DNA clears man of murder after 38 years behind bars

A pensioner who has spent nearly 40 years behind bars has had his murder conviction overturned in what’s thought to be the longest-running miscarriage of justice in British history.

- HOLLY EVANS, AMY-CLARE MARTIN

A Labour MP has called for an independent inquiry into the wrongful conviction of Peter Sullivan for the 1986 murder of Diane Sindall in what a No 10 spokesperson described as a “grave miscarriage of justice”.

The 68-year-old was 30 when he was handed a life sentence for the brutal murder of the 21-year-old part-time florist in Bebington, near Merseyside. He served 38 years in prison before his conviction was finally overturned at the Court of Appeal, after tests revealed his DNA was not present in samples preserved from the crime scene.

He had previously tried to overturn his conviction twice over concerns around analysis of bite marks and the manner in which his police interviews were conducted.

Mr Sullivan appealed against his conviction for a third time – 17 years after his first attempt to overturn it – and the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) referred his case to the Court of Appeal.

Quashing the conviction, Lord Justice Holroyde, sitting with Mr Justice Goss and Mr Justice Bryan, said they had “no doubt that it is both necessary and expedient in the interests of justice” to accept the new DNA evidence. He said: “In the light of that evidence, it is impossible to regard the appellant’s conviction as safe.”

As the decision was given, Mr Sullivan, who attended the hearing via video link from maximum security HMP Wakefield, held his hand to his mouth and appeared tearful while members of his family embraced.

The West Yorkshire jail, sometimes known as “Monster Mansion”, has been home to some of the country’s most dangerous prisoners, including Sarah Payne’s killer, Roy Whiting, and notorious sex offender Ian Watkins, the frontman of the Lost Prophets.