Peter Sullivan spent 38 years in prison before recent DNA test results exonerated him of any involvement in the murder he was accused of committing. In his first interview since being released, Sullivan claims he was beaten by police officers and coerced into falsely confessing to the murder of Diane Sindall in 1986. Sullivan, who has learning difficulties, saw his conviction overturned by the Court of Appeal in May.
Speaking to the BBC from an undisclosed location, Sullivan, 68, seeks an apology from Merseyside Police, who express regret over the miscarriage of justice but maintain that their officers acted within the legal framework of that time. Sullivan expressed a desire to understand why detectives targeted him, stating, "I can't forgive them for what they've done to me because it's going to be there for the rest of my life." Despite his release, the stigma from the false conviction continues to haunt him.
For many years, tabloid press nicknames like "The Beast of Birkenhead" and "The Mersey Ripper" followed Sullivan, affecting his and his family’s lives. He recalled that his late parents, who passed away before he was cleared, always supported his fight for justice. Tragically, he was not allowed to attend his mother’s funeral due to its location in the same cemetery as the victim, Sindall.
The case originally began following the discovery of Sindall’s body in August 1986, with Sullivan being arrested in September of the same year. During police interviews, in which he was initially denied legal counsel, Sullivan says he was subjected to mental manipulation and physical abuse. He alleges that officers beat him to extract a confession and threatened additional charges if he didn't comply, all without appropriate assistance given his learning challenges.
Reflecting on why he confessed to a crime he didn't commit, Sullivan describes how coercive police tactics left him with no choice. After years of wrongful imprisonment, he seeks closure with an official acknowledgment of police wrongdoing.