Man found guilty of murdering schoolboy Rikki Neave 27 years ago
manchestereveningnews.co.ukThe 27-year-old mystery behind who murdered schoolboy Rikki Neave was finally ended in court today. A jury deliberated for 36 hours and 31 minutes to convict 41-year-old "fantastist" James Watson by a majority verdict of 10 to two following an 11-week trial at the Old Bailey.
Rikki’s sister Rochelle Neave, 30, hailed the verdict as a "victory" for the family who had campaigned for justice. She said, "He thought he’d got away with it for many years and believed we were just going to go away and roll under the table - we weren't." She remembered her brother as a "cheeky" and "loving" boy, who would look after his siblings.
Youngest sister Sheradyn Neave, 27, who was a baby when Rikki died, added, "I think we were let down by the police at the time, we were let down by social services, we were let down by everyone who was in our lives who was meant to care." Read more: How the gruesome murder of a teenage girl lay unsolved for years - until DNA evidence revealed the truth The verdict will also come as long-awaited vindication for Rikki’s mother Ruth Neave, who was cleared of killing her son in 1996.
Watson was 13 when he lured six-year-old Rikki to woods near his home in Peterborough on November 28 1994. He strangled the boy from behind with a ligature or anorak collar to fulfil a "morbid fantasy" he had told his mother about three days before.
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