• Peter Sullivan's 1986 murder conviction has been quashed after nearly four decades.
• New DNA evidence identified an unknown attacker, excluding Sullivan.
• Sullivan expressed no anger or bitterness at his wrongful imprisonment.
• The case highlights deficiencies in the original evidence used against him.
• Merseyside Police are re-investigating the cold case to find the real killer.

Peter Sullivan, who served almost 38 years for the 1986 murder of 21-year-old Diane Sindall, had his conviction overturned by the Court of Appeal following the emergence of new DNA evidence. The 68-year-old had claimed his innocence for decades, and on Tuesday, court officials acknowledged this by quashing his conviction after a fresh analysis of semen samples revealed a DNA profile that did not match Sullivan, as reported by BBC, CBS News, and SCMP.

During the court hearing, Sullivan wept as he expressed gratitude for the newfound evidence, stating, "As God is my witness, it is said the truth shall set you free," through his attorney, Sarah Myatt. His release marks him as the longest-serving victim of a wrongful conviction in U.K. history, with his sentence that was initially based on flawed evidence and witness testimonies, according to BBC and CBS News.

Diane Sindall had been returning from her bartending job when she was murdered, her body discovered badly beaten and sexually assaulted just hours later. The evidence initially pointed to Sullivan, but technological advancements allowed forensic experts to analyze samples that had previously been unusable, revealing that the semen found did not belong to him, as detailed by SCMP and CBS News.

The Criminal Cases Review Commission had previously deemed Sullivan's case unworthy of appeal in 2008 and again in 2019, but revisited it when new DNA analysis became possible, leading to the courts’ recent ruling. Justice Timothy Holroyde emphasized that the DNA evidence uncovered made it impossible to view Sullivan's conviction as legitimate, as cited in BBC and SCMP.

Following the overturning of Sullivan's conviction, Merseyside Police vowed to pursue the investigation into Sindall's murder vigorously, having screened over 260 men as potential suspects since reopening the case. Detective Chief Superintendent Karen Jaundrill stated they were working tirelessly to identify the unknown perpetrator linked to the DNA profile, highlighting the commitment to justice in this long-unsolved case, as reported by CBS News and SCMP.

Family members of both Sullivan and Sindall addressed the court's decision, acknowledging the tragedy that has unfolded over decades. Sullivan’s sister, Kim Smith, remarked that there were no true winners in this situation, emphasizing the loss suffered by all parties involved, as detailed by BBC, CBS News, and SCMP.