We report a rare complication of spinal instrumentation in a paraplegic patient who underwent insertion of a Hartshill rectangle system using Luque sublaminar wires for a fracture dislocation of his tenth thoracic vertebra after being involved in road traffic accident in 1997. The patient presented 8 years later with wires exposed and coming out of his back. The patient underwent removal of the whole system and the wound healed in three weeks with uneventful recovery. Patient cooperation is an important factor for the success of most if not all our surgical procedures.