Podcast
Crime Next Door
Hosted by BBC Sounds · EN
Gripping True Crime stories from neighbourhoods across the UK.
Series 12. The Beast of Birkenhead Diane Sindall's murder in Merseyside led to Britain’s longest miscarriage of justice. Peter Sullivan's conviction collapsed after 38 years leaving the real killer unknown.
Previously on Crime Next Door:
Series 1. An Assassin Comes to Town Gunshots kickstart an extraordinary tale of state terrorism.
Series 2. Servants and Saints Exploring the story and allegations of a global religious group.
Series 3. Death on the Farm After fifty years the community of Llangolman seek justice.
Series 4. The Salisbury Poisonings Follow the public inquiry into the death of Dawn Sturgess.
Series 5. The Golden Toilet Heist Exploring a story of art, mystery and a solid gold toilet stolen from a British palace.
Series 6: Who Killed The Shakoors? A father's fight for justice after surviving a house fire that killed his family.
Series 7. The Ballad of Big Mags A vigilante matriarch with dark secrets comes to regret stepping into the media spotlight.
Series 8. When a Catfish Kills ‘Chloe’ isn’t a real girl. She’s a catfish and her demands have fatal consequences. Series 9. The Cop, The Kidnap and The Killer A kidnapped girl, a ransom trail and the ultimate test for a cop who always gets his man.
Series 10. The Vanishing Cyclist The baffling story of a cyclist who vanished in the Scottish Highlands.
Series 11. The Anglesey Vampire Killer How a brutal, occult-tinged murder shook a Welsh village to its core.
14episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
The Beast of Birkenhead: 8. Whispers
6d ago00:23:58Tap to summarizeAs police put out a renewed appeal, we question whether long ignored patterns of sexual violence raise the possibility of a serial offender and whether Diane’s killer could have been stopped.We are also reminded that Diane Sindall’s murder is not just about the past as we visit a vigil for victims of violence against women.Presenter: Olivia Graham. Producers: Kate Bissell, Gemma Maull and Olivia Graham. Sound Design and Music Composition: Phil Channell. Mixing: Ivan Eastley. Story Consultants: Neil McCarthy, Jack Kibble-White and Kirsty Williams. Online Producer: Rachael Smith. Development was by BBC Audio Scotland and BBC Merseyside. Executive Editors: Gillian Wheelan and Ben Anderson. Commissioning Editor: Alistair Miskin.There’s graphic descriptions of violence in this series. For details of help and support in the UK, visit bbc.co.uk/actionline.
Transcribe →The Beast of Birkenhead: 7. The Profiler
2w ago00:27:42Tap to summarizeA Geographical Profiler looks at the two locations connected to Diane Sindall’s murder. It’s suggested that Diane’s killer was local and may have struck before.As new testimony suggests Diane may not have been attacked in the alleyway and emerging accounts name a local figure, the investigation edges closer to a new suspect.Presenter: Olivia Graham. Producers: Kate Bissell, Gemma Maull and Olivia Graham. Sound Design and Music Composition: Phil Channell. Mixing: Ivan Eastley. Story Consultants: Neil McCarthy, Jack Kibble-White and Kirsty Williams. Online Producer: Rachael Smith. Development was by BBC Audio Scotland and BBC Merseyside. Executive Editors: Gillian Wheelan and Ben Anderson. Commissioning Editor: Alistair Miskin.There’s graphic descriptions of violence in this series. For details of help and support in the UK, visit bbc.co.uk/actionline.
Transcribe →The Beast of Birkenhead: 6. Back In Birkenhead
3w ago00:25:53Tap to summarizeReturning to Birkenhead in the wake of Peter Sullivan’s release, we focus on Diane Sindall and the community still living with her murder. Peter shares details of his arrest, interviews and alleged police pressure, alongside renewed police enquiries that revisit overlooked witnesses and potential suspects. As officers collect fresh DNA and old memories resurface, the search begins anew for the man known only as 'Unknown Male One'. Presenter: Olivia Graham. Producers: Kate Bissell, Gemma Maull and Olivia Graham. Sound Design and Music Composition: Phil Channell. Mixing: Ivan Eastley. Story Consultants: Neil McCarthy, Jack Kibble-White and Kirsty Williams. Online Producer: Rachael Smith. Development was by BBC Audio Scotland and BBC Merseyside. Executive Editors: Gillian Wheelan and Ben Anderson. Commissioning Editor: Alistair Miskin.There’s graphic descriptions of violence in this series. For details of help and support in the UK, visit bbc.co.uk/actionline.
Transcribe →The Beast of Birkenhead: 5. Unknown Male One
4w ago00:27:58Tap to summarizeRecorded on the day of Peter Sullivan’s appeal as judges consider DNA evidence unavailable in 1987. As the new evidence points to an unknown male, decades-old evidence crumbles under scrutiny. The court delivers its decision leaving one devastating truth intact: Diane’s killer has not been found. Presenter: Olivia Graham. Producers: Kate Bissell, Gemma Maull and Olivia Graham. Sound Design and Music Composition: Phil Channell. Mixing: Ivan Eastley. Story Consultants: Neil McCarthy, Jack Kibble-White and Kirsty Williams. Online Producer: Rachael Smith. Development was by BBC Audio Scotland and BBC Merseyside. Executive Editors: Gillian Wheelan and Ben Anderson. Commissioning Editor: Alistair Miskin.There’s graphic descriptions of violence in this series. For details of help and support in the UK, visit bbc.co.uk/actionline.
Transcribe →The Beast of Birkenhead: 4. The Wrong Fella
May 1100:25:24Tap to summarizeYears after Peter Sullivan’s conviction, community whispers claim the police convicted the wrong man.Peter refuses to admit guilt and as advances in DNA testing offer a possible breakthrough for him. His legal team battle missing records, discredited forensic methods and a system reisitant to reopening old wounds. Until one crucial test changes everything.Presenter: Olivia Graham. Producers: Kate Bissell, Gemma Maull and Olivia Graham. Sound Design and Music Composition: Phil Channell. Mixing: Ivan Eastley. Story Consultants: Neil McCarthy, Jack Kibble-White and Kirsty Williams. Online Producer: Rachael Smith. Development was by BBC Audio Scotland and BBC Merseyside. Executive Editors: Gillian Wheelan and Ben Anderson. Commissioning Editor: Alistair Miskin.There’s graphic descriptions of violence in this series. For details of help and support in the UK, visit bbc.co.uk/actionline.
Transcribe →The Beast of Birkenhead: 3. Because She Was A Woman
May 400:40:19Tap to summarizeDiane Sindall’s murder ignites a movement with women across Birkenhead. Fueled by anger and grief they challenge police attitudes, confront society’s view of women and demand change. Against this backdrop Peter Sullivan stands trial. We examine the case built against him with contested confessions, disputed forensic evidence and testimony the jury never heard.Presenter: Olivia Graham. Producers: Kate Bissell, Gemma Maull and Olivia Graham. Sound Design and Music Composition: Phil Channell. Mixing: Ivan Eastley. Story Consultants: Neil McCarthy, Jack Kibble-White and Kirsty Williams. Online Producer: Rachael Smith. Development was by BBC Audio Scotland and BBC Merseyside. Executive Editors: Gillian Wheelan and Ben Anderson. Commissioning Editor: Alistair Miskin.There’s graphic descriptions of violence in this series. For details of help and support in the UK, visit bbc.co.uk/actionline.
Transcribe →The Beast of Birkenhead: 2. Woman in Yellow
Apr 2700:44:27Tap to summarizeThe hunt for Diane Sindall’s killer uncovers another victim who was dressed in yellow and attacked near the scene on the same night, raising fears of a serial attacker in Birkenhead.A police appeal focuses on the mysterious “woman in yellow”. As the investigation continues, the police uncover more attacks on women in the area and frustrations grow as leads collapse. Meanwhile, details of Diane’s injuries intensifies public fear and puts pressure on the police to find an answer.Presenter: Olivia Graham. Producers: Kate Bissell, Gemma Maull and Olivia Graham. Sound Design and Music Composition: Phil Channell. Mixing: Ivan Eastley. Story Consultants: Neil McCarthy, Jack Kibble-White and Kirsty Williams. Online Producer: Rachael Smith. Development was by BBC Audio Scotland and BBC Merseyside. Executive Editors: Gillian Wheelan and Ben Anderson. Commissioning Editor: Alistair Miskin.There’s graphic descriptions of violence in this series. For details of help and support in the UK, visit bbc.co.uk/actionline.
Transcribe →The Beast of Birkenhead: 1. The Murder
Apr 2000:30:09Tap to summarizeIn 1986, Diane Sindall leaves work to drive home but never arrives. What happened that night marks the start of a decades long unsolved case.Through testimony from those who knew her and those who encountered the crime scene, we look at Diane’s final movements, the violent nature of her attack and the growing fear gripping Birkenhead, a town on the Wirral in Merseyside.As we find out more, troubling questions emerge about how such brutality could occur in a public place unseen and unheard, setting the stage for what would become one of Britain’s most haunting criminal cases.Presenter: Olivia Graham. Producers: Kate Bissell, Gemma Maull and Olivia Graham. Sound Design and Music Composition: Phil Channell. Mixing: Ivan Eastley. Story Consultants: Neil McCarthy, Jack Kibble-White and Kirsty Williams. Online Producer: Rachael Smith. Development was by BBC Audio Scotland and BBC Merseyside. Executive Editors: Gillian Wheelan and Ben Anderson. Commissioning Editor: Alistair Miskin.There’s graphic descriptions of violence in this series. For details of help and support in the UK, visit bbc.co.uk/actionline.
Transcribe →The Beast of Birkenhead: Trailer
Apr 1700:03:07Tap to summarizeThe murder of Diane Sindall in Birkenhead, Merseyside led to Britain’s longest miscarriage of justice when local man Peter Sullivan's conviction collapsed after 38 years.This series returns to the streets, alleyways and estates of Birkenhead where it all happened, retracing Diane’s final movements. Follow through eyewitness testimony, unheard accounts and modern forensic science as we uncover how a brutal crime in a public place went unsolved for decades, while a killer may still be alive and closer to home than anyone realised.At the heart of this story is Diane: who she was, how violence against women shaped the investigation and what justice really looks like when a community has lived with fear, silence and unanswered questions for generations.Presenter: Olivia Graham. Producers: Kate Bissell, Gemma Maull and Olivia Graham. Sound Design and Music Composition: Phil Channell. Mixing: Ivan Eastley. Story Consultants: Neil McCarthy, Jack Kibble-White and Kirsty Williams. Online Producer: Rachael Smith. Development was by BBC Audio Scotland and BBC Merseyside. Executive Editors: Gillian Wheelan and Ben Anderson. Commissioning Editor: Alistair Miskin.There’s graphic descriptions of violence in this series. For details of help and support in the UK, visit bbc.co.uk/actionline.
Transcribe →
The Anglesey Vampire Killer: 7. Live Forever
Apr 1600:35:55Tap to summarizeWith the crime apparently solved, one unanswered question continues to hang over the village - and everyone connected to the case - a quarter of a century on.Presenter: Meic Parry Story Producer: Andrew Dickson Assistant Producer: Katie Hill Executive Producer: Leonie Thomas Production Management: Amy Wheel and Janice Jardine Pre-production research: Jess Gunasekara Legal advice: Clare Hoban. Music: Cerys Hafana Mixing and Sound Design: Mike Woolley Series Producer: Steven RajamAn Overcoat Media production for BBC Sounds
Transcribe →