Andrew Malkinson who was wrongly jailed 17 years for a rape he didn’t commit reveals he’s living in a tent and fears he could be waiting two years before receiving compensation
Andrew Malkinson, who was wrongly jailed for 17 years for a rape he did not commit, has revealed he is living in a tent in Spain – as he fears it could be two years before he receives compensation.
Mr Malkinson, who was wrongly convicted in 2003 for the rape of a woman in Salford, Greater Manchester, said he plans to move away from the UK permanently claiming he has ‘no faith in any British authority higher than a traffic warden’.
The 57-year-old was released in July of this year, after his conviction was quashed by the Court of Appeal after judges found Greater Manchester Police withheld crucial information during his trial.
Following his release, he went to stay with his ex-girlfriend Karen on her houseboat in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, who never doubted his innocence.
He then set off on a road trip using a friend’s van through France and Portugal before landing in Seville.
Now he lives on campsite in Spain, while on benefits, and has only returned to the UK briefly to call for the inquiry into his detention to be made statutory, forcing those police officers involved to give evidence by law.
Andrew Malkinson, who was wrongly jailed for 17 years for a rape he did not commit, has revealed he is living in a tent in Spain
‘It’s a tough time because there’s so much uncertainty,’ he told the Guardian. ‘I’m living in a tent, I’m living on benefits. I want some resolution.’
He told BBC Breakfast: ‘This horror will always be with me. I just deal with it by using the mental resources I’ve used to survive in prison. I am kind of at war with the authorities, I’ve been that way since the day they kidnapped me.
‘They lied, they distorted the truth, they hid exculpatory evidence, that to me is a war.
‘A non-statutory is not going to cut it with the police. They’ve been everything but honest. They will not give it up. They’re institutionally dishonest.
‘I have no faith in any British authority higher than a traffic warden. I don’t trust the British, Hillsborough, Bloody Sunday – they can’t face the truth.’
When asked whether he saw the UK as his home, he said ‘no, adding ‘this isn’t my home, your friends don’t kidnap you do they?’
Plans for a public inquiry to investigate why Mr Malkinson spent almost two decades in prison for a crime he did not commit were revealed in August by Justice Secretary Alex Chalk.
But today Mr Malkinson blamed the lord chancellor had ‘made a mistake’ by not compelling witnesses by law to testify and disclose evidence.
Mr Malkinson, who was wrongly convicted in 2003 for the rape of a woman in Salford, Greater Manchester
Mr Malkinson now lives on campsite in Spain, while on benefits, and has only returned to the UK briefly to call for the inquiry into his detention to be made statutory,
He told the Guardian: ‘The police don’t want to disclose. They never have done and I can’t see them playing ball unless they’re compelled to by a statutory inquiry.’
‘I want to know all the details of exactly how and why [this] happened. Because I can’t rest until I know,’ he added. ‘It’s my life and the suffering is incalculable. Oceans of tears I’ve suffered because of that. And I want to know why.’
The non-statutory inquiry is set to investigate the roles of Greater Manchester Police, the Crown Prosecution Service and the Criminal Cases Review Commission to ensure lessons are learned from the mistake.
But as it is a non-statutory inquiry, investigators will have no legal power to compel witnesses to attend – instead they will rely on the cooperation of people and organisations involved.
Mr Chalk said at the time: ‘The core function of our justice system is to convict the guilty and ensure the innocent walk free.
Following his release, he went to stay with his ex-girlfriend Karen on her houseboat in Amsterdam, the Netherlands , who never doubted his innocence
Yet a man spent 17 years in prison for a crime he did not commit while a rapist remained on the loose. It is essential that lessons are learned in full.’
Mr Malkinson now says his ‘ambitions are very humble’ wanting to travel and live elsewhere, maybe joining a university course to study something like astrology, maths of chemistry. ‘I’d be reasonably happy with that,’ he added.
MailOnline has contacted Greater Manchester Police and the Ministry of Justice.
A MoJ spokesperson told the BBC: ‘The Lord Chancellor has been clear Andrew Malkinson suffered an atrocious miscarriage of justice and he deserves thorough and honest answers as to how and why it took so long to uncover.
‘The Criminal Cases Review Commission, Crown Prosecution Service and Greater Manchester Police have all pledged their full cooperation to the independent inquiry into the handling of his conviction and subsequent appeals.’
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