New DNA evidence has cleared a British man who spent nearly four decades in prison for a 1986 murder he did not commit. The UK Court of Appeal on Tuesday quashed the conviction of 68-year-old Peter Sullivan, who served 38 years for the murder of 21-year-old Diane Sidwell.
Many consider Sullivan the longest-serving victim of a miscarriage of justice in British legal history. Authorities arrested him in September 1986, one month after discovering Sidwell’s body near Liverpool in northwest England
In 1987, Sullivan was convicted based on a confession he later retracted and on bite mark evidence now considered unreliable. Despite repeated attempts to appeal his conviction, all previous efforts failed until new DNA evidence emerged.
Sullivan’s lawyers told the Court of Appeal that DNA analysis of semen found on the victim proved the killer was not Sullivan. “This new DNA evidence excludes the defendant as the source,” the defence stated in court.
The Crown Prosecution Service agreed with the findings, admitting there was “no credible basis on which the appeal can be opposed.” Prosecutors added that the evidence cast fundamental doubt on the safety of the original conviction.
As the judges delivered the ruling, Sullivan appeared visibly emotional. His lawyer, Sarah Myatt, read a statement from him in court. “I am not angry. I am not bitter. But the truth took too long to come out,” the statement read.
Merseyside Police, which investigated the case in 1986, said DNA technology at the time was in its infancy. The force acknowledged the impact of the wrongful conviction and promised a renewed effort to solve the murder.
Police have confirmed the new DNA evidence excludes Sidwell’s then-fiancé and any of his relatives as suspects. Authorities are now appealing for fresh information that could help identify the actual killer.
The case has reignited public debate about wrongful convictions, the reliability of forensic evidence, and the role of DNA in modern criminal justice.
