After 38 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit, Peter Sutcliffe was finally acquitted yesterday (May 13, 2025). Sutcliffe was originally convicted of the murder of a 21-year-old woman in 1986. DNA evidence nearly four decades later proved he wasn’t the killer, revealing one of the UK’s most significant judicial errors. Sutcliffe was wrongfully imprisoned for the rape and murder of part-time barmaid Diane Sylvester in Bembinghton, Merseyside, UK, in August 1986. Yesterday, his conviction was overturned by the UK Court of Appeal after new DNA analysis revealed an unknown perpetrator at the crime scene.
On that fateful night in 1986, 21-year-old Diane Sylvester was beaten, raped, and left dead in an alleyway. It was August, and she had just finished her shift as a part-time bartender when her small blue van ran out of gas. As she walked toward a gas station, she became the victim of a fatal attack. During the trial, it was claimed that Sutcliffe had spent the day drinking excessively after losing a darts match. He allegedly left with a screwdriver and encountered Sylvester randomly. He reportedly struck her with the screwdriver, dragged her into the alley, and assaulted her. Arrested the following month, Sutcliffe was sentenced in November 1987.
However, there were discrepancies from the start. Some of Sylvester’s clothes were found partially burned near the crime scene, and detectives described it as one of the worst murder cases they’d ever seen due to the extent of Sylvester’s injuries. Sutcliffe was arrested based on vague evidence—his heavy drinking that day and possession of a screwdriver. Without legal representation during questioning, he confessed but later retracted his statement. In 1987, he was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 16 years, primarily based on this confession and questionable evidence from informants.
DNA technology wasn’t available during Sutcliffe’s 1987 trial, and subsequent requests for retesting were denied. In November 2024, the Criminal Cases Review Commission referred Sutcliffe’s case to the Court of Appeal due to newly discovered DNA evidence unavailable at the time of the trial. Advances in DNA technology have led to significant breakthroughs in criminal investigations since Sylvester’s murder.
Now 68, Sutcliffe is considered the longest-serving wrongful prisoner in modern British legal history. In a statement read by his lawyer, Sutcliffe emphasized: “I’m not angry or bitter. What happened to me was unjust, but it doesn’t diminish the fact that a human life was lost in the most horrific way. The truth sets you free.” Watching via video link from the prison where he was held, Sutcliffe broke down in tears when his conviction was overturned.
Sylvester’s DNA sample analysis technology only recently advanced enough to identify the DNA as belonging to an unknown individual. Merseyside Police reopened the case in 2023, examining over 260 men so far. Detective Karen Jondrill stated they are utilizing every specialized tool available to identify the person whose DNA was found. “We confirm it doesn’t belong to Sylvester’s relatives or her partner,” Jondrill added.
For years, Sutcliffe fought tirelessly to prove his innocence. His first appeal in 2008 was dismissed due to doubts about retrieving usable DNA. Another direct appeal in 2019 failed too. However, in 2021, leveraging technological advancements, the commission decided to re-examine the sample. Lawyer Sara Maiat, who represented him for over two decades, emotionally declared: “Justice has finally been served.”