LONDON (AP) — After nearly four decades of imprisonment for the murder of a barmaid, a British man expressed his lack of anger or bitterness on Tuesday as his conviction was overturned due to new DNA evidence. Peter Sullivan was visibly emotional as the Court of Appeal in London announced the quashing of his conviction, marking the end of his status as the U.K.’s longest-serving victim of a wrongful conviction, according to his attorney Sarah Myatt.
Watching the hearing via video from Wakefield prison in northern England, Sullivan stated in a released statement that he harbored no resentment and eagerly anticipated reuniting with his loved ones. Myatt read from his statement, quoting, “As God is my witness, it is said the truth shall set you free. It is unfortunate that it does not provide a timeline as we move closer to righting the wrongs done to me. I am not angry, I am not bitter.”
Convicted in 1987 for the murder of Diane Sindall in Bebington, near Liverpool, Sullivan, now 68, served 38 years behind bars. Sindall, a 21-year-old florist engaged to be married, was found assaulted and beaten after her van ran out of fuel while returning home from a part-time job at a pub one Friday night in August 1986.
Recent DNA testing in 2024 revealed that the sexual fluid found on Sindall’s body did not match Sullivan, as confirmed by defense attorney Jason Pitter. Pitter argued that the prosecution’s case relied on the belief that a single individual carried out the sexual assault, a claim refuted by the new evidence.
Prosecutor Duncan Atkinson did not contest the appeal, acknowledging that with the DNA evidence available during the initial investigation, it would have been inconceivable to prosecute Sullivan. Merseyside Police reopened the case during the appeal process, expressing commitment to finding the real perpetrator.
The Criminal Cases Review Commission, which had previously rejected Sullivan’s case in 2008 and 2019, revisited it upon the discovery of the new DNA evidence. Justice Timothy Holroyde, overturning the conviction, emphasized that in light of this evidence, it was impossible to consider Sullivan’s conviction as secure.
Reflecting outside the court, Sullivan’s sister Kim Smith acknowledged the toll the case had taken on both families involved. She remarked, “We lost Peter for 39 years, and at the end of the day, it’s not just us. Peter hasn’t won, and neither has the Sindall family. They’ve lost their daughter, and they are not going to get her back. We’ve got Peter back, and now we’ve got to try and rebuild a life around him once more.”
