Peter Sullivan has been warned he might only be in line for a £1million payout after finally being set free following a 38-year stint behind bars for a murder he did not commit.
Sullivan, who had been dubbed the "Beast of Birkenhead" after the brutal killing, had long protested his innocence, in one of the worst miscarriages of justice in British history.
The Court of Appeal in London threw out Sullivan's conviction after new DNA evidence pointed to an unknown male as the likely perpetrator.
Lord Justice Holroyde said: "Strong though the circumstantial evidence undoubtedly seemed at the trial, it is now necessary to take into account the new scientific evidence pointing to someone else - the unknown man.
Lord Justice Holroyde overturned the sentencing
PA
"If the new evidence had been available in 1986, the evidence as a whole would have been regarded as insufficient. In the light of that evidence, it is impossible to regard the appellant's conviction as safe."
Sullivan was driven from prison in a blacked-out van last night, finally a free man after nearly four decades.
His compensation from the Ministry of Justice is capped at £1million, working out at £26,000 a year for the 38 years he spent behind bars.
Andrew Malkinson spent 17 years in jail for a rape he did not commit before his release in 2023, previously stated £1million was "not enough".
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Despite his ordeal, Sullivan said he was "not bitter" or "angry", and will "begin repairing what I made from the driftwood that is my life".
In a statement released through his solicitor, Sarah Myatt, moments after his conviction was overturned, he added: "As God is my witness, it is said the truth shall set you free. It is unfortunate that it does not give a timescale."
Sullivan, appearing via videolink from Wakefield Prison, initially showed little emotion when the decision was announced.
The 68-year-old appeared to wipe his eyes as the enormity of the decision hit him.
Sullivan appeared via video link at Wakefield Prison
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Diane Sindall was brutally killed after leaving work at a pub in Bebington, Birkenhead, just before midnight on Friday, August 1, 1986.
Her body was discovered in an alley, with evidence at the time suggesting Sullivan had borrowed a crowbar from a neighbour and was placed near the scene by witnesses.
Samples taken at the time of the murder were recently re-examined using DNA analysis methods that only came into use in 2015. This new examination revealed a DNA profile that did not match Sullivan.
In November last year, the Criminal Cases Review Commission referred his case to the Court of Appeal on the basis of this crucial DNA evidence. The new DNA evidence means Sindall's killer may still be at large, bringing fresh anguish to her loved ones.
Detectives at Merseyside Police have started a new investigation into the killing.
