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The Independent
15-05-2025
- The Independent
Locals said they knew who actually killed Diane Sindall, says charity worker
The real killer of a Wirral florist murdered in 1986 was known by 'everyone' in the community, workers at a charity set up after her death were told. Peter Sullivan, 68, was convicted of the murder of Diane Sindall, 21, in 1987, but on Tuesday three senior judges quashed his conviction after the Court of Appeal heard DNA evidence showed the killer was someone else. The murder, which happened when Miss Sindall was walking through Birkenhead in the early hours of August 2 1986, was a catalyst for women to set up the Wirral Rape Crisis Counselling Service, which still operates today as Rape and Sexual Abuse Support (RASA) Merseyside. Jo Wood, who has worked for the charity for 21 years, told the PA news agency: 'We had been told countless times they had got the wrong person, but without any evidence what could we do? 'It was general gossip. There was one particular event when we were in a pub for a leaving do, it must have been eight years ago, and a young woman approached me. 'She said, 'the one that got locked up, we all know it was the wrong fella. Everyone knows who it is'.' Ms Wood said the woman then disappeared and gave no more information. She added: 'There have been lots of undercurrents for years from people who potentially have suspicions of who it was. 'No one's ever been able to come forward and we haven't got a name – I wish somebody would just give us a name. 'Now we have got the DNA sample they can be cleared or otherwise, I just wish police could have something to go on because they're starting again.' She said, at the time, communities were 'almost tribal' within estates in the area and it could have been difficult for people to come forward. She added: 'It's been nearly 40 years. People's consciences must prick them. 'The person who has done this, if they're still living, must be having real sleepless nights.' Managers at RASA were told last November that Mr Sullivan's appeal was likely to be successful, Ms Wood said. She said: 'Diane has always been part of what we do. When police told us they thought the appeal was going to win I just felt like somebody had hit me in the forehead. 'It felt an utter letdown.' Ms Wood said anyone with information who did not feel able to go to the police could contact the charity. She added: 'Somebody out there knows who has done this, it's not something you can keep a secret.' People were now left wondering if the killer was still walking the streets, she said. She added: 'One woman said to me, 'we felt safe for 40 years because we thought he was locked up'.' Merseyside Police reopened the investigation into Miss Sindall's murder in 2023. No match has been found for the DNA profile from the scene which led to Mr Sullivan's successful appeal. The force has urged anyone with information to come forward by contacting them on 101, quoting incident reference 23000584997, via the website or social media, or by calling Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
The Sun
15-05-2025
- The Sun
Locals ‘knew who REAL 'Beast of Birkenhead' was but were too afraid to tell cops' – as innocent man wrongfully convicted
LOCALS reportedly knew who the real "Beast of Birkenhead" was but were too scared to tell police - leading to an innocent man's wrongful conviction. Peter Sullivan spent almost 40 years in prison over the brutal murder of 21-year-old Diane Sindall in Bebington, Merseyside, in 1986. 6 6 His conviction was overturned on Tuesday following bombshell new DNA evidence. Now a charity set up in Diane's memory has claimed they were several local people who told them police had the wrong man. Josephine Wood, from RASA Merseyside, told the BBC none of these locals would reveal the real killer's identity to detectives and were too scared to come forward as sources. She added: "I know that we were approached on occasions by people who felt they could come to us and talk to us because we'd been set up almost in memory to Diane and as a tribute to her. "We were told on several occasions that the police had the wrong man. "But we didn't have evidence, we didn't have anything to offer, we just knew what we'd been told and the people are adamant that you've got the wrong person. "But without any evidence, without names, without people willing to come forward which is a really big deal, seriously what could be done?" Diane had just left her shift as a part-time barmaid at a pub in Bebington when her small blue van ran out of petrol. She was making her way to a garage when she was beaten to death and sexually assaulted in a "frenzied" attack. Her body was discovered partially clothed on August 2 in an alleyway. Diane's belongings were later found close to where a small fire had been started - with a man seen running from the scene. Ms Wood said some communities around Birkenhead at the time were "tight-knit", which made it difficult for people to come forward for fear of "repercussions". She added: "I would like to think that maybe 40 years down the line we can actually now go back to those people and say 'come on tell us what you know'. "Tell us what happened, you must feel safer now, you must feel a way that you can come forward, because if this guy hasn't done it somebody else has and we need to find out who that was." 6 6 Sullivan - described as a "loner" - was said to have spent the day of the murder drinking heavily. Following his arrest in September 1986, he was quizzed 22 times and denied legal advice in the first seven interviews - despite requesting it. Sullivan later "confessed to the murder" in an unrecorded interview a day after his arrest. He then made a formal confession but the court was told this was "inconsistent with the facts established by the investigation". It also went against his earlier interviews, with Sullivan retracting the admission later that day. Since his conviction, questions have been raised about whether he had proper legal representation during his interviews. Evidence related to bite marks on Diane's body has also been called into question. At the time of the case, DNA technology was not available and subsequent requests for new tests were refused. A breakthrough came when new tests ordered by the Criminal Cases Review Commission revealed Sullivan's DNA was not present on samples preserved at the time. Merseyside Police has now launched a new murder investigation to find Diane's killer. The force said they are "committed to doing everything" to find the person whose DNA was left at the scene . Detective Chief Superintendent Karen Jaundrill said: "Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of Diane Sindall who continue to mourn her loss and will have to endure the implications of this new development so many years after her murder. "Unfortunately, there is no match for the DNA identified on the national DNA database. "We have enlisted specialist skills and expertise from the National Crime Agency, and with their support we are proactively trying to identify the person the DNA profile belongs to, and extensive and painstaking inquiries are underway." 6 Det Supt Jaundrill said the DNA does not belong to any member of Diane's family or her fiance at the time. She revealed more than 260 men have been screened and eliminated from the investigation. The officer added: "Diane's murder sent shockwaves through Birkenhead when it happened and I would appeal to anyone who lived in the area at the time, and has any information which could help us with our inquiries, to come forward. "We believe there are people who have information, or suspicions, about the murder of Diane in 1986 and I would appeal to those people to come forward, as the information they have could be key to finding who the DNA belongs to. "You may have been in the area of Borough Road on the night of the murder and may have seen someone acting suspiciously. "If you were in the area, or had concerns about an individual at the time, let us know so our team can trace and request a DNA sample from the person you suspect, or a relative of theirs if they have perhaps passed away, or they have emigrated to another country." Anyone with information can contact Merseyside Police on 101, quoting incident reference 23000584997. 6
Daily Mail
15-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Real killer of Diane Sindall 'was KNOWN' after arrest of Peter Sullivan but locals refused to tell police -leading man wrongly branded Beast of Birkenhead to serve 38 years for murder he didn't commit
The real identity of the 'Beast of Birkenhead' who brutally murdered Diane Sindall was known to residents of local estates, according to a charity set up in her memory. But no-one from the 'tribal' and 'tight-knit' communities was willing to come forward and name the killer to police 'for fear of repercussions', staff said today. As a result, Peter Sullivan spent 38 years behind bars before his conviction for beating the 21-year-old to death in 1986 was quashed by the Court of Appeal earlier this week. Police have now reopened their investigation into the florist's murder, which caused shock and revulsion across the Wirral and beyond. However they say there is no match on the national database for the newly-analysed DNA recovered from the scene which led to 68-year-old Mr Sullivan's name being cleared. RASA Merseyside – short for rape and sexual abuse support – was set up after Ms Sindall's killing to help victims of sexual violence. Now Josephine Wood from the charity has told the BBC it was approached by several local people who told them police had the wrong man. However they would not reveal the true identity of her killer to detectives, she added. 'We were told on several occasions that the police had the wrong man,' she said. 'But we didn't have evidence, we didn't have anything to offer, we just knew what we'd been told and the people are adamant that you've got the wrong person. 'But without any evidence, without names, without people willing to come forward which is a really big deal, seriously what could be done?' Ms Wood said communities in deprived areas around Birkenhead were 'tribal' and 'tight-knit' in the 1980s, making it difficult for people to come forward. She told the broadcaster that it would be 'really hard' for someone to tell police 'we know who this is' due to the fear of 'repercussions' and 'what might happen'. 'I would like to think that maybe 40 years down the line we can actually now go back to those people and say 'Come on tell us what you know',' she added. 'Tell us what happened, you must feel safer now, you must feel a way that you can come forward, because if this guy hasn't done it somebody else has and we need to find out who that was.' Former labourer Mr Sullivan was released from Category A Wakefield Prison on Tuesday after finally being exonerated following years of campaigning. Lawyers have said it was 'completely inappropriate' that the maximum payout the 68-year-old can receive for his decades behind bars and wrongly being dubbed the Beast of Birkenhead stands at £1million. Yesterday his brother David told MailOnline: 'We are absolutely ecstatic that Peter has been freed but we knew 1000 per cent from the start that he was an innocent man.' Miss Sindall's van had broken down on her way home from a pub shift and she was walking to a petrol station to get some more fuel. She had been working late to pay for her forthcoming wedding to David Beattie. She was ambushed, sexually assaulted and then beaten to death, her body left partially clothed and mutilated in an alleyway where it was discovered the following day. Mr Sullivan's case was referred to the Court of Appeal by the Criminal Cases Review Commission after samples taken at the time of the murder were re-examined and produced a DNA profile that did not match his. Mr Sullivan – who has learning difficulties - initially confessed to the murder, before retracting the claims. Merseyside Police say they are 'proactively trying to identify the person the DNA profile belongs to', saying they believe it 'could be a vital piece of evidence linking the killer to the scene'. The DNA does not belong to any member of Diane's family, nor her fiancé at the time or hundreds of other men identified during the original investigation, the force has said. Det Ch Supt Karen Jaundrill, head of investigations at Merseyside Police, told the BBC she wanted people in Birkenhead to 'try and reflect on any individuals that you weren't happy with at the time'. Appealing for anyone to contact them 'regardless of how insignificant you think the information is', she added: 'It may be that somebody has passed away and you weren't happy with their behaviour at the time and you think they were linked.'
BBC News
15-05-2025
- BBC News
'Real identity of Diane Sindall killer was known on Birkenhead estates'
The real identity of the man who brutally murdered Diane Sindall was known by people on the estates in Birkenhead, a charity set up in her memory has claimed. Peter Sullivan, now 68, was acquitted of her murder at the Court of Appeal on Tuesday thanks to new DNA evidence after spending almost 40 years in prison. RASA Merseyside was set up to help victims of sexual violence after the 21-year-old was beaten to death in August 1986 as she walked home from a shift behind the bar at a Bebington pub. Josephine Wood from the charity told the BBC they had been approached by several local people who told them police had the wrong man, but they would not reveal the identity to detectives. 'Real chance' true killer from 1986 still at largeWho is Peter Sullivan and why was he jailed?Why was Peter Sullivan not freed earlier? These people did not share the name of the man they suspected was the real killer, and were unwilling to come forward as sources to help the investigation."I know that we were approached on occasions by people who felt they could come to us and talk to us because we'd been set up almost in memory to Diane and as a tribute to her," Ms Wood said. "We were told on several occasions that the police had the wrong man. "But we didn't have evidence, we didn't have anything to offer, we just knew what we'd been told and the people are adamant that you've got the wrong person."But without any evidence, without names, without people willing to come forward which is a really big deal, seriously what could be done?" Ms Wood said some deprived areas around Birkenhead at the time had "tribal" and "tight-knit" communities that made it difficult for people to come forward. "If something had happened in that estate it would be really hard for someone to actually come forward and say 'we know who this is', for fear of repercussions, for fear of what might happen," she said. "I would like to think that maybe 40 years down the line we can actually now go back to those people and say 'come on tell us what you know'. "Tell us what happened, you must feel safer now, you must feel a way that you can come forward, because if this guy hasn't done it somebody else has and we need to find out who that was."After Mr Sullivan's acquittal, Merseyside Police issued an urgent appeal for anyone who had any suspicions about someone they believed could have committed the crime in 1986 to get in touch. Det Ch Supt Karen Jaundrill, head of investigations at the force, told the BBC she wanted the communities of Birkenhead to "try and reflect on any individuals that you weren't happy with at the time"."It may be that somebody has passed away and you weren't happy with their behaviour at the time and you think they were linked," she said. "My ask would be please contact us, regardless of how insignificant you think the information is, and let us judge where that fits into our investigation." 'Cannot admit' Det Ch Supt Jaundrill said the force had been notified in 2023 that a new DNA profile had been extracted from semen samples preserved from the crime scene. More than 260 men identified as part of the original investigation had been tested and eliminated as potential suspects. Mr Sullivan's solicitor, Sarah Myatt, previously told the BBC that Mr Sullivan had "never lost hope" that he would be acquitted. She said he continued to maintain his innocence despite the fact he would have had a much stronger case to be freed on licence if he had told the parole board he accepted what he had done. Ms Myatt added: "He said 'I cannot admit to something I haven't done', even though that meant that the parole board would consider things in that way." Both the Crown Prosecution Service and Merseyside Police said they appreciated the impact of the miscarriage of justice on Mr Sullivan, but said the technology to get a DNA profile from samples like the ones recovered did not exist until very recently. The government runs a compensation scheme for victims of miscarriages of justice, which is capped at a maximum of £1m for those who spent more than 10 years in Miscarriage of Justice Compensation Scheme is separate to any civil legal action that could be brought against any public Myatt, from law firm Switalskis, said she and her colleagues would support any compensation claim Mr Sullivan wished to bring. A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: "We acknowledge the grave impact miscarriages of justice have and are committed to supporting individuals in rebuilding their lives."We are actively considering options to ensure any compensation properly supports people and will set out next steps in due course." Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on BBC Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram, and watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer.
The Independent
13-05-2025
- The Independent
‘Beast of Birkenhead' moniker came after murder that shocked community
Peter Sullivan was dubbed the 'Beast of Birkenhead' after the murder of Diane Sindall sent shockwaves through a community. Mr Sullivan, who spent 38 years in prison, was jailed in 1987 for killing the 21-year-old. Miss Sindall, a florist who was working part-time as a barmaid while she saved up for her wedding, was raped and brutally murdered as she walked along Borough Road in Birkenhead, Wirral, in the early hours of August 2 1986. Mr Sullivan was convicted of her murder the following year and bite marks found on her body, used as part of the case against him, led to him being called the 'Beast of Birkenhead', the 'Wolfman' and the 'Mersey Ripper'. Speaking outside court after his conviction was quashed, Mr Sullivan's sister Kim Smith said: 'Peter was called so many different names and that all needs to be squashed now because Peter was never anything of what he was being called in the first place.' The murder became a 'catalyst for action' for women, who set up Wirral Rape Crisis Counselling Service in its aftermath, which still operates today as Rape and Sexual Abuse Support (RASA) Merseyside. According to the service, it was after Miss Sindall's death that it was decided 'enough was enough'. The charity said: 'With local women angry at the nature of Diane's death and how easily it could have been prevented, a change in attitude and the very first 'Reclaim the Night' march in Liverpool presented the perfect opportunity to strike. Police said Miss Sindall suffered extensive injuries in the attack, with her cause of death established as a cerebral haemorrhage following multiple blows. The high-profile crime was featured on Crimewatch in the weeks after her murder. On Tuesday, Merseyside Police found itself again appealing for help to find the man who killed her. Detective Chief Superintendent Karen Jaundrill said: 'Diane's murder sent shockwaves through Birkenhead when it happened and I would appeal to anyone who lived in the area at the time, and has any information which could help us with our inquiries, to come forward.'
