Who? Toby Wilton, associate, Hickman & Rose.
Why is he in the news? Represents Andrew Malkinson, who was wrongly jailed for a rape he did not commit, in the Andrew Malkinson Inquiry and in Malkinson’s claims for compensation. At Manchester Crown Court last week, Paul Quinn, 52, now of Exeter, was found guilty of the 2003 rape.
Thoughts on the case: ‘Paul Quinn’s conviction for the violent attack and rape for which Andy Malkinson spent 17 years in prison was long-awaited justice: both for the victim of this horrific crime, and also for Andy. However, if it were not for the ferocious determination displayed by Andy and his legal team at APPEAL, this miscarriage of justice – one of the worst in UK history – would still be ongoing. The evidence that emerged during Quinn’s trial and information subsequently released in the media are damning of the authorities’ actions in this case. The court heard that Quinn – whom we now know had convictions for sexual and violent offences – lived near to the scene of the crime, matched the victim’s description of her attacker in important ways and came home without his shirt that night. Despite this, Andy quickly became a focus for the police. The court heard he was prosecuted even though the victim told a police officer that she doubted he was her attacker.
‘The Andrew Malkinson Inquiry and the Independent Office for Police Conduct must now be allowed to rigorously investigate how this was allowed to happen so that those responsible can be held to account and this type of injustice can never happen again.’
Dealing with the media: ‘Andy’s case caught the public’s imagination for various reasons, including that it illustrated systemic problems in the criminal appeal system and the state’s approach to compensation in miscarriage of justice cases.’
Why become a lawyer? ‘I wanted to use the law to help the less powerful in society hold the state and others to account, often when faced with the worst thing that has ever happened to them.’
Career high: ‘Acting (alongside numerous others) for many of the bereaved, survivors and former residents of the Grenfell Tower fire, including helping them to tell their stories, cast the spotlight on the causes of the disaster and achieve a landmark civil settlement.’
Career low: ‘With Clive Stafford Smith OBE and Reprieve, failing to clear the name of British man Kris Maharaj, imprisoned in Florida since 1986, and to reunite him with his loving wife Marita before he died in 2024.’
