 2003 attack. Jurors were also told that they searched online for how long police kept DNA samples.Greater Manchester Police said the conviction finally ended criminal proceedings, but urged any additional potential victims of Quinn to come forward.The fallout from the case continues even after conviction. A public inquiry is examining how Malkinson’s wrongful conviction was upheld for years despite evidence that could have exonerated him. Several former and serving Greater Manchester Police officers are under investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct, while senior figures on the Criminal Cases Review Commission have resigned after criticism of their handling of the case.