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Considering he who's lost almost 40 years of his life due to a crime he had no involvement in, Peter Sullivan maintains a surprisingly positive outlook.

In our conversation last month, for what was his debriefing session since being freed from prison in May, he was upbeat and eagerly anticipating getting to Anfield to watch Liverpool play for the initial occasion since he was taken into custody in 1986.

That was the year of the brutal homicide of Diane Sindall in his birthplace of Birkenhead - an incident he said he only knew about because someone spoke to him in a pub at the time and said, "apparently there's been a murder".

When he was sentenced the following year at Liverpool Crown Court - he was condemned to a lifetime in some of Britain's most secure category A prisons where he would be tormented by his tabloid nicknames "The Beast of Birkenhead", "River Mersey Murderer" and "Nocturnal Predator".

Navigating a Digital World

Before our interview, he was abundant with tales about how since his freedom he has had to adapt to a fundamentally altered world.

When he was taken into custody, Margaret Thatcher was in Downing Street, few knew about the internet and Europe was still divided by the Iron Curtain.

He recalled watching the fall of the Berlin Wall from a shared television in prison.

Mr Sullivan described how trips to the shops now show how "everything's changed" - from trying to figure out how self-checkouts work to realising that "rather than having a cheque book, you've got it on your phone".

Digital Challenges

His confinement means he has been oblivious to the way so many facets of everyday life have changed - similar to someone who has been unconscious since the 1980s.

"Following so long in prison and finding out there's no DHSS [Department of Health and Social Security, now the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)] where you can collect your money - you're thinking, 'Amazing, what's going on here?'"

He now has a smartphone, after discovering doctor's appointments need to be arranged on something he now knows is called an 'application'.

He first became knowledgeable about them when he was traveling on a bus shortly after his release and saw people using smartphones. He only understood they were phones when he saw someone put one to their ear.

Mental Effects

Mr Sullivan's 14,000 days in custody have also led to an unavoidable sense of prison conditioning.

He described how after his liberation, one morning in his flat he returned to his bedroom and sat down on his bed, because he was unconsciously waiting for a prison officer to come and confine him into his cell.

"You've got to be at your door at a certain time, otherwise the officers will discipline you", he said.

"I remained thinking, 'Why am I here?'"

Desiring Explanation

But Mr Sullivan's optimism is mixed with a desire for answers about how he was charged with an notorious murder that he didn't commit, and a confusion about why he still has not had an apology.

"I've lost everything", he said.

"I lost all my freedom, I lost my mother since I've been in prison, I've lost my father.

"It hurts because I wasn't there for them", he said.

"I can't carry on with my life if I can't get an explanation off them."

"That's all I want, an apology [and to understand] the cause behind they've done this to me", he said.

Authorities Statement

Merseyside Police said "there would be little benefit to be gained for a review of this matter today" because of "advancements to investigative techniques and improvements in the law over the last 40 years".

The force did submit some of Mr Sullivan's allegations to the police oversight body, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), who will now investigate his claims that officers physically abused him and threatened to link him to other crimes if he didn't plead guilty to Diane Sindall's murder.

When asked if it would apologise, the force did not specifically respond the question, but as part of a lengthy statement it said: "The force regrets that there has been a significant injustice of justice in this case".

Future Prospects

Mr Sullivan explained about his basic aspiration - an ambition that he said he had lost hope of being able to accomplish at some points over his almost forty years behind bars.

"My only desire to do now is continue with my own life and move forward as I was before, and enjoy my remaining years now".

His prospects may be made more manageable by government monetary award, paid to victims of judicial errors.

This scheme is capped at £1.3m, a cap which it is believed his eventual payout will get very close to.

But the procedure is not guaranteed, and it is lengthy.

Andrew Malkinson, whose sentence for a rape he did not commit was quashed in 2023, was only granted an provisional award earlier this year.

Guilty prisoners who admit to their crimes and are freed get a accommodation and some help with living expenses. Mr Sullivan, as an innocent man, is not qualified for that help.

And so he is surviving a basic lifestyle, with his modest ambitions - although many consider he is a future wealthy man.

His attorney, Sarah Myatt, said "no amount that you could say that would be enough for sacrificing 38 years of your life".