Update on investigation into complaints made by Andrew Malkinson

Following the conviction of Paul Quinn today (17 April), IOPC Director Amanda Rowe said:

"The miscarriage of justice that led to Andrew Malkinson being jailed for 17 years - one of the worst we have ever seen in this country - has had a profound impact on the lives of many people.

"That is why our investigation - which is entirely independent of the police - is so important, to understand the role of Greater Manchester Police (GMP) in what happened.

"A team of highly experienced investigators continues to carefully consider Mr Malkinson's complaints, relating to the actions of GMP during the investigation and the trial in 2004.

"This is a hugely complex and time-consuming process, in part because of the passage of time and the large amount of evidence and lines of inquiry to consider, but our work is vital to get Mr Malkinson the answers he deserves and give the public confidence that, when things go wrong like this, there will be scrutiny and lessons will be learned.

"While many lines of inquiry have been paused up to now, to avoid negatively impacting the recently concluded trial, we have worked hard to gather and review what evidence we can, securing around 1,500 evidential documents to support the investigation.

"Now that the criminal trial has concluded, we will consider how any evidence heard during the trial may affect our investigation and resume paused lines of inquiry, including approaching witnesses we believe may be able to assist us.

"To date, we have informed five former officers that their conduct is under investigation for potential gross misconduct and one serving officer that they are being investigated for possible misconduct. One of the former officers is also under criminal investigation for potential misconduct in public office and perverting the course of justice.

"This means there is an indication the officers may have acted in a way that would justify disciplinary or criminal proceedings, but does not necessarily mean such proceedings follow. We will decide whether disciplinary proceedings and referral to the Crown Prosecution Service are required once the investigator's report has been finalised.

"There are some officers whose conduct we have not yet been able to assess due to the suspension of our investigation, and we will aim to complete this work in the coming weeks.

"We understand the impact this investigation will have for those involved and we will do everything in our power to conclude matters as soon as possible, while ensuring all of Mr Malksinson's complaints are thoroughly investigated."

• Greater Manchester Police