Schoolboy’s Star-Shaped Murder Shocker: Killer Finally Caught After 28 Years
Chilling 1994 Killing Rocks Peterborough
Rikki Neave, just 6 years old, vanished on 28 November 1994. The very next day, his naked body was found strangled and cruelly arranged in a star shape in the woods near his Peterborough home.
Cold Case Breakthrough Leads to Conviction
A painstaking cold case investigation launched in 2015 unearthed fresh evidence. Adhesive tape from Rikki’s clothes was retested, matching DNA to James Watson — who was 13 years old at the time of the murder and is now 41.
Watson Found Guilty After Second Trial
Watson was convicted at the Old Bailey, becoming the second person to face trial after Rikki’s mother, Ruth Neave, was cleared in 1996. The jury reached a majority verdict following guidance from Judge Mrs Justice McGowan.
Watson’s Lies Unravelled by TV Footage
During the trial, Watson claimed he may have lifted Rikki to help him see over a fence. Police smashed this alibi with archive TV footage proving no such fence existed at the time.
Justice has finally been served after nearly three decades, bringing some closure to a heart-breaking, long-unsolved murder.
