Greater Manchester Police issue statement ahead of BBC documentary on Andrew Malkinson

Greater Manchester Police has issued an apology to Andrew Malkinson ahead of a BBC documentary which is set to air tonight. Mr Malkinson spent 17 years in prison after being wrongly convicted of a sex attack by the M61 motorway in Little Hulton, Salford, in February 2004.

He was released last year after having his conviction overturned by the Court of Appeal, following forensic testing which linked another man to the crime. Ahead of The Wrong Man: 17 Years Behind Bars airing on the BBC tonight (June 6), a GMP spokesperson said: "We’re truly sorry for our failures that led to Andrew Malkinson’s wrongful conviction.

"The issues raised in tonight’s BBC documentary are part of the ongoing inquiry we’re fully co-operating with. We must bring the true offender to justice. We’ve recently passed a file to the CPS."

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Assistant Chief Constable Sarah Jackson added: "We remain truly sorry that Mr Malkinson has been the victim of such a grave miscarriage of justice due to the failures of our original investigation. We have publicly and directly apologised to both Mr Malkinson and the victim for the mistakes that have already been identified.

"The matters raised in the BBC documentary are part of the ongoing inquiry that we are fully co-operating with. It is beyond doubt that Mr Malkinson did not commit this horrific crime. Our ongoing investigation is committed to ensuring that the true perpetrator is put behind bars so that the victim and all involved can finally have some sense of justice after this awful ordeal."

Last month, Mr Malkinson wrote in The Guardian that he had been forced to use his local food bank since release from prison,