A MAN who spent 17 years in prison for a rape he did not commit has dismissed an apology from the Criminal Cases Review Commission as “too little, too late.”
Andrew Malkinson was freed in late 2020 after DNA linked the crime in Salford to another man.
Helen Pitcher, chairwoman of the CCRC, said an independent review made it clear the commission had “failed” Mr Malkinson, adding: “For this, I am deeply sorry.”
She continued: “I have written to Mr Malkinson to offer him my sincere regret and an unreserved apology on behalf of the commission.
“There may have been a belief that I have been unwilling ever to apologise to Mr Malkinson, and I want to clarify that this is not the case.
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“For me, offering a genuine apology required a clear understanding of the circumstances in which the commission failed Mr Malkinson. We now have that.
“Nobody can ever begin to imagine the devastating impact that Mr Malkinson’s wrongful conviction has had on his life, and I can only apologise for the additional harm caused to him by our handling of his case.”
But Mr Malkinson questioned her sincerity and called on Justice Secretary Alex Chalk to bring in “new leadership” at the CCRC.
He applied for a CCRC review of his case in 2009, but after a three-year probe it was not referred for appeal.
A second application was rejected in 2020.
Mr Malkinson said the CCRC’s failings had caused him a “world of pain”.