Andrew Malkinson’s rape conviction overturned after twenty-year fight

Having spent seventeen years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit, Andrew Malkinson has finally won his two-decade long fight to clear his name. The Court of Appeal has overturned his wrongful 2004 rape conviction after DNA evidence implicated another man in the crime. There was never any forensic evidence linking Andrew to the attack.

Ropes & Gray has been proud to assist with Andrew’s case over a number of years through the firm’s longstanding partnership with APPEAL, the charity and law practice dedicated to fighting miscarriages of justice and demanding reform.

Following the decision, Mr Malkinson said: “Today we told this court I was innocent and finally they listened, but I have been innocent all along for each of those twenty years that came before today. Nothing that any police officer, court or commission said about me since 2003 changed that reality.”

Amanda Raad, partner and co-chair of the Ropes & Gray pro bono committee, commented: “It has been a privilege to support APPEAL and the many lawyers working on Andy’s case, and we are relieved that justice has finally been done and he has been able to clear his name. We applaud the tenacity and hard work of all those at APPEAL, who we are so proud to work in partnership with, and of course Andy for the incredible strength, resilience and commitment to justice he has shown in the fight to prove his innocence.”

The Ropes & Gray pro bono team working on Andrew’s case included partners Amanda Raad and Lincoln Tsang, associates Harriet Banner, Michael Harris, Sarah Lambert-Porter, Edward Machin, Nathan Sekhar, Victoria Srivastava and Hayley Stokes, and paralegal Caroline Easterfield. The wider pro bono team included Edward Henry KC, junior counsel Max Hardy, and lawyers from Latham & Watkins, Mischon de Reya and Morrison Foerster. The other firms became involved when Ropes & Gray alumni left the firm but remained committed to working on the case.