The wrongful conviction stemmed from charges of assaulting a woman in Salford back in 2004, as reported by BBC.

Throughout his imprisonment, Malkinson consistently maintained his innocence, steadfastly proclaiming that he was wrongly accused. Recently, new evidence came to light, leading to the overturning of his conviction and his long-awaited release.

Despite maintaining his innocence from the beginning, Andrew Malkinson found himself imprisoned for a crime he vehemently denied committing. He persistently sought a review of his conviction, steadfast in his belief that justice had not been served, but unfortunately, his appeals were repeatedly denied.

It wasn't until January 2023 that Malkinson's case finally received the attention it deserved. New and compelling evidence surfaced, pointing to another suspect. This crucial evidence prompted a referral to the court of appeal. Upon re-examination, DNA evidence found on the clothes of the assaulted woman revealed a match to a different individual, leading to the overturning of Malkinson's wrongful conviction.

After 17 long and difficult years behind bars, Andrew was finally released from detention. As a consequence of the grave miscarriage of justice, the UK government recognized the need to compensate Malkinson for the years he spent wrongly imprisoned.

Under the government's compensation scheme for individuals unjustly jailed for more than a decade, Malkinson is entitled to receive up to £1 million. In today's exchange rate, this amounts to over N1 billion.

As he steps out into a new chapter of his life, Malkinson, now 57, expressed his emotions upon finally regaining his freedom. He said: "I was innocent and finally they listened. But I have been innocent all along, for each of those 20 years that came before today.

"It has taken nearly 20 years to persuade my kidnappers to let me go. Now I have finally been exonerated, I am left outside this court without an apology, without an explanation, jobless, homeless, expected to simply slip back into the world with no acknowledgement of the gaping black hole they opened up in my life. A black hole that looms so large behind me that I fear it will swallow me up."