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Considering he who's lost nearly 40 years of his life as a result of a crime he was innocent of, Peter Sullivan strikes a surprisingly optimistic outlook.

In our conversation last month, for what was his first interview since being liberated from prison in May, he was cheerful and excited about getting to Anfield to watch Liverpool play for the initial occasion since he was arrested in 1986.

That was the year of the brutal homicide of Diane Sindall in his local community of Birkenhead - an event he said he was merely aware of because someone turned to him in a pub at the time and said, "allegedly there's been a murder".

When he was convicted the following year at Liverpool Crown Court - he was destined to a extended term in some of Britain's most secure category A prisons where he would be tormented by his tabloid nicknames "Birkenhead's Monster", "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 acclimate to a completely different world.

When he was detained, Margaret Thatcher was in Downing Street, few knew about the internet and Europe was still separated by the Iron Curtain.

He explained watching the collapse of the Berlin Wall from a public television in prison.

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

Modern Adjustments

His confinement means he has been ignorant of the way so many aspects of everyday life have transformed - comparable to someone who has been in hibernation 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 receive your money - you're thinking, 'Amazing, 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 knowledgeable about them when he was traveling on a bus shortly after his release and saw people using smartphones. He only realised they were phones when he saw someone put one to their ear.

Emotional Effects

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

He recalled how after his release, one morning in his flat he went back to his bedroom and positioned himself on his bed, because he was subconsciously waiting for a prison officer to come and secure him into his cell.

"You must be at your door at a specific hour, otherwise the officers will yell at you", he said.

"I was just sitting there thinking, 'Why am I here?'"

Seeking Answers

But Mr Sullivan's positivity is mixed with a yearning for answers about how he ended up being charged with an infamous murder that he didn't commit, and a confusion about why he still has not had an admission of error.

"I've lost everything", he said.

"Freedom disappeared, I lost my mother since I've been in prison, I've lost my father.

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

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

"My only request, 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 review of this matter today" because of "developments to investigative techniques and progress in the law over the last 40 years".

The force did forward some of Mr Sullivan's claims to the police watchdog, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), who will now look at 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 directly answer the question, but as part of a comprehensive declaration it said: "The force recognizes that there has been a grave miscarriage of justice in this case".

Future Prospects

Mr Sullivan told me about his simple goal - an ambition that he said he had given up of being able to achieve at some points over his nearly four decades behind bars.

"The sole objective to do now is continue with my own life and progress as I was before, and live my time out now".

His prospects may be made more manageable by government monetary award, paid to individuals affected of miscarriages of justice.

This scheme is limited at £1.3m, a maximum which it is believed his final compensation will get very close to.

But the process is not guaranteed, and it is time-consuming.

Andrew Malkinson, whose guilty verdict for a rape he was innocent of was overturned in 2023, was only given an temporary payment earlier this year.

Convicted criminals who admit to their crimes and are paroled 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 existing a simple existence, with his humble goals - although many think he is a millionaire in waiting.

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