
Man cleared of murder after serving 38 years in jail
A man who has served almost 40 years in prison for murder is set to be freed after the Court of Appeal quashed his conviction.
Peter Sullivan, 68, who has always protested his innocence, was found guilty in 1987 of the murder of Diane Sindall who was killed on her way home from work in Merseyside.
His case was referred to the Court of Appeal after fresh DNA evidence came to light casting doubt on his involvement.
It is believed to be the longest-running miscarriage of justice affecting a living prisoner in UK history.
Sindall, a 21-year-old bride-to-be and florist from the Wirral, had run out of petrol while driving home and is understood to have decided to walk to the nearest garage to fill up a jerrycan.
She was then set upon, sexually assaulted and beaten to death in an alley. She was left with injuries that Merseyside Police detectives described at the time as the worst they had ever seen.
Mr Sullivan was dubbed the 'Beast of Birkenhead' or the 'wolfman' after the killing following the discovery of bite marks on the victim's body.
Some of Sindall's belongings were later found burnt in woodland on Bidston Hill, about five miles away.
Mr Sullivan, who was described as a 'quiet loner', was arrested and repeatedly interviewed without having a solicitor present.
He initially made a confession but later retracted it.
On the night of the murder, Mr Sullivan, an unemployed labourer from Birkenhead, had been playing darts at a local pub and drinking heavily.
At his sentencing, the trial judge described it as a 'crime of considerable abomination and outrage'.
But there were questions over the way Merseyside detectives had questioned Mr Sullivan during interviews amid claims the Police and Criminal Evidence Act had not been followed.
Mr Sullivan first raised his case with the Criminal Cases Review Commission - the body set up to look for potential miscarriages of justice - in 2008 but was rejected.
He applied again in 2021 after new forensics work discovered the DNA of an unknown man at the scene.
Experts believe it originated from traces of semen that had been recovered from the crime scene and stored.
Merseyside Police reopened the case but the sample did not match any stored on the national DNA database used by police.
Mr Sullivan watched proceedings via videolink from HMP Wakefield, where he is currently held.
As the judgment was handed down by Mr Justice Holroyde and his conviction was formally quashed Mr Sullivan could be seen holding his hand to his mouth and appearing tearful.
In court members of the public embraced and one woman tearfully said 'we've done it' .
The court was told that Mr Sullivan must now be released from custody. The Crown Prosecution Service had earlier indicated it would not seek a retrial.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Telegraph
30 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Academics lose discrimination case over trans-critical film
Two academics have failed in their attempt to sue their union for stopping their trans-critical film from being shown to students at the University of Edinburgh. Dr Deirdre O'Neill, a lecturer at the University of Hertfordshire, and Michael Wayne, a professor at Brunel University, argued that they suffered unlawful discrimination when the University and College Union (UCU) opposed their film, Adult Human Female, which challenges claims made by trans rights activists. On Monday, Employment Judge Laidler, sitting with two side members, concluded the claimants were not treated detrimentally contrary to the Equality Act 2010, and were not subjected to harassment. Mary Senior, a UCU Scotland official, welcomed what she described as 'a sensible and common-sense decision'. She added: 'I am proud that UCU successfully defended this case in tribunal. It cannot be right that a trade union is not able to protest peacefully within the law and to employers when material is presented on campus which it believes attacks the human rights of others.' The tribunal, which was held remotely, heard that in November 2022, Dr O'Neill and Prof Wayne released their film examining claims made by trans rights activists that 'trans women are women and should be treated as women in all legal and social contexts'. The UCU's branch at the University of Edinburgh wrote to its principal, Prof Sir Peter Mathieson, asking the university not to host or facilitate the film screening, which it regarded as an 'attack on trans people's identities and not in line with the [university's] dignity and respect policy'. The tribunal was told that the union also published a series of social media posts denouncing the showing of the film, describing it as transphobic hate, and encouraging protests which twice blocked screenings in Edinburgh. The academics said the UCU's opposition amounted to unlawful discrimination on the basis of their gender-critical belief that there are only two sexes. Film 'contained misinformation' At the time, they wrote to Jo Grady, the union's general secretary, asking her to confirm they were entitled to their gender-critical beliefs and that UCU did not support preventing the showing of their film. Ms Grady confirmed that gender-critical beliefs were recognised to be legitimate philosophical beliefs protected under the Equality Act 2010. She also noted that UCU members held many opposing views and that it was not for the union to stand in the way of members and branches protesting certain expressions of protected beliefs. The tribunal noted that UCU Edinburgh was not objecting to the beliefs of the claimants but was protesting against a film which it believed presented misinformation about trans and non-binary people and that was damaging to trans and non-binary staff and students. Ms Senior added: 'It is welcome to have this positive decision at the start of Pride month, and at a time when trans and non-binary people feel under attack. 'This decision demonstrates that trade unions and others can stand up for trans rights and trans inclusivity, and our union is committed to continuing to promote a more equal and safe world for all people regardless of their gender identity'.


The Sun
31 minutes ago
- The Sun
My sister took her own life after making sick pact with online chat room stranger who flew over from US to watch her die
A WRITER has described how a man flew from the US to watch her sister take her own life after meeting on a "sick" online forum. Adele Zeynep Walton, 26, told how her sister Aimee was discovered dead by cops in a hotel room in October 2022. 5 5 5 Aimee, who was just 21-years-old at the time, was found with a total stranger, who had flown from the US to watch her die. The sisters - who were raised in Southampton, Hampshire, both had active online lives growing up, but Aimee more so. Adele said that Aimee, who was neurodivergent, was bullied as a teenager and turned to online communities instead. When the pandemic hit, Aimee withdrew even further into the online world, her sister - writing in The Telegraph - explained. She broke up with her boyfriend and spent an increasing amount of time in her room. The first Covid lockdown in England was announced in March 2020, and the third was on January 2021. It was in October 2022 that Adele - who was 25 at the time - and her parents were told that Aimee was dead. Aimee was found in a hotel room in Slough, Berkshire, 60 miles away from her home - with a stranger. They had met through a sick online forum that "partners" up people looking to end their own lives. This forum was also how she got her hands on the substance that killed her - reportedly from Kenneth Law, who has been linked to 88 deaths in the UK. According to The New York Times, the forum was founded by two men who run several "incel" websites. Adele took it upon herself to visit the thread and said many of the posts said: "Your family don't care about you" and "You should do it." She told The Guardian that the man who was with her little sister could have been "living out a sick fantasy as an incel who wants to see a young and vulnerable woman end her life'. The man told police he had been working for the 11 days he spent in the hotel room with Aimee. Adele wrote in The Telegraph: "This forum has taken at least 50 UK lives, including my sister. "From looking at the forum myself, I can see just how easy it is to end up in a rabbit hole of despair, where vulnerable users are told their loved ones don't care about them. "Being informed by police that Aimee died in a hotel room with a stranger who she met on this forum, and who flew from the US to witness her death, still haunts me." Adele now campaigns about the harms of the online world and has written a book called Logging Off: The Human Cost of Our Digital World. If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please call the Samaritans for free on 116123. 5 5


Times
34 minutes ago
- Times
Nick Kyrgios's role as Wimbledon pundit to end after only one year
Nick Kyrgios will not be part of the BBC's Wimbledon coverage this year and the Australian is set to miss the tournament as a player too. The BBC was criticised for hiring the 30-year-old for Wimbledon last year after he admitted assaulting an ex-girlfriend. Sources close to the broadcaster have confirmed that Kyrgios will not be part of the line-up for the 2025 event, which starts on June 30. Kyrgios confirmed last week that his hopes of playing in SW19 for the first time since 2022, when he reached the final, had been dashed by a setback in his recovery from injury. In 2023 Kyrgios admitted to assaulting his ex-girlfriend Chiara Passari when he pushed her over during an argument, but avoided a criminal conviction after a magistrate ruled that the offence was 'low-level'. He was also criticised for sharing social media posts by the misogynist influencer Andrew Tate — he later deleted them. Last year the BBC was forced to defend its decision to hire Kyrgios, saying: 'We are in no way condoning his cited previous actions or behaviours, on and off the court, and he is employed to share his views on tennis only.' Kyrgios has also been outspoken in recent months about the leniency of a three-month ban given to the French Open finalist and world No1 Jannik Sinner after two positive drugs tests in 2024. Kyrgios, who has been open about his mental health struggles, said the sanction showed that 'fairness in tennis does not exist'. Last year he told the interviewer Louis Theroux it was 'impossible' that the pyramids had been built by humans and also indicated he believed there was evidence to back up other conspiracy theories, including whether the moon landings had actually taken place.