AN innocent man who spent 17 years in jail for a rape he did not commit says he's now broke and forced to live in a tent.

Andy Malkinson, 57, was found guilty of raping a woman in Greater Manchester in 2003.

In July, he was cleared by the Court of Appeal after DNA evidence implicated another man in the rape, who is expected to be charged.

But Andy has lost everything and is facing a two year wait for compensation – potentially £1 million – as he pursues a civil case.

He told The Guardian: “I’m living in a tent, I’m living on benefits.

"It’s a tough time because there’s so much uncertainty. I'm struggling. I want some resolution."

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Andy was in his hometown of Grimsby when he was arrested by detectives two weeks after the Salford attack.

His prosecution was based on an identity parade in police custody where the victim picked him out.

And the jury were not made aware of two witnesses – a heroin addict and someone with a history of dishonesty crimes – who gave misleading evidence.

With no forensic evidence to link Andy to the crime, he was jailed for life with a minimum term of seven years.

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But because he maintained his innocence, never wanting to "falsely confess" to the abhorrent attack, he was forced to serve an additional ten years behind bars.

Inside, Andy became a Buddhist, focused on the gym and left prison with a university degree in maths and physics

Following a relentless campaign for justice, he had his case referred to the court in January by the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) who investigate potential miscarriages of justice.

Walking out an innocent man, he told reporters how for 20 years he had been "kidnapped by the state" and forced to live the "false fantasy" of those who accused him of crimes he never did.

Andy spent the summer living on his ex-partner's houseboat in the Netherlands, where he lived before his arrest.

He then hit the road, travelling around France, Spain and Portugal in a pals van.

But his home is now an orange and grey tent with an inflatable airbed on a Spanish campsite.

And he gets by on barely anything.

He added: "You need financial freedom to be truly free, don’t you? And I don’t have that."

The maximum amount available under the miscarriage of justice compensation scheme – which Andy is pursuing against Greater Manchester Police -is £1 million for ten or more years in prison.

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That amounts to just under £59,000 for each of the 17 years Andy served.

He now wants an inquiry into how he was wrongfully convicted to be made statutory to ensure cops do not hide evidence.

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