Man sentenced to 24 years for 2003 assault after DNA link

A man has been sentenced to 24 years in prison for a violent sexual assault committed more than two decades ago, an attack for which another man was wrongfully imprisoned for 17 years. Paul Quinn, 52, was found guilty of assault, grievous bodily harm, and strangulation with intent following a trial at Manchester Crown Court in April. The conviction brings closure to a case marked by a profound miscarriage of justice.

The attack occurred in the early hours of July 19, 2003, as a 33-year-old mother of two was walking home along Cleggs Lane in Little Hulton, Salford. The court heard that Quinn stalked the woman before pushing her down a grass embankment near a motorway bridge. He strangled her until she lost consciousness, then raped and assaulted her, fracturing her cheekbone and causing other severe injuries. Sentencing judge Mr. Justice Bright said it was a "minor miracle" the woman survived the attack, which he described as "unusually violent, even by the standards of stranger rapes." He praised the victim as "truly a hero."

In a statement read to the court by barrister Abigail Husbands, the victim described living with permanent disfigurement and constant fear. "After 20...