£20,000 reward to find real ‘Beast of Birkenhead’ killer after wrong man spent 38 years in prison
Crimestoppers has offered a reward for information that leads to a conviction, 40 years after the murder of Diane Sindall
A £20,000 reward has been offered for information as detectives try to solve a murder that saw the wrong man spend almost 40 years in prison.
Diane Sindall, 21, was murdered in Birkenhead, Merseyside, in the early hours of Saturday 2 August 1986. Her body was discovered by a member of the public in an alleyway off Borough Road in the Wirral town several hours later.
She had been sexually assaulted and suffered extensive injuries. Her cause of death was confirmed to be a cerebral haemorrhage.
Then 30 years old, Peter Sullivan was convicted of her murder in 1987, leading to him being dubbed “The Mersey Ripper” and “The Beast of Birkenhead”. Mr Sullivan, who had protested his innocence for decades, had his conviction quashed in 2025 after the Court of Appeal heard DNA evidence showed the killer was someone else.
He spent 38 years behind bars in what is the longest miscarriage of justice in UK history. Work to identify who the DNA actually belongs to continues, and detectives are urging anyone with information to come forward.
Crimestoppers is additionally offering a reward of up to £20,000 for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for Diane’s murder.
Merseyside Police’s detective superintendent Rachel Wilson said: “It is devastating for Diane’s family that they are still waiting for the answers as to who was responsible for her murder, and we remain committed to identifying the person whose DNA was left at the scene.
“In 1986, DNA was very much in the early stages and as such was not available to the detectives who originally investigated Diane’s death but her murder was fully investigated by the team.
“Unfortunately, there is no match for the DNA identified on the national DNA database and we know it does not belong to any member of her family or her fiance at the time.”
The investigation team has obtained samples locally, but screening has also taken place in Swansea, Perth, London, Hull and Newcastle with the voluntary DNA elimination samples, Detective Superintendent Wilson said.
Some 461 males have been eliminated from the investigation, and the forensic results in relation to a further 43 samples submitted earlier this month are awaited.
DSI Wilson added: “Although it has been nearly 40 years since Diane’s murder, we still believe there are people who know what happened, or have their own suspicions, who haven’t yet come forward. My message would be: ‘It is never too late to do the right thing.’”
Police said they know that, on Friday 1 August 1986, florist Diane had been working her part-time job at the Wellington pub in Bebington.
She left work at 11.45pm in her blue Fiat van, but on her way home, the van ran out of petrol on Borough Road.
Diane got out of the van and was seen by several witnesses at the time walking along Borough Road between midnight and 12.20am on the Saturday morning. Her body was found 12 hours later in an alleyway off Borough Road.
DSI Wilson added: “On 17 August 1986 property belonging to Diane was recovered on Bidston Hill.
“The investigation team at the time identified witnesses who had seen a small fire at the location where the property was found, on Sunday 3 August, and had witnessed a man running from the scene.”
Police wish to hear from those who were on Borough Road on the evening of Friday 1 August or the early hours of Saturday 2 August and saw or heard something suspicious.
They have also asked for those who could help identify the man seen running away from Bidston Hill on Sunday 3 August.
DSI Wilson added: “We can trace and request a DNA sample from any person you suspect or even a relative if they have passed away or emigrated.”
The reward is available for three months and is due to expire on 22 April 2026.
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