Family of murdered Wirral florist want ‘justice’ after conviction quashed
Merseyside Police has appealed for any witnesses to the 1987 attack to come forward.
The family of murdered Diane Sindall want “justice”, the detective in charge of a new investigation into her death has said.
Peter Sullivan, 68, was convicted of the murder of Diane Sindall, 21, in 1987, but on Tuesday three senior judges quashed his conviction after the Court of Appeal heard DNA evidence showed the killer was someone else.
Detective Chief Superintendent Karen Jaundrill said a “dedicated team” had been exploring all lines of inquiry relating to the case since it was reopened in 2023.
She told the PA news agency: “We are in touch with Diane’s family, they are very much supportive of our investigation.
“They want justice for Diane.
“Don’t underestimate the impact of that after all this time.
“We are supporting them and our investigation has their full support.”
No match for the DNA discovered at the scene has been found by investigators and the force is appealing for witnesses to come forward almost 39 years on from the murder.
The family of Miss Sindall and her fiance at the time have been ruled out of the investigation, along with more than 260 men, identified as potentially linked profiles, who have been screened, Ms Jaundrill said.
She said: “Our big focus is on the DNA, That’s where our focus needs to be.
“We are sure that match is the person responsible.”
The Merseyside force has enlisted specialist skills and expertise from the National Crime Agency and “extensive and painstaking inquiries” are underway to try and trace the killer.
Ms Jaundrill added: “The point we’re at now is to appeal for the public’s help, appreciating it was a long time ago.
“It was very high profile at the time. Anyone with any information or suspicions, we’d appeal for them to come forward.
“It might be about someone who is now deceased but we really do want any information and anyone could be responsible.”
The detective said she wanted to give reassurance to the public after Mr Sullivan was revealed to be the longest-serving victim of a miscarriage of justice in the UK.
She said: “We haven’t just picked this investigation up today. It’s been ongoing for a couple of years, we are quite advanced and we are actively working to try and identify the person responsible.”
Miss Sindall, who was saving up for her wedding, was working behind the bar at the Wellington pub in Bebington, Wirral, on August 1 1986 before she left at 11.45pm in a blue Fiat van.
She got out of the van after running out of petrol on Borough Road in Birkenhead and was seen by several witnesses walking along the road between midnight and 12.20am on the Saturday.
Her body was found on August 2 in an alleyway just off Borough Road.
Police said she had been sexually assaulted and suffered extensive injuries to her body.
Ms Jaundrill said: “On August 17 1986 property belonging to Diane was recovered on Bidston Hill.
“The investigation team at the time subsequently identified witnesses who had seen a small fire, at the location where the property was found, on Sunday, August 3, and had witnessed a man running from the scene.
“Diane’s murder sent shockwaves through Birkenhead when it happened and I would appeal to anyone who lived in the area at the time, and has any information which could help us with our inquiries, to come forward.
“We believe there are people who have information, or suspicions, about the murder of Diane in 1986 and I would appeal to those people to come forward, as the information they have could be key to finding who the DNA belongs to.
“You may have been in the area of Borough Road on the night of the murder and may have seen someone acting suspiciously.
“If you were in the area, or had concerns about an individual at the time, let us know so our team can trace and request a DNA sample from the person you suspect, or a relative of theirs if they have perhaps passed away, or they have emigrated to another country.”
Anyone with information can contact Merseyside Police on 101, quoting incident reference 23000584997, via the website or social media, or by calling Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
