A British man who served nearly 17 years for rape had his conviction quashed Wednesday by the country's Court of Appeal after recently obtained DNA evidence linked another potential suspect to the crime.

Andrew Malkinson, 57, was found guilty of the brutal 2003 attack on a woman in Greater Manchester and jailed for life the following year, with a minimum term of seven years. However, he served an additional 10 years and eventually was released in 2020.

RUSSIAN ANTIWAR ACTIVIST FACES RESIDENCY PERMIT REFUSAL IN SERBIA; AUTHORITIES CITE SECURITY RISK

His lawyer Edward Henry told the central London court on Wednesday that Malkinson served the additional time because he "would not falsely confess to abhorrent crimes which he did not commit."

At the time of his trial, there was no DNA evidence linking Malkinson to the crime and the prosecution case against him was based on other kinds of evidence.

Malkinson previously applied twice for his case to be reviewed, but was turned down. Greater Manchester Police and the Crown Prosecution Service confirmed in May that they would not contest Malkinson’s latest.