A 38-Year Nightmare Ends
After nearly four decades behind bars for a crime he did not commit, Peter Sullivan has finally had his name cleared. The 68-year-old man, who has learning difficulties, had his murder conviction quashed by the Court of Appeal in May 2025 following new DNA evidence. He had been found guilty of the 1986 frenzied sexual attack and murder of 21-year-old florist Diane Sindall in Birkenhead.
The Fight for Freedom
Mr Sullivan's ordeal began on August 2, 1986, when the semi-naked body of Miss Sindall was discovered in an alley in Birkenhead, Wirral, with catastrophic injuries. Two weeks later, her partially burned clothing was found on Bidston Hill. Following a BBC Crimewatch appeal, witnesses came forward, leading to Mr Sullivan's arrest on September 23, 1986.
He was interviewed 22 times over four weeks. For the first seven interviews, he was denied legal advice. Mr Sullivan claims he was beaten in his cell on two occasions. "They threw a blanket over the top of me and they were hitting me on top of the blanket with the truncheons to try and get me to co-operate with them," he told the BBC from an undisclosed location.
He also alleges he was threatened with being charged with "35 other rapes" if he did not confess and was denied food and sleep. Despite custody records noting his learning difficulties, no appropriate adult was provided to assist him during interrogations. He eventually confessed to a murder he did not commit. "All I can say, it was the bullying that forced me to throw my hands in, because I couldn't take it anymore," he explained.
His solicitor of over 20 years, Sarah Myatt, stated, "I think, from what he's told me, he just reached breaking point with it." The first confession was not recorded and no solicitor was present.
Life After a Wrongful Conviction
Mr Sullivan was convicted on November 5, 1987, at Liverpool Crown Court. The case relied heavily on his confession and bite mark evidence, a forensic method now widely discredited. He was sentenced to life with a minimum term of 16 years, but maintaining his innocence meant he was denied parole for much longer.
Dubbed the "Beast of Birkenhead" and other nicknames, he said his time in prison was brutal. "I've been battered in prisons because of the crime I was in for," he revealed, adding that reporting attacks was not an option as it would label him a "grass".
He was also denied permission to attend his mother's funeral in 2013 because she was buried in the same cemetery as his alleged victim. His parents, who always believed in his innocence, died before he could clear his name.
The turning point came in 2023 when the Criminal Cases Review Commission ordered fresh DNA testing on semen samples from the original 1986 investigation. The new results excluded Mr Sullivan, and the Crown Prosecution Service did not challenge the evidence, leading to his successful appeal.
Now free, he is waiting for compensation, which is capped at £1.3 million for wrongful convictions. His solicitor remarked, "There's not a figure that you could say would be enough for losing 38 years of your life."
Mr Sullivan is now seeking an apology from Merseyside Police. The force stated it "regretted" a "grave miscarriage of justice" but maintains its officers acted within the law at the time. The case of Diane Sindall's murder has been re-opened, although no arrests have been made.
