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Peter Sullivan spent 38 years wrongfully imprisoned for murder. His case reveals a deep failure of the justice system and the lasting harm of a miscarriage of justice.
Peter Sullivan was convicted in 1986 for a murder he did not commit. Only in 2024, after 38 years of wrongful imprisonment, was his conviction quashed. His story is more than a personal tragedy — it exposes the deep flaws of a justice system that refused to listen, even as the truth emerged.
His case stands as a symbol of how power, prejudice, and institutional stubbornness can destroy a human life — and how difficult it is to achieve justice when truth is seen as a threat.
Peter Sullivan werd in 1986 veroordeeld voor een moord die hij niet heeft gepleegd. Pas in 2024, na 38 jaar onterecht in de gevangenis te hebben gezeten, werd zijn veroordeling vernietigd. Zijn verhaal is meer dan een individuele tragedie — het legt de diepgewortelde gebreken bloot van een rechtssysteem dat jarenlang weigerde te luisteren, zelfs toen de waarheid zich aandiende.
Zijn zaak staat symbool voor hoe macht, vooroordelen en institutionele koppigheid een mensenleven volledig kunnen verwoesten — en hoe moeilijk het is om gerechtigheid af te dwingen als de waarheid als bedreiging wordt gezien.
We always believe Peter was innocent
Innocent man released after 38 years in jail
The ferocious murder of Diane Sindall, reconstruction and investigation, Peter Sullivan
Peter Sullivan cries as judges quash murder conviction after 38 years
13 mei 2025 #breakingnews #crimenews #crime
A man convicted of the murder of a bride-to-be cried as he had his conviction quashed after 38 years in prison. Peter Sullivan, now 68, was convicted of murdering and sexually assaulting barmaid and florist Diane Sindall in an alleyway in Birkenhead on August 1 1986 and has since languished in a category A prison.
But appearing before the Court of Appeal today, Tuesday, May 13, Mr Sullivan had his conviction overturned after new scientific evidence found the presence of a different DNA profile on semen recovered from Ms Sindall’s body. The quashing of the conviction makes Mr Sullivan, who was 30 at the time of Ms Sindall’s murder, the victim of the longest-running miscarriage of justice affecting a living prisoner in UK history.
- Court Rules Original Trial Unsafe Following Fresh Review
- Justice System Under Fire as Sullivan’s Conviction Quashed
- Case Raises Questions About Prosecutorial Conduct
- One of the Longest Wrongful Imprisonments in British History
Peter Sullivan cries as judges quash murder conviction after 38 years
13 mei 2025 #breakingnews #crimenews #crime
A man convicted of the murder of a bride-to-be cried as he had his conviction quashed after 38 years in prison. Peter Sullivan, now 68, was convicted of murdering and sexually assaulting barmaid and florist Diane Sindall in an alleyway in Birkenhead on August 1 1986 and has since languished in a category A prison.
But appearing before the Court of Appeal today, Tuesday, May 13, Mr Sullivan had his conviction overturned after new scientific evidence found the presence of a different DNA profile on semen recovered from Ms Sindall’s body. The quashing of the conviction makes Mr Sullivan, who was 30 at the time of Ms Sindall’s murder, the victim of the longest-running miscarriage of justice affecting a living prisoner in UK history.
Merseyside man to be freed after 38 years in prison as murder conviction overturned | ITV News
13 mei 2025
A Merseyside man has had his murder conviction overturned by the Court of Appeal after spending nearly four decades in prison, in what is now believed to be the longest miscarriage of justice involving a living inmate in British history.
Peter Sullivan, 68, was jailed in 1987 for the murder of 21-year-old Diane Sindall, a florist and barmaid who was brutally attacked while walking to a petrol station in Bebington, Merseyside after her van broke down.
Ms Sindall had been returning home from work when she was beaten to death and sexually assaulted, with her body left partially clothed and mutilated.
Man has 1986 murder conviction overturned after 38 years | BBC News
13 mei 2025 #BBCNews #PeterSullivan
A man who has served almost 38 years in prison for the murder of a woman has had his conviction quashed by the Court of Appeal after new DNA evidence emerged.
Peter Sullivan was jailed over the 1986 killing of 21-year-old barmaid Diane Sindall, who was subjected to a frenzied sexual attack in Birkenhead, UK, as she walked home from a shift.
The Criminal Cases Review Commission had referred Mr Sullivan’s case back to the appeal court last year after fresh testing found a DNA profile pointing to an unknown attacker in semen samples preserved from the crime scene.
Mr Sullivan, appearing on video-link from HMP Wakefield, sobbed and held his hand over his mouth as he was told he would be released.
It is the haunting question that runs through much of this website: how can someone spend 38 years in prison in the UK for something they had nothing to do with?
Educational: This video is essential viewing
Peter Sullivan Freed After 38 Years – Is £1 Million Enough? | This Morning’s View
What’s got Britain talking this Wednesday? Tom Swarbrick and Sayeeda Warsi give us their take on today’s top stories. Broadcast on 14/05/2025
“They’ve STOLEN His Life!” Peter Sullivan Has Murder Conviction Quashed After 38 Years In Prison
14 mei 2025 #justice #news #court
Peter Sullivan has said he is “not angry” and “not bitter” after the Court of Appeal quashed his murder conviction, making him the longest-serving victim of a miscarriage of justice in the UK.
The now-68-year-old, who was jailed in 1987 for the murder of Diane Sindall and has since spent 38 years in prison, described what happened to him as “very wrong” but said the ruling did not “detract or minimise” a “heinous and most terrible loss of life”.
Mr Sullivan was aged 30 when he was sentenced to life with a minimum term of 16 years after being found guilty of the 1986 murder of 21-year-old Ms Sindall in Bebington, Merseyside, but remained in prison for almost four decades.
On Tuesday, three senior judges quashed his conviction after his case was referred to the Court of Appeal by the Criminal Cases Review Commission, following new DNA evidence.
Julia Hartley-Brewer discusses the story with former prisoner and writer David Shipley
Peter Sullivan: A Life Stolen by a Wrongful Conviction
After spending 38 years behind bars for a crime he did not commit, Peter Sullivan has finally had his murder conviction quashed. His case stands as one of the longest miscarriages of justice in British legal history.
The Court of Appeal ruled that crucial evidence was overlooked or withheld, leading to an unsafe conviction. Sullivan’s release brings long-overdue recognition of the grave injustice he suffered — a man robbed of nearly four decades of freedom.
Peter Sullivan: Een gestolen leven door een onterechte veroordeling
Na 38 jaar onterecht in de gevangenis te hebben gezeten voor een moord die hij niet heeft gepleegd, is de veroordeling van Peter Sullivan eindelijk vernietigd. Zijn zaak geldt als een van de langst durende gerechtelijke dwalingen in de Britse geschiedenis.
Het hof van beroep oordeelde dat cruciaal bewijsmateriaal over het hoofd werd gezien of werd achtergehouden, wat leidde tot een onveilige veroordeling. Zijn vrijlating markeert de erkenning van een diep onrecht – een man die bijna vier decennia van zijn vrijheid is beroofd.
Peter Sullivan: FREE After 38 Years – Britain’s Longest Miscarriage Of Justice
15 mei 2025 #PeterSullivan #DianeSindall #crime
Peter Sullivan: Freed After 38 Years – Britain’s Longest Miscarriage Of Justice | True Crime Documentary
In 1986, the brutal murder of 21-year-old Diane Sindall sent shockwaves through Birkenhead. She had been beaten, raped, and left in a dark alleyway — a horrifying crime that triggered the largest manhunt Merseyside had ever seen.
29-year-old Peter Sullivan was arrested, and soon after, convicted. Despite an initial series of apparent confessions and retractions during intense police questioning, Peter insisted he was innocent.
For more than 38 years, he and his defence team fought to prove that the police had the wrong man.
In May 2025, the Court of Appeal agreed and ruled him an innocent man. Peter Sullivan’s conviction was quashed, ending what is now believed to be the longest-running miscarriage of justice in British history.
Peter Sullivan who has spent 38 years in jail for murder has conviction quashed
13 mei 2025 #skynews #crime #courtofappeal
A man jailed for murder nearly 40 years ago has had his conviction quashed by the Court of Appeal, ending what’s thought to be the longest-running miscarriage of justice in British history.
Peter Sullivan was convicted of murdering Diane Sindall in Birkenhead in August 1986 but has always pleaded innocent.
Educational: This video is essential viewing
Man who has spent 38 years in jail for murder has conviction quashed | Sky News coverage
Live gestreamd op 13 mei 2025 #UKCrime #SkyNews #UKCourts
A man jailed for murder nearly 40 years ago has had his conviction quashed by the Court of Appeal, ending what’s thought to be the longest-running miscarriage of justice in British history.
Peter Sullivan was convicted of murdering Diane Sindall in Birkenhead in August 1986. The 21-year-old florist had been beaten and raped and left in an alleyway.
Mr Sullivan, 68, had always maintained his innocence and new tests, ordered by the Criminal Cases Review Commission, revealed his DNA was not present on samples pres
Wrongly Jailed For 38 Years Peter Sullivan | Lawyers Will Support Compensation Biderved at the time.
15 mei 2025
Lawyers for a man who spent 38 years in prison after wrongly being convicted of murder have pledged to support him in any bid for compensation.
Peter Sullivan, 68, who to date has spent more of his life in prison than free, finally had his name cleared on Tuesday after decades protesting his innocence.
Crucial DNA evidence was finally unearthed due to scientific advances last year, showing that it was another unknown man who raped and murdered 21-year-old Diane Sindall in 1986.
On Wednesday his solicitor Sarah Myatt spoke to broadcasters after Tuesday’s historic Court of Appeal judgment that quashed Mr Sullivan’s murder conviction.
Asked about any future bid for compensation, she told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “That is something that we will, of course, support Peter with.
Peter Sullivan’s Murder Conviction Overturned: Our Reaction | Loose Women
Wrongly convicted of murder: 38 years to free Peter Sullivan
13 mei 2025
He has spent more than half his life in prison. Peter Sullivan walked free today after the Court of Appeal quashed his murder conviction, making him the longest-serving victim of a miscarriage of justice in the UK.
He was just 30 when he was jailed in 1987 for the killing of Diane Sindall. Two attempts to overturn the conviction failed, but new DNA techniques proved he was not the killer.
Now 68, he wept and held his head in his hands as he was told he would be released.
Wrongfully imprisoned for 38 years – Peter Sullivan is finally free | The Story
29 mei 2025 The Story | PODCAST
Peter Sullivan has been released from prison after spending 38 years behind bars for a murder he didn’t commit. In 1986, 21-year-old Diane Sindall was brutally murdered but it has now been proved that police got the wrong man. DNA found on her body does not belong to Peter Sullivan. Why did it take so long to prove his innocence and is the body that investigates possible miscarriages of justice fit for purpose?
This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory
Guest: Emily Dugan, Special Correspondent, The Sunday Times.
Host: Manveen Rana
Producers:
Hannah Varrall
Shabnam Grewal.
Further reading: https://www.thetimes.com/uk/crime/art…