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Considering he who's lost almost 40 years of his life as a result of a crime he had no involvement in, Peter Sullivan strikes a remarkably hopeful attitude.

When I met him last month, for what was his initial media appearance since being liberated from prison in May, he was upbeat and excited about getting to Anfield to watch Liverpool play for the opening match 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 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 lifetime in some of Britain's most secure category A prisons where he would be hounded by his tabloid nicknames "The Beast of Birkenhead", "Merseyside Killer" and "Lunar Killer".

Adapting to a Digital World

Prior to our discussion, he was rich with anecdotes about how since his release he has had to adapt to a completely different world.

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

He described watching the demolition of the Berlin Wall from a public television in prison.

Mr Sullivan explained how trips to the shops now show how "the world has transformed" - from trying to figure out how self-checkouts operate to realising that "instead of having a cheque book, you've got it on your phone".

Technological Adjustments

His confinement means he has been unaware of the way so many facets of everyday life have evolved - comparable to someone who has been asleep 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 pick up your money - you're thinking, 'Goodness, what's going on here?'"

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

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

Psychological Effects

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

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

"It's required to be at your door at a specific hour, otherwise the officers will discipline you", he said.

"I found myself thinking, 'What am I doing?'"

Demanding Explanation

But Mr Sullivan's optimism is balanced by a desire for answers about how he ended up being charged with an notorious murder that he was innocent of, and a bewilderment 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 pains me because I couldn't be present for them", he said.

"It's impossible to continue with my life if I can't get an answer off them."

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

Authorities Response

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

The force did submit some of Mr Sullivan's allegations to the police regulatory agency, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), who will now examine his claims that officers assaulted him and intimidated to link him to other crimes if he didn't plead guilty 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 lengthy statement it said: "The force recognizes that there has been a grave miscarriage of justice in this case".

Moving Forward

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

"All I want to do now is get on with my own life and progress as I was before, and experience freedom now".

His prospects may be made less challenging by government financial payment, paid to victims of miscarriages of justice.

This system is restricted at £1.3m, a limit which it is believed his eventual payout will get very near.

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

Andrew Malkinson, whose conviction for a rape he was innocent of was overturned in 2023, was only awarded an provisional award earlier this year.

Guilty prisoners who acknowledge their crimes and are paroled get a accommodation and some support regarding living expenses. Mr Sullivan, as an wrongly convicted individual, is not eligible for that help.

And so he is existing a simple existence, with his basic aspirations - although many think he is a millionaire in waiting.

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