🔗 Share this article

Considering he who's lost nearly 40 years of his life because of a crime he was innocent of, Peter Sullivan strikes a remarkably positive tone.

In our conversation last month, for what was his initial media appearance since being freed from prison in May, he was upbeat and looking forward to getting to Anfield to watch Liverpool play for the first time since he was arrested in 1986.

That was the year of the brutal homicide of Diane Sindall in his home town of Birkenhead - an incident he said he had limited information regarding because someone spoke to him in a pub at the time and said, "apparently there's been a murder".

When he was convicted the following year at Liverpool Crown Court - he was condemned to a extended term in some of Britain's highest-security category A prisons where he would be tormented by his tabloid nicknames "The Wirral Predator", "River Mersey Murderer" and "Nocturnal Predator".

Navigating a Transformed World

Ahead of our conversation, he was abundant with tales about how since his exoneration he has had to adapt to a radically changed world.

When he was taken into custody, Margaret Thatcher was in Downing Street, the concept of the internet and Europe was still separated by the Iron Curtain.

He explained watching the fall of the Berlin Wall from a shared television in prison.

Mr Sullivan explained how trips to the shops now show how "the world has transformed" - from trying to understand how self-checkouts work to realising that "rather than having a cheque book, you've got it on your phone".

Modern Surprises

His incarceration means he has been unaware of the way so many facets of everyday life have evolved - almost like someone who has been in hibernation since the 1980s.

"After spending so long in prison and discovering there's no DHSS [Department of Health and Social Security, now the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)] where you can pick up your money - you're thinking, 'Goodness, what's going on here?'"

He now has a smartphone, after discovering doctor's appointments need to be scheduled on something he now knows is called an 'app'.

He first became familiar with them when he was riding on a bus shortly after his release and saw people using smartphones. He only realised they were phones when he saw someone put one to their ear.

Emotional Impact

Mr Sullivan's 14,000 days in prison have also led to an unavoidable sense of institutionalisation.

He recalled how after his freedom, one morning in his flat he returned to his bedroom and sat down on his bed, because he was automatically waiting for a prison officer to come and lock him back into his cell.

"You've got to be at your door at a certain time, otherwise the officers will go off at you", he said.

"I found myself thinking, 'What am I doing?'"

Seeking Explanation

But Mr Sullivan's optimism is balanced by a desire for answers about how he came to be charged with an notorious murder that he didn't commit, and a bewilderment about why he still has not had an apology.

"I've lost everything", he said.

"I lost all my freedom, I lost my mother since I've been in prison, I've lost my father.

"It pains me because I wasn't there for them", he said.

"It's impossible to continue with my life if I can't get an response off them."

"My only request, an apology [and to understand] the cause behind they've done this to me", he said.

Authorities Statement

Merseyside Police said "minimal advantage to be gained for a review of this matter today" because of "advancements to investigative techniques and improvements in the law over the last 40 years".

The force did refer some of Mr Sullivan's allegations to the police oversight body, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), who will now examine his claims that officers physically abused him and warned to link him to other crimes if he didn't plead guilty to Diane Sindall's murder.

When asked if it would apologise, the force did not clearly address the question, but as part of a detailed response it said: "The force recognizes that there has been a serious failure of justice in this case".

Looking Ahead

Mr Sullivan told me about his basic aspiration - an ambition that he said he had lost hope of being able to realise at some points over his almost forty years behind bars.

"My only desire to do now is get on with my own life and carry on as I was before, and live my time out now".

His life ahead may be made less challenging by government monetary award, paid to individuals affected of miscarriages of justice.

This system is capped at £1.3m, a maximum which it is estimated his final compensation will get very approach.

But the process is not immediate, and it is lengthy.

Andrew Malkinson, whose conviction for a rape he was innocent of was quashed in 2023, was only given an temporary payment earlier this year.

Admitted offenders who acknowledge their crimes and are freed get a housing and some help with living expenses. Mr Sullivan, as an wrongly convicted individual, is not qualified for that help.

And so he is existing a simple existence, with his modest ambitions - although many consider he is a compensation recipient.

His lawyer, Sarah Myatt, said "there's not a figure that you could say that would be enough for forfeiting 38 years of your life".