Peter Sullivan was found guilty of the 1986 murder of 21-year-old Diane Sindall in Bebington, Merseyside but had the conviction quashed in the longest miscarriage of justice in British history
A major update has been issued after a man nicknamed the “wolfman” spent 38 years in prison for murder before his conviction was quashed.
Peter Sullivan, who was 30 when he was sentenced and is now in his 60s, is believed to be the UK’s longest-serving victim of a miscarriage of justice after three senior judges quashed his conviction 17 years after his first attempt to have it overturned.
Now, the police watchdog has launched an investigation. “The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is investigating complaints linked to the Merseyside Police investigation that led to Peter Sullivan being wrongfully convicted of murder,” read the statement from the IOPC.
“We received a referral from the force on 22 January following a complaint from Mr Sullivan, who had spent 38 years in prison for the murder of Diane Sindall, in 1986.
“We are speaking to several agencies involved to determine what records are available in relation to his case that may be relevant to our inquiries. We continue to gather and carefully review this material, and have spoken to Mr Sullivan about his complaint, to determine the terms of reference for our investigation.”
IOPC Director Amanda Rowe said: “Mr Sullivan was a victim of one of the worst miscarriages of justice this country has ever seen. Our thoughts are with him as he continues to rebuild his life.
“In light of the significant impact this has had, as well as the severity of some of the allegations contained in the complaint, it is important for these matters to be independently investigated.
“The fact this took place almost 40 years ago poses substantial evidential challenges, however we will do all we can to progress our inquiries as quickly as we can, while taking all appropriate steps to ensure this does not hinder the ongoing investigation by Merseyside Police into the horrific crime against Ms Sindall.”
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