A new eight-part investigative podcast from BBC Radio Merseyside and BBC Audio Scotland looks at one of the biggest miscarriages of justice in modern British history, and the brutal murder of a 21-year-old who never made it home.
Crime Next Door: The Beast of Birkenhead is a story with two victims. It looks at the tragic killing of a young women who was simply going home after work, whilst also examining how systemic failures and outdated investigative practises led to a conviction being quashed. This has allowed the true killer to evade detection for nearly four decades.
In 1986, 21-year-old Diane Sindall was raped and murdered after running out of petrol on her journey home in Birkenhead, Wirral. Her death devastated her family and shook the local community. A conviction reassured many at the time, but it would later prove disastrously misplaced.
Nearly 40 years on, DNA evidence confirmed that the man convicted of Diane’s murder was innocent. Peter Sullivan served 38 years in prison for a crime he did not commit and was released last year.
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The Beast of Birkenhead on BBC Sounds is presented by Liverpool-based journalist Olivia Graham, who returns to the area where Diane lived and worked. Speaking with residents, she uncovers memories of the fear that gripped Birkenhead in the 1980s and long‑held whispered doubts about the original investigation.
Through interviews with criminal profilers, former detectives and leading forensic specialists, Graham reveals how the initial inquiry went catastrophically wrong, allowing the true perpetrator to escape scrutiny. The podcast also explores the issue of women’s safety at the time, capturing the anxiety back then with an unidentified predator at large.
During production, Graham found a new lead who told her more than expected about what was happening in Birkenhead in the weeks leading up to Diane’s murder”.
She said: “When we started this podcast, I never expected this would be the journey we’d go on. What I’m most proud of is how people have trusted us with their memories and stories. Working on this for 18 months has shown how invested we are, and being from Merseyside has allowed us real access. We’ve been able to return to contributors and even be welcomed into their homes, which says everything about the relationships we’ve built to be able to retell this tragic story.”
The series also features audio from Peter Sullivan reflecting on the moment he learned he had been exonerated, and on the profound personal cost of losing almost four decades to a wrongful conviction.
At its heart, The Beast of Birkenhead is not only the story of a miscarriage of justice, but also the story of a young woman whose family still deserves to know who killed her. The central question now is more urgent than ever: Who is the real Beast of Birkenhead?
Chris Burns, head of local audio commissioning said: “BBC Local brings audiences homegrown storytelling from our communities across England and this is an extraordinary, heartbreaking story, the impact of which still echoes through the corridors of British criminal history. It’s a powerful retelling from our local teams rooted in Merseyside.”
Crime Next Door: The Beast of Birkenhead is a BBC Radio Merseyside and BBC Audio Scotland production and available from Monday 20 April 2026 on BBC Sounds.
