Birkenhead's Unsolved Horror: 40-Year Search for Diane Sindall's Killer Continues
Almost four decades have passed since the brutal murder of Diane Sindall shocked the Wirral community, yet her killer remains at large. The 21-year-old florist's death in August 1986 continues to haunt Birkenhead, with Merseyside Police now offering a £20,000 reward for information that could finally solve this devastating cold case.
A Night That Changed Everything
On Friday 1 August 1986, Diane Sindall finished her second job at the Wellington pub in Bebington, Wirral, where she worked extra hours to save for her planned 1987 wedding. Just before midnight, she left for her Seacombe home in her blue Fiat van, but the vehicle ran out of petrol on Borough Road, Birkenhead. Witnesses reported seeing the young woman walking along the road between midnight and 12:20am on 2 August.
Tragically, twelve hours later, her body was discovered in an alleyway off Borough Road. The post-mortem examination revealed Diane had been sexually assaulted and suffered extensive injuries, with her cause of death confirmed as a cerebral haemorrhage. Property belonging to her was later recovered at Bidston Hill, approximately two miles away, on 17 August.
Community Trauma and False Resolution
The murder sent shockwaves through Merseyside and became a catalyst for significant change. The horrific crime prompted local women to establish the Wirral Rape Crisis Counselling Service, which evolved into Rape and Sexual Abuse Support (RASA) Merseyside, an organisation that continues to operate today.
Josephine Wood, who has worked for RASA for 21 years and grew up in Birkenhead, remembers the profound impact on the community. "I went to school up the hill from where this happened," she told The Independent. "Every night for 14 years, I got the bus at that bus stop on Borough Road. Nobody would ever have thought twice about walking along there previously."
Ms Wood described how women in the area became "prisoners in their own homes" following the murder. "They daren't go out, none of the women would dare leave the house, unless they were accompanied by brothers or fathers," she explained. "They got picked up from work, they got picked up from nights out, it was a really, really bad time. Nobody knew what was going on. This didn't happen in Birkenhead."
For 38 years, the community believed justice had been served when Peter Sullivan, then 68, was convicted of the murder in 1987. Dubbed the 'Beast of Birkenhead' and the 'Mersey Ripper', Sullivan maintained his innocence throughout decades of imprisonment before his conviction was finally quashed in 2025.
DNA Evidence Reveals New Suspect
The Court of Appeal heard that scientific advances had unearthed DNA evidence proving another, unknown man had sexually assaulted and murdered Diane Sindall. Merseyside Police reopened the investigation in 2023, and last month announced a £20,000 reward through Crimestoppers for information leading to the actual killer's conviction.
Police are now working to identify the person whose DNA was recovered from the crime scene, confirming it does not match Peter Sullivan. The investigation team has obtained samples locally and conducted screenings in Swansea, Perth, London, Hull, and Newcastle through voluntary DNA elimination samples.
To date, 461 males have been eliminated from the investigation, with forensic results pending for a further 43 samples. Detective Superintendent Rachel Wilson emphasised: "Although it has been nearly 40 years since Diane's murder, we still believe there are people who know what happened, or have their own suspicions, who haven't yet come forward. My message would be 'it is never too late to do the right thing'."
Community Holds the Key
The reopening of the murder investigation has "resurrected trauma" for many Wirral residents, according to Josephine Wood. She noted that people who were in their late teens and early twenties when the murder occurred had believed themselves safe for 38 years, thinking the perpetrator was imprisoned.
"Particularly the people who lived close to where it happened - there are a lot of people who still live in the same houses as they did before - they've been quite impacted by it," Ms Wood observed. "They've realised that they haven't got the person who committed that crime."
Despite this renewed distress, Ms Wood believes someone in the area knows who killed Diane Sindall. In her charity work, she has encountered people claiming knowledge of the true perpetrator's identity, though they have refused to provide names.
"We had a really strange incident at one of our events, when I was approached by three women," she recalled. "One said 'they got the wrong fella you know, we all know who did it and they've got the wrong fella'. I asked what they meant, she said 'the murder, we all know who did it'. They disappeared."
Ms Wood added: "We've had clients over the years reporting that they got the wrong person. Somebody knows. This is what our appeal is about - somebody somewhere knows something. As time has marched on and we've changed, people have moved areas, they've changed partners, they've changed loyalties, they've grown older and wiser - now is the time to come forward with your suspicions or concerns."
The Search for Closure
The £20,000 reward offered by Crimestoppers, which operates independently from police, expires on 22nd April 2026. The charity will pay the reward for information given exclusively to them that leads to the arrest and conviction of Diane Sindall's murderer.
Josephine Wood believes the community holds the key to solving this mystery. "This is going to be solved by the people of Birkenhead," she stated. "Somebody knows, many people know or suspect - and only by them coming forward and speaking to the police can anything happen. People owe it to Diane and her parents. The pain must be overwhelming now that whoever did this has got off scot free. Their DNA is not on the database. It is one of the big mysteries and it needs to be solved."
To this day, community members continue to leave flowers at Diane's memorial stone on Borough Road, maintaining hope for justice. The plaque on that stone bears the poignant inscription: "Diane Sindall. Murdered 2.8.1986, because she was a woman." Nearly forty years on, the search for answers continues, with police and community members alike hoping this long-standing mystery will finally reach resolution.
