A man who served 17 years in prison for a horrific rape could be a step closer to clearing his name. Andrew Malkinson was 37 when he was found guilty of carrying out a violent sex attack on a mum-of-two by the M61 motorway in Little Hulton, Salford.
He could have walked free from prison after just six-and-a-half years if he had admitted the offence - but refused to do so. He was eventually freed by the parole board in December 2020 aged 55 and is now campaigning to clear his name with the help of law charity APPEAL. The 33-year-old victim was attacked as she was walking from her boyfriend's home in Atherton, Wigan, to her own address in Kearsley, Bolton, in the early hours of 19 July, 2003. She was on Cleggs Lane when she was approached from behind by a man who dragged her down an embankment into some bushes near the M61 motorway.
Andrew is 5ft 11in, three inches taller than the description issued by police, does have chest hair, and he does not have a Bolton accent. He is from Grimsby and had only moved to the Manchester area recently after living abroad. APPEAL has also forced GMP to disclose that two witnesses who gave crucial evidence for the prosecution had 16 convictions for 38 offences between them, including for crimes of dishonesty.