Diane Sindall: Mystery of barbaric murder that haunts every woman as Peter Sullivan to be freed

In 1986, part-time florist Diane Sindall was murdered in a brutal attack in Birkenhead that sent shockwaves through the area - and the nation. In the aftermath of her rape and murder, an extensive manhunt was conducted, and eventually Peter Sullivan was arrested and convicted of the horrific crime - but in a

Peter Sullivan, 67, has been acquitted of the crime by the Court of Appeal after serving 38 years in prison. He was dubbed the 'Wolfman' and the 'Beast of Birkenhead' because of the terrifying bite marks that were found on Diane's body, and the brutal nature of her injuries, but new DNA evidence means that he will now be released.

Sullivan "sobbed and held his hand over his mouth as he was told he would be released" after attending the hearing via videolink from HMP Wakefield. His bombshell acquittal means this is the longest miscarriage of justice in British history.

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The convicted man long maintained his innocence and had previously tried to have his sentence overturned, but it was only last year that the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) referred his case to the Court of Appeal. The CCRC said in a statement that there was "evidence to suggest there were possible breaches" by the police in the interviewing process, which included denying Sullivan "initial legal representation" and interviewing him without "an appropriate adult."

Now Sullivan has had his conviction quashed, the family of Diane Sindall face a stark reality: no one has actually been brought to justice for the barbaric murder of the "vivacious, bubbly, happy-go-lucky girl" that they loved so much.

Diane, who had started up her own floristry business and worked part-time as a bartender, was found dead on 2 August 1986, aged only 21 years old. Diane had been subjected to a "frenzied" attack with injuries that detectives working on her case called the "worst they had ever seen".

It was so horrific that the police tried to keep many details of the case secret, but a post-mortem revealed the 21-year-old had a "fractured skull, multiple jaw fractures, throat injuries, bite marks and evidence of mutilation". She'd also been sexually assaulted.

Her body was found in an alleyway near Borough Road in Birkenhead and the following day, her half-burned clothes were discovered in Bidston Hill. Diane had been engaged to be married to her childhood sweetheart, David, and had just finished working at a nearby pub when her blue Fiat van ran out of fuel, so she went to a nearby all-night petrol station.

Sullivan - then a 29-year-old father of one, who was described as a "loner" - later admitted that after encountering Diane, he asked her the time and was overcome by a "sudden desire to kill", though he later retracted this admission. Bitemarks found on Diane's body were, in the initial trial, said to match Sullivan's dental records - and this was an important piece of evidence that led to his conviction, although this has since been contested.

A local woman, Helena Anne, who claims to have been a 13-year-old pupil at a school near the site of the murder at the time, wrote about the shivers that were sent across the local community in the aftermath of the vicious and senseless attack on Medium, and described being called into assembly about the brutal murder.

"Her battered corpse had been found the following morning by a woman walking her dog in a stone-walled alleyway adjacent to a busy main road. Her injuries were catastrophic. She had been beaten with a crowbar, her clothes ripped off and, to our horror, her nipples had been bitten off," she wrote, adding that she was surprised such a violent attack could have occurred unnoticed in such a busy spot.

The sensationalist nicknames that were ascribed to the killer during the months-long manhunt made it feel to young girls in the area as if "there was a Bogeyman out there, a Predator. He was dubbed ‘The Wolfman’ almost like he was a creature from the underworld that had escaped for a short period, and after the kill had gone back to his own ."

However, the reality of the crime was much more terrifying, she explained, "As you get older, you realise you just cannot tell by looks alone who are the bad men. There are no Wolfmen or Bogeymen. It could be your neighbour, your colleague. Maybe even someone you consider a friend. That lovely man who chats to you when he sees you out. Who knows what he gets up to when it gets dark."

Seven weeks after Diane's body was killed, her last moments were recreated on Crimewatch, seen by millions, and her death left a permanent mark on the local community - and a lasting legacy kept up by campaigners, who have refused to let her die in vain.

In March of the following year, a 300-strong group of women took to the streets of Birkenhead in Diane's memory, marching to Reclaim the Night and their right to move safely throughout the world, with one organiser saying at the time: "We are just not going to let people forget Diane and what happened to her," reports the .

In 1988, a permanent memorial was erected to Diane, who "was such a vivacious, bubbly, happy-go-lucky girl, looking forward to getting married to her boyfriend. She was really a good family girl and everyone liked her," Diane's mother explained in an interview shortly after the unthinkable murder.

A black stone was laid on a verge near where her body was found, inscribed with the words: "Diane Sindall. Murdered August 2, 1986, because she was a woman. In memory of all our sisters who have been raped and murdered. We will never let it be forgotten."

Not long after Diane's murder, local women set up the Wirral Rape Crisis Counselling Service - before this there was little to no support for survivors of sexual assault in the area. These days the charity has significantly scaled up and is now known as RASA Merseyside. Supporting around 600 survivors at any time, the impact of Diane's tragic death cannot be understated.

At a hearing on Tuesday, lawyers for Mr Sullivan told the Court of Appeal in London that the new evidence showed that Ms Sindall’s killer “was not the defendant”. Barristers for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) told the court that there was “no credible basis on which the appeal can be opposed” related to the DNA evidence, as it was “sufficient fundamentally to cast doubt on the safety of the conviction”.

Duncan Atkinson KC, for the CPS, said: “The respondent considers that there is no credible basis on which the appeal can be opposed, solely by reference to the DNA evidence.

“On the contrary, the DNA evidence provides a clear and uncontroverted basis to suggest that another person was responsible for both the sexual assault and the murder.

“As such, it positively undermines the circumstantial case against Mr Sullivan as identified at the time both of his trial and his 2021 appeal.” He continued: “The respondent does not seek to dissuade the court from the conclusion contended for by the appellant, namely that the DNA evidence is sufficient fundamentally to cast doubt on the safety of the conviction.

“The DNA evidence is reliable evidence not available through no one’s fault at the time of the trial, which supports the contention that Mr Sullivan was not the individual who sexually assaulted Ms Sindall

“In light of the absence of evidence indicating that the attack was committed by two persons, or any other realistic hypothesis, it follows that the remainder of the circumstantial case cannot withstand the obvious implications of the DNA evidence, so that the conviction could be upheld.”

If you've been the victim of sexual assault, you can access help and resources via or or by calling the national telephone helpline on 0808 802 9999