14.05.2025 10:13
Peter Sullivan, who was convicted in 1986 for the murder of 21-year-old Diane Sindall, who was raped and killed while returning home from work in England, has been found innocent after new DNA tests conducted 38 years later. Upon learning that he would be released, Sullivan burst into tears.
In England, Peter Sullivan was convicted of the murder of 21-year-old Diane Sindall, who was raped and killed while walking home from his shift at a bar in Birkenhead, near Liverpool, in 1986. The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), established to investigate possible legal errors, referred the case back to court last year after a DNA profile indicating an unidentified attacker was found in sperm samples taken from the crime scene.
INNOCENCE REVEALED 38 YEARS LATER
New DNA tests have revealed that Sullivan, who was accused of murder 38 years ago, is innocent. During the hearing at the Central Criminal Court in London, Judge Holroyde overturned the conviction and stated that they "had no doubt that accepting the new DNA evidence was both necessary and appropriate for justice."
HE SOBBED
Connecting to the case via video link from the prison where he was held, Sullivan sobbed when he was told he would be released. The now 68-year-old Sullivan is believed to have experienced the longest miscarriage of justice suffered by a living prisoner in British legal history.
"I AM NOT ANGRY OR BITTER"
Judge Holroyde noted that the injuries on the victim "clearly indicated the sexual nature of the attack" and stated that the sperm was most likely left by the real killer. The judge said, "There is no evidence to suggest that multiple men were involved in the murder, and there is no evidence to suggest that the sperm could have come from consensual sexual intercourse."
Sullivan, who was arrested 38 years, seven months, and 21 days ago, spent a total of 14,113 days in custody. In a statement read by Sullivan's lawyer, he said, "I am not angry, I am not bitter. What happened to me was very wrong, but that does not take away from the fact that what has happened is a terrible loss of life. The truth will set you free."
NO DNA FOUND BELONGING TO SULLIVAN
In court, it was stated that the technology required to conduct DNA testing on the sperm sample taken from Sindall's abdomen was developed only recently. It was expressed that the DNA profile did not match Sindall's fiancé at the time, and the forensic expert who collected the sperm samples stated that there was no possibility of cross-contamination. The police have reopened the murder investigation, but announced that no matches were found in searches of the national DNA database.
Sullivan first applied for his case to be reviewed by the CCRC in 2008, but at that time the commission concluded that the likelihood of obtaining a new DNA profile was very low. Another application was made to the CCRC in 2021, but this time the commission concluded that, thanks to technological advancements, the sperm samples stored since 1986 were worth testing. Sullivan's defense team acknowledged that if the sample had been attempted to be tested earlier, there was a possibility it could have been completely destroyed without any results.