Translated with AI
Peter Sullivan, a Briton who spent 38 years in prison for murder, has been acquitted and his conviction overturned in what has been described as the longest miscarriage of justice in British history, Sky News reports.
In 1986, 21-year-old barmaid Diana Sindall was brutally beaten and raped on her way home in the town of Birkhand. Her murder was attributed to 29-year-old Peter Sullivan, who was convicted of the crime in 1987. However, Sullivan maintained his innocence from the start and tried to appeal the conviction several times. In 2021, several decades later, he again filed an appeal. New tests conducted by the commission showed that Sullivan's DNA was not present in samples preserved from the crime scene.
At a hearing on May 13, Sullivan's lawyers presented new evidence to the Court of Appeal in London that supported his innocence. Peter Sullivan, who attended the hearing via video link from Wakefield Prison, wept as the court delivered its acquittal.
"I lost my freedom 40 years ago for a crime I didn't commit. I'm not angry or bitter. I just want to get back to my loved ones and use the time I have left with them," Sullivan, 68, said after the verdict was announced.
It is important to note that at the time of the trial in 1987, DNA testing technology was not yet available, and subsequent requests for new tests were denied.
