A FRESH twist has emerged in the hunt for the Beast of Birkenhead as a couple were seen rowing near where a murdered woman was last seen alive 30 years ago.

Police launched a new investigation into Diane Sindall’s 1986 murder after Peter Sullivan’s conviction was overturned last year.

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Diane Sindall, 21, was brutally murdered in Merseyside in 1986Credit: PA
 

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Peter Sullivan was wrongly jailed for 38 years for her murder before his release in 2025Credit: PA
 

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A BBC Crimewatch reconstruction shows a couple arguing on the night she died marking a fresh twist in the caseCredit: BBC
Peter, who was 29 at the time, spent 38 years in prison maintaining his innocence after he was jailed for life in 1987.

He was freed last year after new DNA evidence came to light – making it the longest miscarriage of justice in UK history.

But now a fresh twist has emerged that centres around a couple seen arguing on the night Diane was murdered close to where she was last seen alive.

In a BBC Crimewatch Live appeal, Detective Superintendent Rachel Wilson from Merseyside Police said: “Is that Diane and our offender or is this another couple who have had some sort of argument?

“From the timing and the sighting, I believe that is potentially going to be Diane with our offender but I need to eliminate it either way.”

A reconstructed scene was created on the programme after a taxi driver claimed to have spotted the couple just after midnight while driving down Borough Road.

He said: “I saw a couple ahead of me. When I passed them, I noticed they were arguing.

“The fella put his hand out toward the girl. They were definitely arguing.”

While a couple driving also claimed to have spotted Diane and provided a description matching her appearance.

Diane had just left her shift as a part-time barmaid at the Wellington Pub pub in Bebington, Merseyside, when her small blue van ran out of petrol on August 1 1986.

She was making her way to a garage when she was beaten to death and sexually assaulted in a “frenzied” attack.

Her body was discovered partially clothed on August 2 in an alleyway on Borough Road the following morning.

Diane’s belongings were later found close to where a small fire had been started – with a man seen running from the scene.

Such was the brutality of the attack that her killer became known as “The Beast of Birkenhead”.

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Diane was making her way to a garage when she was beaten to death and sexually assaultedCredit: Not known, clear with picture desk
 

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This is the alley where she was murdered in BirkenheadCredit: PP.
Diane’s family have appealed for more information to help bring Diane’s killer to justice, marking their first statement since Sullivan was released.

They said she had “so much to live for” and she had “a beautiful heart and soul and was full of love, fun and laughter that could brighten your day”.

The pain of her loss, they said, “has been felt throughout our everyday lives with a heartache that will never heal”.

“We cannot put into words what we as a family went through at the time of her death, and we are now reliving that terrible time and all that it brings once again,” they added.

On January 22, Crimestoppers offered a £20,000 reward for information given exclusively to the charity that could lead to the arrest and conviction of Diane’s killer.

Det Supt Rachel Wilson said: “It is devastating for Diane’s family that they are still waiting for the answers as to who was responsible for her murder, and we remain committed to identifying the person whose DNA was left at the scene.”

Merseyside Police, alongside the National Crime Agency, have so far eliminated 461 males from the investigation while they await forensic results for a further 43 samples.

“Although it has been nearly 40 years since Diane’s murder, we still believe there are people who know what happened, or have their own suspicions, who haven’t yet come forward,” Wilson added.

“My message would be ‘it is never too late to do the right thing’.”

Gary Murray, North West Regional Manager for Crimestoppers, said: “Please help bring answers to Diane’s family who have waited almost 40 years for justice. Someone, somewhere, knows what happened that night, and we’re urging them to come forward.

“What you know could finally give Diane’s loved ones the answers they’ve been waiting for.

“Crimestoppers is independent of the police. When you contact the charity, you stay completely anonymous. Your personal details are never asked for, and your call or online report cannot be traced back to you.”

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Sullivan wept as the conviction was overturned after almost 40 yearsCredit: Reuters