'I've dreamed about this': Man wrongly jailed for 17 years 'haunted' by time in prison as he rejects police apology

8 August 2023, 17:29 | Updated: 8 August 2023, 17:41

A man wrongly jailed for 17 years has revealed he lived in "constant fear and anxiety" but the fight is still not over.

Andrew Malkinson, 57, was found guilty of raping a woman in Greater Manchester in 2003 and was jailed for life with a minimum term of seven years.

He stayed in prison for another 10 years as he maintained his innocence, insisting he would "not falsely confess to abhorrent crimes which he did not commit.

Mr Malkinson has now opened up about his experience on The News Agents podcast.

He said he was treated "abominably" during his time behind bars and was made to suffer more because he refused to do the courses set out to him.

"I was treated terribly, abominably," he said. "The prison officers, the screws we call them, they make every waking moment of your life in prison as miserable as they possibly can, you know, there’s all kinds of ways they can and do do that."

He added: “There was one guy there trying to intimidate you all the time, trying to push your buttons, make you kick off, and it works on a lot of people because there’s a lot of volatile people there.

"It never worked with me but it comes at a psychological cost. They're demeaning you, they’re intimidating you, you want to shout out and say something, but you just hold your tongue and take out an awful lot of c**p.

"For example, HMP Frankland, I tried to get some new trainers and you can only get them from approved suppliers.

"I applied over and over and over again but the original applications go missing. It’s a tactic they use on everybody who’s refusing to do the courses to grind you down."

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During his time in prison, Mr Malkinson said he “certainly” met other innocent people.

"I have a friend who I can’t identify. But I know for sure," he said.

It comes after Justice Secretary Alex Chalk spoke about the case on LBC's Nick Ferrari at Breakfast on Tuesday.

"The reality is there is no sum of money that will adequately do justice in a horrendous case when someone has been in prison for a crime they haven’t committed," he said.

Mr Chalk added: "It makes my blood run cold to hear about a miscarriage of justice and no sum of money will compensate but a couple of points I’ve mentioned – first that it is tax free and a second point to add is it doesn’t preclude other causes of actions that he may want to take."

Despite also receiving an apology from Greater Manchester Police, Mr Malkinson said he did not accept it as he just saw it as "a PR exercise".

He went on to say: "They've fought us every inch of the way. We invited them to join the CCRC application and they point blank refused, I don't even think they responded.

"They fought disclosure of the vital evidence that they knew was important. Of course, they must have known its significance. And they fought us all away."

Read more: Man wrongly jailed for rape for 17 years is 'maybe too damaged' for another relationship

Read more: 'Prison is hell even if you're guilty': Man wrongly jailed for rape tells LBC of 17-year ordeal behind bars

Looking forward to his future, Mr Malkinson said: "I’ve learnt a lot about myself. I’ve learned strengths I never knew I had through adversity."

He said: "They can’t give me back what they’ve stolen. It’s not just the time taken. It’s what it represents.

"It’s constant fear, pain, anxiety, misery, longing, yearning for freedom and hoping that something will come along to prove it.

"So it’s a very joyless void. No joy, no happiness, no love. And it’s a horrific existence.

"I want compensating for it and the only way they can do that is by giving me a bunch of money."

Watch Again: Nick Ferrari is joined by Justice Secretary Alex Chalk | 08/08/23

However, he said he still did not feel free as there are "still fights to be fought".

He said he intended to get therapy to help with his "terrible" experience but his main goal was to travel as much as he could while he was still able to.

Mr Malkinson said Brexit had posed a big issue when it came to his future plans after being "kidnapped by the UK state".

"I would have applied for Dutch nationality or a Dutch passport," he said.

"I would have almost certainly have got it because of my long standing association so I would have been there 25 or 30 years by that point."

He added: "I don’t want to be a UK citizen. I don't want to be associated with this country anymore."