London - A man who spent nearly four decades of killing in a British prison said he was not angry or in pain because his murder was overturned because of the newly obtained DNA evidence.

Peter Sullivan put his hand on his mouth, which seemed to be revoked after years of attempts to clear his name.

Lawyer Sarah Myatt said outside the court that he was the longest-term victim of illegal offenses in the UK.

Sullivan, who watched the videotape hearing at Wakefield prison in northern England, said in a statement that he was not outraged and longed to see his loved ones.

“Just as God is my witness, truth is said to have freed you,” Myatt read from the statement. "Unfortunately, as we move towards solving the mistakes we have done to me, it doesn't give a timeline. I'm not angry, I'm not in pain."

Sullivan, 68, was convicted in 1987 for killing Diane Sindall in Bebington near Liverpool in northwest England. He spent 38 years in prison.

Police say Sindall, 21, a engaged flower shop, returned home on Friday night in August 1986 at a part-time job at a bar when her van ran out of fuel. After midnight, she walked along the road for the last time.

Her body was found in an alley about 12 hours later. She was sexually assaulted and assaulted.

It was not until recently that sexual fluids found on Sindall's body were scientifically analyzed. Defense attorney Jason Pitter said a 2024 test showed that it was not Sullivan.

"The prosecution case is a person. It is the person who sexually assaulted the victim." "The evidence here is that a person is not a defendant."

Prosecutor Duncan Atkinson did not challenge the appeal and said Sullivan would be prosecuted if DNA evidence was obtained at the time of investigation.

Merseyside Police said it restarted its investigation as the appeal progressed and was “committed to doing everything” to find the killer.

The Criminal Cases Review Board, which reviews possible false convictions, refused to refer Sullivan’s case to the Court of Appeal and rejected his appeal in 2019.

But when new DNA evidence was available, the CCRC filed the case again.

Judge Timothy Holroyde said: "In view of the evidence, it is impossible to consider the appellant's belief as safe."

Sullivan's sister Kim Smith reflected on the crimes that the case had caused to both families outside the court.

"We lost Peter for 39 years, and at the end of the day, it's not just us," Smith said. "Peter didn't win, nor did the Sandall family. They lost their daughter, they won't let her come back. We've got Peter back and now we have to try to build life around him again."