'I'm not angry, I'm not bitter': Peter Sullivan breaks silence as he walks free for first time in 38 years after his conviction for brutal murder of Diane Sindall was quashed

A erstwhile labourer freed from situation aft his execution condemnation of 38 years was dramatically quashed has said helium is 'not angry' oregon 'bitter' implicit his decades-long incarceration. 

Peter Sullivan was jailed for the execution of young florist Diane Sindall, 21, successful Birkenhead, Merseyside successful 1986, but contiguous 3 elder judges quashed his condemnation aft the Court of Appeal heard DNA grounds showed the slayer was idiosyncratic else. 

They recovered successful favour of the 68-year-old, who has learning difficulties, marking the longest miscarriage of justness successful UK history.

Mr Sullivan, watching the proceeding remotely from HMP Wakefield, sat with his arms folded implicit his thorax arsenic the 3 judges, led by Lord Justice Holroyde, announced their determination pursuing a two-hour hearing. 

Speaking afterwards, Mr Sullivan - who was aged 30 erstwhile helium was sentenced for execution - said successful a connection work retired by his lawyer: 'I mislaid my liberty 4 decades agone implicit a crime I did not commit. 

'We present cognize however precise antithetic the times we unrecorded successful are from technological advances, ineligible signifier and methods of probe and questioning by the police.

'What happened to maine was precise incorrect but it does not detract oregon minimise that each of this happened disconnected the backmost of a heinous and astir unspeakable nonaccomplishment of life. 

'I did not perpetrate execution oregon unlawfully instrumentality the beingness of immoderate idiosyncratic passim the span of my own.

'As God is my witness, it is said the information shall instrumentality you free. It is unfortunate that it does not springiness a timescale arsenic we beforehand towards resolving the wrongs done to me, I americium not angry, I americium not bitter.

'I americium simply anxious to instrumentality to my loved ones and household arsenic I've got to marque the astir of what is near of the beingness I americium granted successful this world.'

His sister, Kim Smith, said: 'We mislaid Peter for 39 years and astatine the extremity of the time it's not conscionable us, Peter hasn't won and neither has the Sindall family. They've mislaid their daughter, they are not going to get her back.

'We've got Peter backmost and present we've got to effort and physique a beingness astir him again.

'We consciousness atrocious for the Sindalls and it's specified a shame this has had to hap successful the archetypal place.'

Earlier, members of Mr Sullivan's household successful the nationalist assemblage wept arsenic Lord Justice Holroyde announced: 'We quash the conviction.'

The justice continued: 'Strong though the circumstantial grounds undoubtedly seemed astatine the trial, it is present indispensable to instrumentality into relationship the caller technological grounds pointing to idiosyncratic other - the chartless man. 

'If the caller grounds had been disposable successful 1986, the grounds arsenic a full would person been regarded arsenic insufficient. In the airy of that grounds it is intolerable to respect the appellant's condemnation arsenic safe.' 

Speaking extracurricular court, Mr Sullivan's solicitor Sarah Myatt said: 'This is an unprecedented and historical moment.

'Our lawsuit Peter Sullivan is the longest-serving unfortunate of a miscarriage of justness successful the UK

'He has endured astir 40 years successful a class A situation for a genuinely horrific transgression that helium did not commit.

'Today, justness has been astatine past served, and his condemnation has been quashed.'

It means the DNA recovered connected Miss Sindall's sexually mutilated assemblage belongs to a enigma fishy whose details are not connected the National DNA Database oregon linked to immoderate different unsolved offences.

Detectives with Merseyside Police person begun a caller probe into Miss Sindall's convulsive death.

Prosecutors admitted determination was nary ground connected which Mr Sullivan would ever person been charged if the caller grounds - made disposable by important technological advances - was disposable astatine the time.

Duncan Atkinson KC, connected behalf of the CPS, told the Court of Appeal: 'We bash not question to reason that this caller DNA grounds does not undermine the information of the appellant's (Mr Sullivan's) conviction.'

He said: 'Had this DNA grounds been disposable astatine the clip a determination was taken to prosecute, it is hard to spot however a determination to prosecute could person been made.'

He added: 'The DNA grounds provides a wide and uncontroverted ground to suggest that different idiosyncratic was liable for some the intersexual battle and the murder.

'As such, it positively undermines the circumstantial lawsuit against Mr Sullivan arsenic identified astatine the clip some of his proceedings and his 2021 appeal.'

Miss Sindall was brutally killed aft she near enactment successful Bebington, Birkenhead, Merseyside, successful August 1986. Mr Sullivan was convicted of her execution successful November the pursuing year.

Prosecutors said helium had spent the time drinking heavily, and went retired equipped with a crowbar earlier a accidental brushwood with Miss Sindall.

Evidence astatine the clip suggested Mr Sullivan had precocious borrowed a crowbar from a neighbour, near for London soon aft the execution arousing suspicion, and was placed adjacent the country by witnesses who gave his description.

Miss Sindall's florist van had breached down connected her mode location from a pub displacement and she was walking to a petrol presumption to get immoderate spare fuel. She had been moving precocious to wage for her forthcoming wedding.

She was ambushed, sexually assaulted and past beaten to death, her assemblage near partially clothed and mutilated successful an alleyway wherever it was discovered the pursuing day.

In November the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) said that Mr Sullivan's condemnation had been referred to the Court of Appeal connected the ground of DNA evidence.

Samples taken astatine the clip of the execution were re-examined and a DNA illustration that did not lucifer Mr Sullivan was found, the committee said.

Mr Sullivan applied to the assemblage to person his lawsuit re-examined successful 2021, raising concerns astir constabulary interviews, wound people grounds and the execution weapon.

He claimed helium had not been provided with an due big during interviews and was initially denied ineligible representation.

Mr Sullivan had antecedently applied to the CCRC successful 2008 raising questions astir DNA evidence, but forensic experts said that further investigating was improbable to uncover a DNA profile.

He applied to the High Court for support to entreaty against his condemnation successful 2019 implicit wound people evidence, but this was rejected by the Court of Appeal successful 2021.

Mr Sullivan had initially confessed to the murder, earlier retracting the claims.

He said detectives forced a confession from him, initially barred him from seeing a solicitor and denied him enactment from an 'appropriate adult', who, it is said, should person been appointed to safeguard his interests arsenic a susceptible person.

Jason Pitter KC, representing Mr Sullivan, described however the astir caller technological advances backed his client's contention that helium was the unfortunate of wrongful conviction.

He told the Appeal Court: 'At this clip this substance was primitively earlier the court, determination was not the technological capableness to transportation retired investigation of that material.

'The worldly was not capable to beryllium analysed. But since 2024, an investigation has been carried retired connected that material.

'The DNA from that cellular worldly recovered connected the deceased … could beryllium attributed to an chartless male.'

He added: 'The prosecution lawsuit is that it was 1 person. It was 1 idiosyncratic who carried retired a intersexual battle connected the victim.

'The grounds present is present that 1 idiosyncratic was not the defendant.'

Mr Sullivan, erstwhile dubbed the Beast of Birkenhead, appeared flooded with emotion arsenic the proceeding concluded.

He could beryllium seen rubbing his hands implicit his face, appearing to hitch distant tears, and past looked towards the sky.

Merseyside Police said the captious DNA grounds was not disposable during the archetypal probe into Peter Sullivan and officers are present 'committed to doing everything' to find the idiosyncratic whose DNA was near astatine the country wherever Ms Sindall died.

Detective Chief Superintendent Karen Jaundrill said: 'Our thoughts stay with the household and friends of Diane Sindall who proceed to mourn her nonaccomplishment and volition person to endure the implications of this caller improvement truthful galore years aft her murder. 

'We are committed to doing everything wrong our powerfulness to find whom the DNA, which was near astatine the scene, belongs to.

'Unfortunately, determination is nary lucifer for the DNA identified connected the nationalist DNA database.

'We person enlisted specializer skills and expertise from the National Crime Agency, and with their enactment we are proactively trying to place the idiosyncratic the DNA illustration belongs to, and extended and painstaking inquiries are underway.

'We tin corroborate that the DNA does not beryllium to immoderate subordinate of Diane's family, nor Diane's fiance astatine the time, and we judge it could beryllium a captious portion of grounds linking the slayer to the scene.

'To day much than 260 men person been screened and eliminated from the probe which was reopened successful 2023.

'The probe squad has obtained astir of the samples locally, however, screening has besides taken spot successful Swansea, Perth, London, Hull and Newcastle with the proviso of voluntary DNA elimination samples.'

Downing Street said the Sullivan judgement indispensable beryllium cautiously considered to get some him and Diane Sindall's household 'the answers they deserve'.

A Number 10 spokesperson said: 'It's wide that Peter Sullivan has suffered a sedate miscarriage of justness and our thoughts are besides with Diane Sindall's household connected what indispensable beryllium an incredibly hard day.

'We indispensable cautiously see this judgement and look astatine however this could person happened and get some him and Diane's household the answers they deserve.'