£20,000 reward to find real ‘Beast of Birkenhead’ after wrong man spent 38 years in prison
A £20,000 reward has been offered for information as detectives try to solve a murder that left the wrong man in prison for almost 40 years.
Diane Sindall, 21, was murdered in Birkenhead, Merseyside, in the early hours of Saturday 2 August 1986. His body was found by a member of the public a few hours later in an alley off Borough Road in the Wirral town.
She was sexually assaulted and seriously injured. The cause of death was confirmed to be cerebral hemorrhage.
Peter Sullivan, then 30, was convicted of murder in 1987, earning him the nicknames the “Mersey Ripper” and the “Birkenhead Monster”. Mr Sullivan, who had protested his innocence for decades, had his conviction overturned in 2025 after the Court of Appeal heard DNA evidence showing the killer was someone else.
He spent 38 years behind bars, the longest miscarriage of justice in UK history. Efforts are continuing to establish who the DNA actually belongs to and detectives are urging anyone with information to come forward.
Crimestoppers is also offering a reward of up to £20,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for Diane’s murder.
Merseyside Police’s chief detective officer, 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 it does not belong to any member of his family or his fiancee at the time.”
Detective Inspector Wilson said the investigation team took samples locally but also screened voluntary DNA screens in Swansea, Perth, London, Hull and Newcastle.
Approximately 461 men were excluded from the investigation and forensic results are awaited on 43 samples submitted earlier this month.
DSI Wilson added: “Although almost 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 is never too late to do the right thing.'”
Police said they knew florist Diane was working her part-time job at the Wellington pub in Bebington on Friday, August 1, 1986.
He left work at 23.45 in his blue Fiat minibus, but on his way home the minibus ran out of gas on Borough Road.
Diane got out of the van and was seen by several witnesses walking along Borough Road between midnight and 12.20am on Saturday morning. His body was found 12 hours later in an alley off Borough Road.
DSI Wilson added: “On 17 August 1986 property belonging to Diane was seized in Bidston Hill.
“The investigation team at the time identified witnesses who saw a small fire at the location of the property on Sunday, August 3 and witnessed a man fleeing the scene.”
Police are appealing for information from anyone who was on Borough Road on the evening of Friday, August 1, or in the early hours of Saturday, August 2, and saw or heard anything suspicious.
They also appealed for anyone who could help identify the man seen running from Bidston Hill on Sunday, August 3.
DSI Wilson added: “We can track down any person you suspect, even a deceased or immigrated relative, and request a DNA sample from them.”
The reward will be valid for three months and will expire on April 22, 2026.
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