‘Wolfman’ murderer jailed 37 years ago for killing florist will have case re-examined

Peter Sullivan – nicknamed ‘wolfman’ for bite marks on his victim – remains behind bars for the 1986 murder in Merseyside

The Court of Appeal will re-examine the conviction of Peter Sullivan, who was jailed for murder 37 years ago (Getty Images)

A convicted murderer who has served more than 35 years in prison for beating to death a florist will have his case re-examined after the emergence of DNA evidence.

Peter Sullivan was found guilty of killing Diane Sindall after she left work in Bebington, Merseyside in August 1986.

According to reports, Sullivan, who has been in jail since 1987, had spent the day drinking heavily after losing a darts match, and went out armed with a crowbar.

He then attacked the 21-year-old florist during a chance encounter as she walked to a petrol station - and was subsequently found guilty of her murder at a trial.

At the time, detectives said it was one of the worst murder cases they had worked on due to the extent of the injuries. Sullivan, aged 29 at the time, was nicknamed “wolfman” because of bite marks found on the victim’s body.

But this week, in a third attempt to overturn his conviction, Sullivan was told his case will be re-examined after it was referred by the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) to the Court of Appeal.

Samples taken at the time of the murder have been looked at and a DNA profile that did not match Sullivan had been found, the commission said.

A spokesperson said: “After consulting experts, the CCRC obtained DNA information from samples taken at the time of the offence.

“As a result, a DNA profile was obtained which did not match Mr Sullivan. The CCRC has now sent Mr Sullivan’s conviction back to the courts.”

Sullivan had applied to the body to have his case re-examined in 2021, raising concerns about police interviews, bite mark evidence and the murder weapon.

He also claimed he had not been provided with an appropriate adult during interviews and was initially denied legal representation.

Sullivan had previously applied to the CCRC in 2008 raising questions about DNA evidence, but forensic experts said that further testing was unlikely to reveal a DNA profile.

He also applied to the High Court for permission to appeal against his conviction in 2019 over bite mark evidence, but this was rejected by the Court of Appeal in 2021.

His latest attempt could lead to a retrial or his appeal being quashed by The Court of Appeal.