The detective leading the reinvestigation into the 1986 murder of Diane Sindall believes the killer may have gone home with blood on his clothing. Detective Superintendent Rachel Wilson made the comment as Merseyside Police continue to search for the person responsible for the sexual assault and murder of the 21-year-old florist.
Background to the case
Diane Sindall was murdered in the early hours of Saturday, August 2, 1986. She had left her part-time job at the Wellington pub in Bebington in her blue Fiat van but ran out of petrol on Borough Road in Birkenhead. Several witnesses saw her walking along the road between midnight and 12.20am. Her body was found several hours later in an alleyway off Borough Road. The cause of death was a cerebral haemorrhage. Some of her clothing was found burnt the following day on Bidston Hill, less than three miles away.
Wrongful conviction and DNA evidence
Peter Sullivan, then 68, served 38 years in prison for Diane's murder, but his conviction was overturned by the Court of Appeal last year after crucial DNA evidence was unearthed due to scientific advances. The DNA was confirmed not to be a match for Sullivan. Merseyside Police are now looking for the killer again. Extensive enquiries, including working with the National Crime Agency to identify the person the DNA profile belongs to, are ongoing. The force has eliminated 575 people, with 32 currently under review.
Police appeal and reward
A Crimestoppers reward of up to £20,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible remains in place. Detective Superintendent Wilson said: “I would hope that people will hear this and think, actually, allegiances have changed, and they now feel safe to come forward and tell us who was responsible. I do think someone knows (who it was).
“When Diane was left on Borough Road, there was lots of blood. I think the person responsible may have gone home with blood on them. Then the clothing was taken away from the scene and found on Bidston Hill a couple of days later on fire, so someone stored that clothing somewhere.
“I do think potentially someone knows what's happened, so I would really urge them to come forward and speak to us. Forty years on, it's a long time for Diane and her family to get justice. Please do the right thing and contact Merseyside Police. I should add, CrimeStoppers have offered a £20,000 reward leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for Diane's murder.
“Since we've been doing this work around Diane in the media, we've had over 200 people contact us with names, with information, and every line of enquiry that we received is followed up.
“Diane's family are being trained by a specially trained family liaison officer and we are in contact with them to keep them up to date in terms of our investigation and how it’s progressing.”
Why people may not have come forward
When asked if it was fear or family loyalties that stopped people coming forward, Det Supt Wilson said: “I think it could be both of them to be honest. I think at the time particularly, people would be too frightened to speak to us, particularly if it's a domestic setting or it's a family relation. Forty years on, they might think, it's not worth it. It absolutely is worth it to contact us, because we need to get justice for Diane and her family. Relationships change over 40 years. It might be an ex-partner. It might be someone that you have concerns about and you just didn’t want to bother the police with that. Please bother us, and give us a name, and we can do the rest.
“But I definitely think fear might have played a part at the time. Hopefully, that fear's passed. Have confidence in Merseyside Police in terms of keeping that information confidential, dealing with it discreetly if need be and seeking that support if you need to speak to us.”
Open possibilities about the killer
Given the brutal nature of the murder, Det Supt Wilson is open to the possibility that it may not be the killer’s first offence. She said: “I’m keeping an open mind. We know that the DNA profile of the man is not on the database. But given the severity of the horrendous assault and murder, I keep an open mind as to whether he's done something like this in terms of maybe an assault or domestic abuse.”
Police believe the suspect acted alone but are open to other possibilities. She said: “I'll keep an open mind. We've only got one male profile at the scene where Diane was found, so I'm working on (the assumption) there is one man we need to identify. But potentially someone knows who was responsible or what's happened.
“As I said, please come forward. Any concerns at all about anyone, whether it's a family member or it's a friend, or someone you knew in the street you weren't happy with, or you've seen them come back that evening and they've got some blood on them which is unaccounted for - I know it's 40 years ago, it's a long time, but given the significance of Diane's sexual assault and murder, I think it's something that sticks in people's minds.
“When I'm out and about people still talk about the murder of Diane, how horrific it was. So I'm hoping that will generate people's minds, even if it's 40 years on.”
Peter Sullivan, who alleged he was beaten in his cell by police officers and interviewed without appropriate legal advice, is now living as a free man after decades of protesting his innocence. The Independent Office for Police Conduct is currently investigating his allegations of police abuse.
Anyone with information should contact Merseyside Police social media desk via X or Facebook @MerPolCC, or call 101. Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
