A suspect has been charged in connection with a 2003 rape case in Salford, Greater Manchester, after DNA evidence linked him to the attack. The development comes after Andrew Malkinson spent 17 years in prison for the crime before being exonerated.

Malkinson was convicted of the rape based on witness identification but was released from prison in 2020 after his conviction was overturned. The case has been described as a miscarriage of justice, with the original identification by witnesses now considered mistaken.

According to court proceedings, the newly charged suspect had researched the campaign to clear Malkinson and looked up information about DNA storage procedures before being traced through what has been described as a billion-to-one DNA match.

The 2003 attack involved a lone woman who was assaulted and strangled in Salford. The case remained unsolved for the actual perpetrator until the recent DNA breakthrough led investigators to the current suspect.

Malkinson's wrongful conviction and lengthy imprisonment has highlighted issues within the criminal justice system regarding eyewitness identification and the importance of physical evidence in criminal cases. The case is now proceeding through the courts with the newly identified suspect.