Overview

• Peter Sullivan, 68, was released after the Court of Appeal quashed his 1987 murder conviction, citing DNA evidence proving his innocence.
• Sullivan spent over 38 years in prison, making this the longest-running miscarriage of justice involving a living prisoner in UK history.
• The conviction relied on discredited bite-mark analysis, a retracted confession obtained without legal representation, and circumstantial evidence.
• Merseyside Police reopened the investigation in 2023 but have yet to identify a match for the DNA profile found at the crime scene.
• Sullivan is now eligible to claim up to £1 million in compensation under the Ministry of Justice scheme for wrongful imprisonment.