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Considering he who's sacrificed almost 40 years of his life as a result of a crime he was innocent of, Peter Sullivan projects a unusually optimistic attitude.

When I met him last month, for what was his debriefing session since being released from prison in May, he was cheerful and eagerly anticipating getting to Anfield to watch Liverpool play for the first time since he was taken into custody in 1986.

That was the year of the sexual attack murder of Diane Sindall in his local community of Birkenhead - an occurrence he said he was merely aware of 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 highest-security category A prisons where he would be hounded by his tabloid nicknames "Birkenhead's Monster", "River Mersey Murderer" and "Lunar Killer".

Adjusting to a Digital World

Ahead of our conversation, he was rich with anecdotes about how since his freedom he has had to acclimate to a radically changed world.

When he was taken into custody, Margaret Thatcher was in Downing Street, the concept of the internet and Europe was still partitioned by the Iron Curtain.

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

Mr Sullivan explained how trips to the shops now show how "society has evolved" - from trying to understand how self-checkouts operate to realising that "rather than having a cheque book, you've got it on your phone".

Technological Surprises

His confinement means he has been oblivious to the way so many aspects of everyday life have transformed - almost like someone who has been asleep since the 1980s.

"After spending 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 pick up your money - you're thinking, 'Wow, what's going on here?'"

He now has a mobile device, after learning doctor's appointments need to be booked on something he now knows is called an 'application'.

He first became acquainted with them when he was sitting on a bus shortly after his freedom and saw people operating smartphones. He only realised they were phones when he saw someone put one to their ear.

Psychological Consequences

Mr Sullivan's 14,000 days in prison have also led to an predictable sense of institutionalisation.

He described how after his liberation, one morning in his flat he went back to his bedroom and settled on his bed, because he was subconsciously waiting for a prison officer to come and confine him into his cell.

"You've got to be at your door at a designated moment, otherwise the officers will yell at you", he said.

"I remained thinking, 'What's happening?'"

Seeking Closure

But Mr Sullivan's optimism is mixed with a longing for answers about how he came to be charged with an high-profile murder that he was innocent of, and a bewilderment about why he still has not had an admission of error.

"My entire life vanished", he said.

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

"The pain is deep because I was absent for them", he said.

"I cannot proceed with my life if I can't get an answer off them."

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

Authorities Position

Merseyside Police said "limited value to be gained for a reassessment of this matter today" because of "the changes to investigative techniques and progress in the law over the last 40 years".

The force did refer some of Mr Sullivan's accusations to the police watchdog, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), who will now examine his claims that officers physically abused him and intimidated to link him to other crimes if he refused to admit to Diane Sindall's murder.

When asked if it would express regret, the force did not directly answer the question, but as part of a comprehensive declaration it said: "The force acknowledges that there has been a grave miscarriage of justice in this case".

Looking Ahead

Mr Sullivan explained about his modest ambition - an ambition that he said he had lost hope of being able to accomplish at some points over his nearly four decades behind bars.

"My only desire to do now is proceed with my own life and move forward as I was before, and live my time out now".

His prospects may be made easier by government monetary award, paid to victims of miscarriages of justice.

This system is limited at £1.3m, a cap which it is believed his final compensation will get very approach.

But the system is not immediate, and it is protracted.

Andrew Malkinson, whose guilty verdict for a rape he did not commit was overturned in 2023, was only awarded an provisional award earlier this year.

Convicted criminals who admit to their crimes and are released get a place to live and some assistance for living expenses. Mr Sullivan, as an innocent man, is not eligible for that help.

And so he is living a modest life, with his humble goals - although many believe he is a future wealthy man.

His lawyer, Sarah Myatt, said "there's not a figure that you could say that would be enough for sacrificing 38 years of your life".