‘Beast of Birkenhead’s’ plea after ‘confessing’ to murder of mutilated barmaid 39 YEARS ago – as DNA blows case open

A CONVICTED murderer imprisoned for astir 40 years aft confessing to mutilating a barmaid has professed his innocence amid "new" DNA evidence.

Peter Sullivan, then-aged 29, dubbed the "Beast of Birkenhead" was sentenced to beingness successful situation successful 1987 for the execution of florist Diane Sindall, 21, with a crowbar successful Bebington, Merseyside.

Now, caller DNA grounds has helped Sullivan's execution condemnation to beryllium referred to the Court of Appeal, pursuing his exertion to the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) successful 2021.

Diane's brutal decease took spot successful precocious summer of 1986 aft she had near enactment astatine the Wellington Hotel 1 Friday evening.

She had been moving shifts astatine the venue to assistance wage for her upcoming wedding to her puerility sweetheart.

However, small did she cognize her displacement connected 1 August, 1986, would tragically beryllium her last.

Around 15 minutes into her abbreviated travel home, the part-time barmaid ran retired of fuel, coming to a halt adjacent a roundabout successful Birkenhead.

She was near with nary prime but to drawback her jerry tin from the backmost of her Fiat Fiorino van and locomotion to the nearest petrol station.

Witnesses accidental they saw Diane halt the conveyance astatine astir 11.45pm and she was dressed successful a achromatic apical with achromatic spots, jeans, greenish high-heeled shoes and was carrying a handbag.

Despite walking on the engaged and well-lit Borough Road, the young pistillate met her untimely demise connected this path.

At immoderate constituent soon aft midnight, Diane was savagely beaten to death, with her half-naked, mutilated and assaulted assemblage near discarded successful an alleyway.

Bus operator Gary Lamb told constabulary helium had spotted her astatine 0.03am conscionable earlier a autobus stop.

She had besides reportedly been seen astatine 0.10am by a taxi operator who saw a pistillate struggling and arguing with a antheral - helium added they appeared to cognize each other.

Diane's assemblage was lone discovered astir 12 hours aboriginal connected Saturday by a pistillate walking her canine having been beaten astir her face, head, and body.

Despite having aggregate fractures, her bra and t-shirt pulled up astir her neck, and her jeans, shoes, underwear, and handbag each missing, Diane was inactive wearing her diamond engagement ring.

Merseyside Police past launched its largest ever execution enquiry to hunt for the killer, besides nicknamed "The Wolfman" for the wound marks recovered connected Diane's body.

Sullivan was a petty transgression with a drawstring of convictions who had besides spent clip successful a younker detention centre erstwhile helium was a teenager, though helium had nary past of intersexual violence.

The unemployed labourer had a estimation of being an attention-seeking quality and was charged with Diane's execution pursuing a "confession".

However, helium aboriginal retracted this and claimed it was made nether duress from constabulary but this did not halt him being convicted of execution astatine Liverpool Crown Court and jailed for beingness successful November 1987.

'GRIEVOUS MISCARRIAGE OF JUSTICE'

Sullivan has continuously maintained his innocence, with caller DNA grounds meaning helium could perchance beryllium exonerated successful what could beryllium 1 of the "most grievous miscarriages of justness to date."

The CCRC has said that Sullivan's exertion successful March 2021 raised concerns astir his interviews by police, bitemark grounds presented successful his trial, and what was said to beryllium the execution weapon.

It past obtained DNA grounds from samples taken astatine the clip of the offence, which were past proven to not lucifer Sullivan's.

Following this, the CCRC sent his lawsuit backmost to the courts and it has been referred to the Court of Appeal.

An probe by The Mail connected Sunday recovered alleged behaviour by immoderate CID officers successful Merseyside Police during the precocious 1980s and aboriginal 1990s, including giving suspects a "good banging" successful bid to get a confession, to beryllium routine.

On apical of this, determination are "disturbing" claims that Sullivan was initially denied ineligible practice and the enactment of an "appropriate adult" to enactment successful his champion interests, arsenic helium was a idiosyncratic of "limited intelligence capacity".

A 2019 entreaty straight to the High Court by Sullivan was backed by a starring forensic dentists that formed superior doubts implicit the "reliability" of the wound people grounds used.

It besides called connected a advisor scientist that highlighted Sullivan's "limited intelligence capableness and suggestibility", which gave emergence to concerns that helium could person been forced into his confession during constabulary interviews.

While this was rejected by the Court of Appeal connected the ground that the wound marks grounds was "not cardinal to his conviction", the CCRC has present said this grounds whitethorn beryllium crucial.

Now, the Court of Appeal has the powerfulness to quash Sullivan's condemnation and perchance extremity his adjacent 4 decades of prison-time.

While helium waits for his lawsuit to beryllium heard, Merseyside Police has said it has reopened its investigation into the "Beast of Birkenhead", with immoderate of the archetypal witnesses successful the lawsuit being re-interviewed.