PETER Sullivan is set to marry his long-time girlfriend who stood by him in his bid for freedom.
The 68-year-old was wrongly convicted for the 1986 murder of 21-year-old florist Diane Sindall.
The chilling case gripped the nation after Diane was ambushed and beaten to death in a frenzied sexual assault in Birkenhead, Wirral.
Mr Sullivan, who has learning difficulties, was jailed for the brutal killing – spending nearly 40 years in prison.
His conviction was previously quashed by the Court of Appeal in May after DNA testing exonerated him.
He is now engaged to Caroline Furey, 35, who supported his fight for freedom while behind bars.
As reported by the Daily Mail, it’s understood the couple live together in the north-west of England, and Caroline has already taken Mr Sullivan’s last name.
The pair are reportedly planning a small wedding, although a friend said they previously discussed tying the knot while Mr Sullivan was still in prison.
The friend said: “She would visit him all the time and they grew really close.
“Peter would give her little pen drawings he made while inside as a way of showing how much he appreciated her support.”
The source claimed the couple “stayed committed” to each other even when there were doubts Mr Sullivan would be freed.
“Caroline always believed in Peter’s innocence and she always had faith that one day he would walk free,” said the friend.
Ms Furey is expected support Mr Sullivan at a conference on wrongful convictions next week.
This comes after Mr Sullivan claimed he was “bullied” and beaten by police who forced him into falsely admitting murder.
In his first interview since his release, he said he was wrongly jailed for the 1986 murder of Diane Sindall.
The overturning of his imprisonment means a new murder investigation has been launched to find Diane’s killer.
Hearing that he would be released, Mr Sullivan said he was “not angry” and would “begin repairing what I made from the driftwood that is my life.”
He became Britain’s longest miscarriage of justice case and is now in line for a £1 million compensation payout from the Ministry of Justice.
Mr Sullivan said he now wants an apology from Merseyside Police but the force maintained it acted within the law at the time.
Speaking to the BBC from an undisclosed location with his face hidden Mr Sullivan said he wanted an explanation for why detectives “picked me out.”
He carried on: “I can’t forgive them for what they’ve done to me, because it’s going to be there for the rest of my life,” he said, adding he had “lost everything” since going to prison.
“I’ve got to carry that burden until I can get an apology. The names, they’ll always stick with me because I’ve never been anything like that.”
Diane, a florist, was found half naked with “catastrophic” injuries in an alleyway.
Two weeks later he partially burned clothes were found in a nearby area of woodland.
A BBC Crimewatch appeal was aired which prompted witnesses to come forward claiming to have seen Mr Sullivan in the area of the murder the same night.
He was arrested on suspicion of murder and was interviewed 22 times over a four week period.
Mr Sullivan said he had found the experience “daunting” having been denied legal advice for the fist seven of his interviews.
He claimed that he was beaten in his cell on two separate occasions while he was being held.
In another shock claim Mr Sullivan said cops threatened to charge him with 35 other rapes if he didn’t confess to Diane’s murder.
He also said he was denied food, water, sleep and an appropriate adult to help him understand the interrogation.
Mr Sullivan claimed the bullying behaviour is what forced him to confess to a murder he didn’t commit.
Documents show his first confession was made with no solicitor present and no recording of it was made despite other interviews being recorded.
Merseyside Police said it was previously unaware of the allegations about beatings or threats to charge him with other offences.
Mr Sullivan also said he felt very sorry for Diane’s family, telling the BBC they are now back at square one.
The case of her murder has been re-opened, although no arrests have been made.
A £20,000 reward has been offered by Crimestoppers for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Diane’s killer.
Detective Superintendent Rachel Wilson said: “Our work has continued for some time to locate Diane’s killer and we will leave no stone unturned to find him and bring him to justice.
“In 1986, DNA was very much in the early stages and as such was not available to the detectives who originally investigated Diane’s death but her murder was fully investigated by the team.
“Unfortunately, there is no match for the DNA identified on the national DNA database and we know it does not belong to any member of her family or her fiance at the time.
“We are working with the National Crime Agency, and with their support we are trying to identify the person the DNA profile belongs to, and extensive inquiries remain ongoing.”
