Probe launched into Peter Sullivan's wrongful murder conviction

A murder inquiry that resulted in one of the worst miscarriages of justice in British criminal history is being probed by the independent police watchdog. 

Vulnerable Peter Sullivan spent 38 years in prison after being wrongfully convicted of killing 21-year-old part-time barmaid and florist Diane Sindall in Birkenhead, Merseyside, in 1986.

He became synonymous with a lurid nickname, 'the Beast of Birkenhead', and spent nearly four decades behind bars for a murder he never committed.

Sullivan, who has learning difficulties, always maintained his innocence and retracted a 'confession' he said was only made after he was 'bullied' and beaten by police officers.

But then in 2023, compelling new DNA evidence found at the crime scene showed Sullivan was not the culprit - and he was finally freed.

Now as a result of his complaints around the conduct of Merseyside Police officers, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has opened a full investigation. 

The probe is separate to a renewed investigation by the force to find the real murderer. 

Diane had taken on shifts at the Wellington pub in Bebington on the Wirral to help pay for her forthcoming wedding. Engaged to her childhood sweetheart, the shy 21-year-old florist had much to look forward to.

In the early hours of August 2, 1986, about 15 minutes into the short journey home, the Fiat Fiorino she was driving home ran out of petrol and came to a halt near a roundabout in Birkenhead.

Diane grabbed a plastic can from the back of the van and started walking along the busy, well-lit road to find the nearest petrol station.

It was a decision with horrific consequences. At some point, shortly after midnight, the young woman was savagely battered to death: stripped half-naked, indecently assaulted, mutilated and her breasts bitten, her body discarded in an alley.

Diane grabbed a plastic can from the back of the van and started walking along the busy, well-lit road to find the nearest petrol station.

It would be another 12 hours or so before it was discovered. Diane had been beaten about the face, head and body, and sustained multiple fractures.

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Her bra and T-shirt had been pulled up around her neck and her jeans, shoes, knickers and handbag were missing. Poignantly, she was still wearing her diamond engagement ring.

Merseyside Police launched its biggest ever murder inquiry in the hunt for the killer.

Within weeks, after an appeal on the BBC's Crimewatch UK, suspicion fell on a local man, later described to The Mail on Sunday as 'not the full shilling' and a 'village idiot'.

A petty criminal who spent time in a borstal as a teenager and with a string of convictions, unemployed labourer Peter Sullivan, then just 29, had no history of sexual violence.

He was, though, something of an attention-seeking 'Walter Mitty' character who claimed – falsely – to have been friends with 1980s darts champions Eric Bristow and Jocky Wilson and to have had trials with Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Mr Sullivan was charged with Diane Sindall's murder following a 'confession'. 

He later retracted it, saying it was made under duress from police, but in November 1987 he was convicted of murder at Liverpool Crown Court and jailed for life.

Mr Sullivan continued to maintain his innocence.

Last year he finally won his freedom after his case was referred by the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) to the Court of Appeal following the discovery of compelling 'new' DNA evidence.

After his release, Sullivan gave his only media interview to the BBC and detailed how he had been interviewed on seven occasions without a solicitor or other appropriate adult present, given that he has learning difficulties.

He also claimed he was threatened with being charged with '35 other rapes' if he did not confess and said he had been beaten by police officers.

'They threw a blanket over the top of me and they were hitting me on top of the blanket with the truncheons to try and get me to co-operate with them,' he told BBC News.

'It really hurt, they were leathering me.'

IOPC director Amanda Rowe said it was 'important' for his case to be investigated.

She said: 'Mr Sullivan was a victim of one of the worst miscarriages of justice this country has ever seen. Our thoughts are with him as he continues to rebuild his life.

'In light of the significant impact this has had, as well as the severity of some of the allegations contained in the complaint, it is important for these matters to be independently investigated.

'The fact this took place almost 40 years ago poses substantial evidential challenges, however we will do all we can to progress our inquiries as quickly as we can, while taking all appropriate steps to ensure this does not hinder the ongoing investigation by Merseyside Police into the horrific crime against Ms Sindall.'

Merseyside Police say the real killer’s DNA profile has not been matched on the national database, though more than 500 men have already been ruled out.

Detectives are now working with the National Crime Agency to try to identify the suspect through relatives whose DNA may appear in genealogy databases.

Merseyside Police said it 'regretted' that a grave miscarriage of justice had occurred but maintained its officers had acted within the law.

Mr Sullivan is demanding an apology from the force and is waiting to hear to what extent he will be compensated for his wrongful imprisonment.

He could be entitled to £1.3million under a capped government scheme.