Charity’s £20k reward to solve longest miscarriage of justice murder | UK | News
Diane Sindall’s brutal murder in 1986 shocked the country (Image: PA)
Detectives vowed to bring the frenzied sexual killer of a 21-year-old florist 40 years ago to justice after announcing a new £20,000 Crimestoppers reward today. The brutal murder of Diane Sindall as she walked home from work in Birkenhead on the Wirral on Saturday 2 August 1986 sparked a national outcry when her dismembered body was found in an alley.
Peter Sullivan was questioned 22 times by police over four weeks – sometimes while being denied legal representation – and in November 1987 he was eventually convicted of Diane’s murder by a jury at Liverpool Crown Court. But after 38 years behind bars, new forensic DNA evidence proved the killer was still there and Mr Sullivan was the victim of the longest miscarriage of justice involving a living prisoner in British legal history.
Diane Sindall’s life is stolen at the hands of an evil, mysterious killer (Image: unknown)
Read more: Sullivan, who was imprisoned for 38 years for a murder he did not commit, faces a £1 million fine
Read more: Conviction of Peter Sullivan, who spent 38 years in prison for murder, was overturned
Detectives are trying to match a new DNA sample to the real unknown killer after testing and eliminating 461 local men, including Ms Sindall’s relatives and her then-fiancee.
Now Merseyside Police are calling on anyone with information to come forward as Crimestoppers today (Thursday) announces a £20,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Diane’s real killer.
Detective Superintendent Rachel Wilson said: “It is devastating for Diane’s family that they are still waiting for answers as to who is responsible for her murder and we are determined to identify the person whose DNA was left at the scene.
“In 1986 DNA was still in its infancy and therefore unavailable to the detectives who first investigated Diane’s death, but her murder was fully investigated by the team.
“Unfortunately, there is no match to the DNA identified in the national DNA database and we know that it does not belong to any member of his family or his fiancée at the time.
“We are working with the National Crime Agency and with their support we are trying to identify the person to whom the DNA profile belongs and extensive investigations are ongoing.
“The investigation team took samples locally but voluntary DNA screening samples were also screened in Swansea, Perth, London, Hull and Newcastle.
“To date, 461 men have been removed from the investigation. We are currently awaiting forensic results on 43 samples submitted earlier this month.”
Miss Sindall was a florist who was also doing part-time bar work to save money for her wedding and was ambushed as she was returning home after her shift at the Wellington Pub in Bebington and dragged into an alley off Borough Road in Birkenhead.
Police believe he ran out of gas as he left the pub in a blue Fiat van and set out on foot along Borough Road, either to get to a bus stop or to find an all-night garage.
Her partially naked body was found the next afternoon. An autopsy revealed that the woman died from severe head injuries, broken bones and lacerations to her face, and bruising along with serious bite mark injuries to her neck.
At the time, forensic investigators took semen samples from his body, but these had been diluted with rainwater and the technology to test them successfully would not be available for decades.
Suspicion fell on Mr Sullivan after an appeal to BBC Crimewatch resulted in reports that eyewitnesses had taken him to a pub near the murder scene that night. He was interrogated 22 times over four weeks and was denied legal representation in the first seven interviews.
Recalling the guilty verdicts later, the innocent Mr Sullivan said: “My sister fainted in the courtroom and the next minute, that was it.”
Innocent Peter Sullivan, now 68, was wrongfully sentenced to 38 years in prison for Diane’s murder. (Image: Liverpool Echo)
His sentence included a minimum period of 16 years before he could apply for parole, but Mr Sullivan maintained his innocence, reducing his chances of release.
Her nightmare only began to end in 2023, when the Criminal Cases Review Commission ordered new testing of semen samples found on Ms Sindall’s body in 1986.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) decided not to challenge the DNA results ahead of a new appeal, paving the way for Mr Sullivan’s freedom.
This week Det Supt Wilson added: “Although nearly 40 years have passed since Diane’s murder, we believe there are still people who know what happened or have their own suspicions who have not yet come forward.
“My message would be: ‘It’s never too late to do the right thing.'” We know that on Friday 1 August 1986, Diane was working her part-time job at the Wellington pub in Bebington.
“He left work at 11.45pm in his blue Fiat minibus, but on his way home the minibus ran out of gas on Borough Road.
“Diane exited the van and was seen by several witnesses walking along Borough Road between midnight and 12.20am on Saturday morning. “Her body was found 12 hours later in an alley off Borough Road.
“On 17 August 1986, the property belonging to Diane was seized at Bidston Hill. The investigation team at the time identified witnesses who saw a small fire at the site of the property on Sunday 3 August and witnessed a man fleeing the scene.
“Were you in Borough Road on the evening of Friday 1 August or in the early hours of Saturday 2 August and saw or heard anything suspicious? Or can you help identify the man seen running from Bidston Hill on Sunday 3 August?”
“Also, in the years since Diane’s murder, has anyone you know raised any suspicions or passed on any information you think might help you? Please come forward and tell us what you know.”
“We can track down and request a DNA sample from any person you suspect, even a deceased or immigrated relative.”
Gary Murray, North West Regional Manager for the charity Crimestoppers, said: “Please help provide answers to Diane’s family, who have been waiting for justice for almost 40 years.
“Someone somewhere knows what happened that night and we’re urging them to come forward. What you know may finally give Diane’s loved ones the answers they’ve been waiting for.”
“Crimestoppers is independent from the police. When you contact the charity you remain completely anonymous. We will never ask for your personal information and your call or online report cannot be traced back to you.
“Every day, thousands of people across the UK trust Crimestoppers with vital information that makes a big difference.
“We are reporting what we have been told and hope that if you know something about this case but do not want to talk to the police, you will remain fully anonymous on Crimestoppers.”
*The reward is valid for three months and will expire on April 22, 2026. Crimestoppers is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. No one will know that you are contacting them and their computer IP addresses will never be tracked.
