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Considering he who's sacrificed approximately 40 years of his life because of a crime he was innocent of, Peter Sullivan projects a remarkably optimistic tone.

When I met him last month, for what was his debriefing session since being liberated from prison in May, he was upbeat and looking forward to getting to Anfield to watch Liverpool play for the first time since he was detained in 1986.

That was the year of the sexual attack murder of Diane Sindall in his home town of Birkenhead - an occurrence he said he had limited information regarding because someone spoke to him in a pub at the time and said, "allegedly there's been a murder".

When he was convicted the following year at Liverpool Crown Court - he was destined to a indefinite period in some of Britain's highest-security category A prisons where he would be hounded by his tabloid nicknames "Birkenhead's Monster", "The Mersey Ripper" and "The Wolfman".

Adapting to a Digital World

Before our interview, he was full of stories about how since his release he has had to adapt to a fundamentally altered world.

When he was arrested, Margaret Thatcher was in Downing Street, the concept of the internet and Europe was still separated by the Iron Curtain.

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

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

Modern Challenges

His confinement means he has been ignorant of the way so many aspects of everyday life have changed - almost like someone who has been asleep since the 1980s.

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

He now has a mobile device, after learning doctor's appointments need to be booked on something he now knows is called an 'application'.

He first became knowledgeable about 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 custody have also led to an predictable sense of system dependency.

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

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

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

Seeking Closure

But Mr Sullivan's hope is mixed with a longing for answers about how he was charged with an high-profile murder that he didn't commit, and a perplexity about why he still has not had an expression of regret.

"My entire life vanished", he said.

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

"It hurts because I wasn't there for them", he said.

"I can't carry on with my life if I can't get an answer off them."

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

Authorities Position

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

The force did forward some of Mr Sullivan's accusations to the police watchdog, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), who will now investigate his claims that officers physically abused him and warned to link him to other crimes if he refused to admit to Diane Sindall's murder.

When asked if it would issue an apology, the force did not clearly address the question, but as part of a detailed response it said: "The force acknowledges that there has been a significant injustice of justice in this case".

Moving Forward

Mr Sullivan explained about his simple goal - an ambition that he said he had given up of being able to achieve at some points over his approximately 38 years behind bars.

"My only desire to do now is proceed with my own life and carry on as I was before, and live my time out now".

His prospects may be made less challenging by government monetary award, paid to individuals affected of wrongful convictions.

This system is restricted at £1.3m, a limit which it is believed his final compensation will get very close to.

But the process is not immediate, and it is lengthy.

Andrew Malkinson, whose sentence for a rape he did not commit was overturned in 2023, was only granted an provisional award earlier this year.

Convicted criminals who admit to their crimes and are released get a place to live and some help with living expenses. Mr Sullivan, as an wrongly convicted individual, is not qualified for that help.

And so he is surviving a modest life, with his modest ambitions - although many believe he is a compensation recipient.

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