Switalskis solicitor Sarah Myatt joined Sky News crime correspondent Martin Brunt and journalist Helen Fospero on an exclusive true crime podcast ‘True Criminals’. The episode, ‘Wrongfully Convicted: The Peter Sullivan Story’ discusses the recent quashed conviction of Peter Sullivan, the UK’s longest serving victim of a miscarriage of justice.

Convicted in 1986 for the murder of Diane Sindall in Birkenhead, Mr Sullivan has spent the last 38 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. Following a two decade-long campaign led by Sarah and Jim Littlehales , barrister, Peter Sullivan’s conviction was successfully quashed, agreeing that the DNA evidence rendered his conviction unsafe.

In part one, Martin Brunt, revisits the horrific events of Diane Sindall’s murder, in which Merseyside Police launched the biggest murder investigation of its time. The conversation with Helen Fospero reflects on the pivotal details of the crime and how new evidence provided a long-awaited breakthrough in the development of the case.

Sarah, who represented Peter for almost two decades, gives fascinating insight into the impact of Parole Board protocols, with exclusive insights into the appeal of Peter’s conviction. She reflects on the progress of the case. She also shares how Mr Sullivan is adapting to the world as it’s now almost 40 years since his wrongful charge.  

The podcast also looks at how science has evolved in modern times, where DNA is now routine in most investigations. In the discussion, Sarah poses the question of whether other older cases should be revisited, where other innocent individuals could be released thanks to advances forensic testing and evidence.

The full series of the True Criminals podcast is available here.

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