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The independent police watchdog has launched an investigation into a murder case that represents one of the lengthiest miscarriages of justice in British legal history. Peter Sullivan was wrongly imprisoned for 38 years after being convicted for the 1986 murder of Diane Sindall, a 21-year-old florist from Wirral, Merseyside. His conviction was overturned in 2023 when DNA evidence from the crime scene identified an unknown individual, excluding him from the crime.
Following Sullivan’s claims regarding the conduct of the original police inquiry, Merseyside Police referred themselves to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC). The IOPC has since commenced a comprehensive investigation into the matter, operating independently from the ongoing police efforts to identify Diane Sindall’s true killer. Sindall, who was also working as a part-time barmaid to save for her upcoming wedding, was violently attacked while walking home from work. Her partially clothed body was discovered by a dog walker in an alleyway in Birkenhead, triggering one of the largest manhunts in the region.
Sullivan, now aged 68, was only released after the DNA profile found in semen samples at the scene did not match his but rather an unknown man. The Crown Prosecution Service accepted these new forensic results, and the Court of Appeal formally freed him in May 2025. Inquiries made by IOPC earlier that year found Merseyside Police had no record of complaints or identified officer misconduct related to the original investigation. However, in his first and only broadcast interview with the BBC, Sullivan claimed he had been “stitched up,” alleging that false statements were planted to support a coerced confession. He also reported being questioned seven times without legal representation and threatened with charges relating to “35 other rapes” unless he confessed.
Sullivan further stated he was denied an appropriate adult during his interrogations despite documented learning difficulties, and he described being physically abused by police officers while in custody. “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 recounted. “It really hurt, they were leathering me.” These serious allegations prompted Merseyside Police to again contact the IOPC, which has now spoken directly with Sullivan and is reviewing all available records. Amanda Rowe, director of the IOPC, described Sullivan as “a victim of one of the worst miscarriages of justice this country has ever seen” and emphasized the importance of a thorough investigation despite the difficulty posed by the passage of four decades. She pledged that the IOPC would strive to advance its inquiries as swiftly as possible.
Meanwhile, efforts to identify Sindall’s real attacker continue. The new DNA profile does not match any entries in the national database, and police have eliminated hundreds of potential suspects who voluntarily submitted DNA samples. At this stage, no further arrests have been made in connection with the case
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