Man has 1986 murder conviction overturned after 38 years | BBC News

A man who has served almost 38 years in prison for the murder of a woman has had his conviction quashed by the Court of Appeal after new DNA evidence emerged. Peter Sullivan was jailed over the 1986 killing of 21-year-old barmaid Diane Sindall, who was subjected to a frenzied sexual attack in Birkenhead, UK, as she walked home from a shift. The Criminal Cases Review Commission had referred Mr Sullivan's case back to the appeal court last year after fresh testing found a DNA profile pointing to an unknown attacker in semen samples preserved from the crime scene. Mr Sullivan, appearing on video-link from HMP Wakefield, sobbed and held his hand over his mouth as he was told he would be released. Subscribe here: http://bit.ly/1rbfUog For more news, analysis and features visit: www.bbc.com/news #PeterSullivan #DianeSindall #BBCNews