How DNA test freed a man after 38 years behind bars

The UK’s Court of Appeal has on Monday, May 12, 2025, overturned the murder conviction of Peter Sullivan after nearly four decades in prison.

According to reports, Sullivan, has spent almost 38 years behind bars for the 1986 murder of Diane Sindall in Merseyside.

He is believed to be the longest-serving living victim of a miscarriage of justice in UK history.

Fresh DNA testing, unavailable at the time of his trial, revealed that Sullivan was not the source of key evidence.

He was convicted in 1987 and sentenced to life imprisonment for Sindall’s rape and murder.

Sindall, a 21-year-old florist, had been saving for her wedding while working part-time at a local bar.

She was sexually assaulted and murdered on her way home on 2 August 1986, after finishing a shift.

Her body was discovered the next morning, sparking a major police investigation in Bebington, Merseyside.

Sullivan has always maintained his innocence, according to his lawyer, Sarah Myatt.

New DNA testing clears Sullivan

Modern forensic analysis of samples from the crime scene produced a DNA profile that excluded Sullivan completely.

The evidence was presented to the Court of Appeal on Monday, leading to a unanimous decision to quash the conviction.

The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) initially rejected Sullivan’s case in 2008.

At the time, experts said no new DNA profile could be obtained from existing samples.

In 2021, Sullivan reapplied to the CCRC, which then obtained the necessary DNA results from preserved evidence.

These findings proved pivotal in overturning the conviction.

Sullivan’s statement: Not angry, not bitter

In a statement read by his lawyer, Sullivan said he was “not angry, not bitter.”

He expressed deep sympathy for Sindall’s family and hoped the real killer would be brought to justice.

Sullivan asked for privacy to begin repairing his life, describing it as “driftwood” after nearly four decades in prison.

He said time had cruelly stripped him of health, mobility, and youth inside prison walls.

Following the acquittal, Merseyside Police reopened the investigation into Diane Sindall’s murder.

More than 260 men have already been screened using the national DNA database.

So far, none have matched the DNA recovered from the crime scene.

Police urged anyone with information about the 1986 murder to come forward.

CCRC acknowledges review failures

The CCRC admitted it could have pursued different forensic techniques during the 2008 review.

However, it said the specific method used in 2025 was not available then.

The agency said it regrets failing to identify Sullivan’s case as a miscarriage of justice earlier.

The CCRC has pledged to improve future case reviews based on forensic developments.

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