Exonerated Peter Sullivan faces two-year wait for compensation after 38 years in jail

Peter Sullivan, now 68, has been released after 38 years of wrongful imprisonment for the 1986 murder of Diane Sindall, following new DNA evidence. Despite potential access to 1 million in compensation, he faces a harrowing wait of up to two and a half years to claim it. Legal experts caution that obtaining compensation is not guaranteed, as he must first convince the justice secretary of his innocence beyond a reasonable doubt—a significant challenge given that only a minority of past compensation claims were successful.

‘It is impossible to understate the impact of miscarriages of justice like this on those involved, and yet the current system for compensating victims is seriously flawed.’

‘Peter Sullivan faces an agonising two-and-a-half year wait to claim compensation, despite enduring 38 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit.’

‘With only 39 out of 591 applications accepted for compensation since 2016, the criteria for receiving justice remain unyielding and complicated for victims.’

Read at www.independent.co.uk