• Peter Sullivan released after spending 38 years wrongfully in prison
• He demands a formal apology from the police

In his first interview since being released, Peter Sullivan, the man who spent 38 years wrongfully in prison, said he was beaten and threatened by British police to force him to confess to a murder he did not commit.

Sullivan believes he was “set up” in 1986 in connection with the murder of Diane Syndal, who was brutally attacked and killed in Birkenhead, Wirral.

He mentioned that he has learning difficulties and that his conviction was quashed in May after new DNA testing.

Sullivan is now calling on the local police to issue a formal apology.

Merseyside Police said they “regret” the serious miscarriage of justice but insisted that their officers acted within the law at the time.

Sullivan said, “I cannot forgive them for what they did to me, because it will stay with me for the rest of my life.”

He added that he “lost everything” during his time in prison and that he “has to carry this burden until he receives an apology.”

For many years, Sullivan and his family endured abusive media labels such as “the Birkenhead Monster,” “Mersey Killer,” and “the Wolf Man.” He said, “These names will stay with me because I was never any of those things.”

He noted that his parents always supported him despite moments of despair, adding, “Before my mother passed away, she told me: I want you to continue fighting this case because you did nothing wrong.”

One of the most difficult moments for him was being denied the chance to attend his mother’s funeral in 2013 because she was buried in the same cemetery where Syndal’s body was found.

His ordeal began after Diane Syndal, 21, was found dead in an alley on Burrow Road, Birkenhead, on August 2, 1986.

Sullivan was arrested on September 23, 1986, for murder and underwent 22 police interviews over four weeks. He was not allowed legal advice during the initial interviews, describing the experience as “terrifying.”

He said, “They planted ideas in my head, then sent me back to the cell, then I would repeat what they wanted without even realizing what I was doing.”

Sullivan claimed he was beaten twice in the cell, saying, “They put a blanket over me and beat me with sticks over it to try to force me to cooperate… it was very painful.”

“All I can say is that the bullying forced me to confess because I could no longer bear it,” he added.

Court documents show that his first confession was not recorded and no lawyer was present.

Merseyside Police said they were unaware of allegations of beating or threats to press additional charges and noted that guidance on providing an appropriate adult has been strengthened since 1986, adding that Sullivan was aware of his right to remain silent.

Sullivan’s lawyer for over 20 years, Sarah Miah, said her client reached a “breaking point” during the investigations, explaining that he was forced to indicate false locations on a map to identify where clothing was on Bidston Hill during one inquiry, which he later admitted was “all lies.”

Although Sullivan later withdrew his confessions, the police and prosecution relied on bite-mark evidence, a forensic technique now heavily criticized.

Based on this evidence, a Liverpool Crown Court jury convicted him on November 5, 1987.

In 2023, the Criminal Cases Review Commission ordered new DNA tests on samples from the victim’s body, and the prosecution did not challenge the results before the appeal, paving the way for his release.

In May 2025, when the ruling was announced, Sullivan watched via video link from Wakefield Prison. “When they overturned my case, the prison officer’s tears came first… and she said: ‘Peter, you’re going home’… that’s when I felt justice had been done,” he said.

Sullivan described the difficulty of adjusting to the outside world after decades behind bars and expressed sympathy for the victim’s family: “They went through the same pain, but I lost my life and family over something I did not do.”

The investigation into Diane Syndal’s murder has been reopened, but no new arrests have been made. Sullivan is awaiting government compensation, with a maximum payout of £1.3 million, which his lawyer said “cannot compensate for 38 years of a wasted life.”