United Kingdom ยท England and Wales, Merseyside
Peter Sullivan: wrongly convicted, exonerated
Convicted of Murder of a woman in Bebington, Merseyside, in August 1986.
Convicted1987
SentenceLife imprisonment
Years in prison38
Exonerated13 May 2025
How the conviction was overturnedCCRC referral based on new DNA evidence, Court of Appeal (Criminal Division), London, on a referral by the Criminal Cases Review Commission1,2
What went wrong
- New DNA profiling showed biological material from the crime did not come from him
- His application also raised concerns about police interviews, bite mark evidence and the alleged weapon, which the court did not rule on
From conviction to exoneration
- Convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment.1,2
- The CCRC declined to refer the case after experts advised further DNA testing was very unlikely to produce a profile.1
- The Court of Appeal refused his direct application for leave to appeal made in 2019, and in March 2021 he applied again to the CCRC.1
- DNA testing of samples taken at the time produced a profile that did not match him, and the CCRC referred the conviction.1,2
- The Court of Appeal quashed the conviction on the DNA evidence, and the prosecution did not oppose the appeal.1,2
Today
Conviction quashed in May 2025 after 38 years in prison, and he was released.
Sources
- Criminal Cases Review Commission, CCRC response to Peter Sullivan judgment, 13 May 2025 (13 May 2025)
- CNN, UK man freed after 38 years as court overturns murder conviction (13 May 2025)