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For someone who's sacrificed approximately 40 years of his life as a result of a crime he was innocent of, Peter Sullivan projects a surprisingly hopeful tone.

When I met him last month, for what was his first interview since being released from prison in May, he was cheerful and looking forward to getting to Anfield to watch Liverpool play for the initial occasion since he was arrested in 1986.

That was the year of the sexual attack murder of Diane Sindall in his home town of Birkenhead - an incident he said he was merely aware of because someone spoke 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 toughest category A prisons where he would be persecuted by his tabloid nicknames "The Beast of Birkenhead", "The Mersey Ripper" and "The Wolfman".

Navigating a Modern World

Before our interview, he was abundant with tales about how since his exoneration he has had to acclimate to a completely different world.

When he was arrested, Margaret Thatcher was in Downing Street, no one had heard of the internet and Europe was still separated by the Iron Curtain.

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

Mr Sullivan described how trips to the shops now show how "the world has transformed" - from trying to work out how self-checkouts work to realising that "rather than having a cheque book, you've got it on your phone".

Technological Adjustments

His imprisonment means he has been ignorant of the way so many elements of everyday life have transformed - almost like someone who has been unconscious since the 1980s.

"Having endured so long in prison and discovering there's no DHSS [Department of Health and Social Security, now the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)] where you can receive your money - you're thinking, 'Wow, what's going on here?'"

He now has a mobile device, after discovering doctor's appointments need to be arranged on something he now knows is called an 'mobile program'.

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

Emotional Effects

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

He recalled how after his liberation, one morning in his flat he walked back to his bedroom and sat down on his bed, because he was subconsciously waiting for a prison officer to come and secure him into his cell.

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

"I was just sitting there thinking, 'What am I doing?'"

Demanding Explanation

But Mr Sullivan's positivity is mixed with a longing for answers about how he came to be charged with an infamous murder that he didn't commit, and a bewilderment about why he still has not had an apology.

"I've lost everything", he said.

"Freedom disappeared, I lost my mother since I've been in prison, I've lost my father.

"The pain is deep because I couldn't be present for them", he said.

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

"That's all I want, an apology [and to understand] the cause behind they've done this to me", he said.

Law Enforcement Response

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

The force did refer some of Mr Sullivan's accusations to the police oversight body, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), who will now look at his claims that officers physically abused him and threatened 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 clearly address the question, but as part of a comprehensive declaration it said: "The force regrets that there has been a grave miscarriage of justice in this case".

Future Prospects

Mr Sullivan told me about his basic aspiration - an ambition that he said he had abandoned expectation of being able to realise at some points over his approximately 38 years behind bars.

"All I want to do now is get on with my own life and carry on as I was before, and live my time out now".

His prospects may be made easier by government financial payment, paid to individuals affected of miscarriages of justice.

This system is limited at £1.3m, a cap which it is believed his final compensation will get very near.

But the process is not immediate, and it is time-consuming.

Andrew Malkinson, whose conviction for a rape he was innocent of was dismissed in 2023, was only granted an temporary payment earlier this year.

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

And so he is living a modest life, with his humble goals - although many think he is a millionaire in waiting.

His lawyer, Sarah Myatt, said "no sum that you could say that would be adequate for sacrificing 38 years of your life".