Murder Of Rikki Neave
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Rikki Neave was a six-year-old boy who was murdered on 28 November 1994 by a 13-year-old boy, James Watson, in
Peterborough Peterborough () is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, east of England. It is the largest part of the City of Peterborough unitary authority district (which covers a larger area than Peterborough itself). It was part of Northamptonshire until ...
, England. In 1996, his abusive mother, Ruth Neave, was tried and
acquit In common law jurisdictions, an acquittal certifies that the accused is free from the charge of an offense, as far as criminal law is concerned. The finality of an acquittal is dependent on the jurisdiction. In some countries, such as the ...
ted of his murder. Watson was convicted of the murder in 2022 after new DNA evidence was found.


Murder

Rikki Neave was born on 4 March 1988 and lived on the
Welland Estate Dogsthorpe is a residential area and electoral ward of the city of Peterborough, in the Peterborough district, in the ceremonial county of Cambridgeshire, England. The population of the ward at the 2011 Census was 9,620. Cambridgeshire Fire and ...
in
Peterborough Peterborough () is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, east of England. It is the largest part of the City of Peterborough unitary authority district (which covers a larger area than Peterborough itself). It was part of Northamptonshire until ...
, Cambridgeshire, England. On 28 November 1994, he was strangled by a 13-year-old boy, James Watson. His naked corpse was found in woods next to the
A15 road This is a list of roads designated A15. Entries are sorted in alphabetical order by name of country. * A015 road (Argentina), a road connecting the junction with National Route 14 at La Criolla and the Salto Grande Dam access-road * ''A15 road (Au ...
the following day.


Investigation


Ruth Neave

At the time of the murder, Rikki's mother Ruth was the only adult living in the family house. She was hated by her neighbours due to her
drug addiction Addiction is a neuropsychological disorder characterized by a persistent and intense urge to engage in certain behaviors, one of which is the usage of a drug, despite substantial harm and other negative consequences. Repetitive drug use of ...
and poor parenting, including physical abuse, which attracted visits by the police and
social services Social services are a range of public services intended to provide support and assistance towards particular groups, which commonly include the disadvantaged. They may be provided by individuals, private and independent organisations, or administe ...
during the early 1990s. Many neighbours believed she had killed her son, and the police treated her as the
prime suspect ''Prime Suspect'' is a British police procedural television drama series devised by Lynda La Plante. It stars Helen Mirren as Jane Tennison, one of the first female Detective Chief Inspectors in Greater London's Metropolitan Police Service, who ...
. In 1996, she was tried and acquitted of the murder. Before the trial, she had pleaded guilty to child cruelty offences, for which she was sentenced to seven years' imprisonment.


James Watson

Watson was arrested for the murder in April 2016. Watson was born on 1 April 1981 and was also from the Welland Estate. At the time of the murder he was 13 and lived in Woodgate
children's home Residential child care communities or children's homes are a type of residential care, which refers to long-term care given to children who cannot stay in their birth family home. There are two different approaches towards residential care: The fam ...
. Watson had convictions for various offences, and when he was 11 he
sexually assault Sexual assault is an act in which one intentionally sexually touches another person without that person's consent, or coerces or physically forces a person to engage in a sexual act against their will. It is a form of sexual violence, which ...
ed a five-year-old boy. Watson was briefly spoken to by police in late 1994. Despite being aware of his homosexuality, when Watson was 15, he had a relationship with a girl who lived at Woodgate and they had a son. After his arrest, Watson fled to Portugal and was
extradite Extradition is an action wherein one jurisdiction delivers a person accused or convicted of committing a crime in another jurisdiction, over to the other's law enforcement. It is a cooperative law enforcement procedure between the two jurisdic ...
d back to the UK. He was tried for murder at
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
's
Old Bailey The Central Criminal Court of England and Wales, commonly referred to as the Old Bailey after the street on which it stands, is a criminal court building in central London, one of several that house the Crown Court of England and Wales. The s ...
from 18 January to 21 April 2022. Amongst other evidence against him was new DNA findings which revealed his DNA was on Rikki's clothing. Watson was convicted of the murder and on 24 June he was sentenced to life by judge Mrs Justice McGowan, with a minimum of 15 years.


See also

*
HM Prison Durham HM Prison Durham is a Georgian era reception Category B men's prison, located in the Elvet area of Durham in County Durham, England. Built in 1819, the prison continues to be operated by His Majesty's Prison Service. Women prisoners were mov ...
– where Ruth Neave was held alongside
Myra Hindley The Moors murders were carried out by Ian Brady and Myra Hindley between July 1963 and October 1965, in and around Manchester, England. The victims were five children—Pauline Reade, John Kilbride, Keith Bennett, Lesley Ann Downey, and Edward E ...
and
Rose West Rosemary Pauline West (née Letts; born 29 November 1953) is an English serial killer who collaborated with her husband, Fred West, in the torture and murder of at least nine young women between 1973 and 1987;
during her sentence for child abuse * Murder of Brian McDermott – similar UK child murder case in which an individual who was only 16 at the time is the prime suspect * Michael Weir case – a prior notable case presided over by Justice McGowan Other UK cold cases in which the DNA of the perpetrator is now known: *
Murder of Deborah Linsley On the afternoon of 23 March 1988, Deborah Linsley was murdered on a train between Petts Wood and London Victoria stations in Greater London. Although there were about 70 people on the train, and Linsley apparently fought and injured her attac ...
*
Murders of Eve Stratford and Lynne Weedon Eve Stratford and Lynne Weedon were murdered in separate, sexually motivated attacks during 1975 in London, England. Stratford (28 December 1953 – 18 March 1975) was a bunny girl and model. Weedon (11 November 1958 – 10 Septembe ...
*
Murders of Jacqueline Ansell-Lamb and Barbara Mayo Jacqueline Susan Ansell-Lamb (21 September 1951 – 14 March 1970) and Barbara Janet Mayo (20 March 1946 – 12 October 1970) were two young women who were murdered in separate incidents in 1970. Both women were last seen hitch-hiking a ...
*
Murder of Lindsay Rimer Lindsay Jo Rimer (17 February 1981 – ''ca.''7 November 1994) was a thirteen-year-old British girl from Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire, who was murdered. She was last seen alive buying cornflakes at a SPAR shop on Crown Street in Hebden Bridg ...
* Murder of Lyn Bryant *
Murder of Janet Brown Janet Brown (27 January 1944 – 10 April 1995) was an English nurse who was murdered by an intruder in her house in Radnage, Buckinghamshire in 1995. The case remains unsolved, and the investigation remains open. Links have also been suggested b ...
*
Murder of Linda Cook The murder of Linda Cook was committed in Portsmouth on 9 December 1986. The subsequent trial led to a miscarriage of justice when Michael Shirley, an 18-year-old Royal Navy sailor, was wrongly convicted of the crime and sentenced to life impriso ...
*
Murder of Melanie Hall Melanie Hall (20 August 1970 – disappeared 9 June 1996; declared legally dead 17 November 2004) was a British hospital clerical officer from Bradford on Avon, who disappeared on 9 June 1996, following a night out at Cadillacs nightclub in B ...
*
Batman rapist The Batman rapist is an unidentified English serial sex offender who committed at least seventeen sexual assaults on women in the city of Bath, Somerset, between 1991 and 2000. He is the subject of Britain's longest–running serial rape investi ...
, subject to Britain's longest-running serial rape investigation


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Neave, Rikki 1990s missing person cases 1990s trials 1994 murders in the United Kingdom 2020s trials 20th century in Cambridgeshire History of Peterborough Missing person cases in England Murder trials November 1994 crimes November 1994 events in the United Kingdom Old Bailey Trials in London