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For someone who's lost approximately 40 years of his life because of a crime he had no involvement in, Peter Sullivan strikes a remarkably positive attitude.

During our encounter last month, for what was his initial media appearance since being liberated from prison in May, he was enthusiastic and excited about getting to Anfield to watch Liverpool play for the initial occasion since he was detained 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 only knew about because someone turned to him in a pub at the time and said, "reportedly there's been a murder".

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

Navigating a Modern World

Ahead of our conversation, he was rich with anecdotes about how since his exoneration he has had to adjust to a fundamentally altered world.

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

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

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

Modern Challenges

His incarceration means he has been unaware of the way so many elements of everyday life have changed - 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 collect your money - you're thinking, 'Goodness, what's going on here?'"

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

He first became familiar with them when he was traveling 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.

Mental Effects

Mr Sullivan's 14,000 days in custody have also led to an predictable sense of system dependency.

He recalled how after his freedom, one morning in his flat he went back to his bedroom and positioned himself on his bed, because he was automatically 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 am I doing?'"

Seeking Closure

But Mr Sullivan's hope is balanced by a yearning for answers about how he ended up being charged with an high-profile murder that he was innocent of, and a confusion about why he still has not had an apology.

"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.

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

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

"The sole thing I need, an apology [and to understand] the reason why they've done this to me", he said.

Law Enforcement Position

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

The force did refer some of Mr Sullivan's claims to the police watchdog, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), who will now investigate his claims that officers physically abused him and warned 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 specifically respond the question, but as part of a lengthy statement it said: "The force acknowledges that there has been a grave miscarriage of justice in this case".

Future Prospects

Mr Sullivan told me about his modest ambition - an ambition that he said he had given up of being able to achieve at some points over his approximately 38 years behind bars.

"My only desire to do now is proceed with my own life and carry on as I was before, and enjoy my remaining years now".

His future may be made less challenging by government compensation, paid to individuals affected of miscarriages of justice.

This system is restricted at £1.3m, a cap which it is thought his resulting award will get very close to.

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

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

Guilty prisoners who confess to their crimes and are paroled get a accommodation and some support regarding living expenses. Mr Sullivan, as an innocent man, is not eligible for that help.

And so he is surviving a basic lifestyle, with his basic aspirations - although many believe he is a millionaire in waiting.

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