Rikki Neave Murder Trial: Brother’s Flight and Arrest Revealed
The tragic murder of young Rikki Neave rocked Peterborough after his naked body was found strangled near his home on 29 November 1994. Now, decades later, the focus is on James Watson, who was just 13 at the time and denies killing Rikki.
James Watson Flees UK After Arrest
The Old Bailey heard shocking details about Watson’s actions following his arrest. The 40-year-old left the UK just three months after being arrested on suspicion of Rikki’s murder when the cold case was reopened in April 2016. Instead of staying put, Watson escaped abroad in a motorhome with another man.
Watson soon reached out to his sister, Clair Perna, from France. She revealed he told her, “I was in a lot of trouble and I had made a huge mistake,” admitting he “messed up” by fleeing the country.
Desperate Sister’s Attempt to Help
Clair, 43, described her brother’s desperate calls: “Next time he rang, he said, ‘I need help. I’m in more trouble than I imagined and I need to get back to the UK.’” She urged him to contact a man named Mario in Porto, Portugal, to sort out emergency travel documents at the embassy.
She explained to the court: “I told police James was going into the embassy. I believe they would identify him by phone and give him emergency travel documents to get home.” But before that could happen, Watson was arrested and forcibly transported back to Britain.
Family Ties and Trial Developments
Clair shared details of their childhood on the Welland Estate in Peterborough, living with their father after their parents separated in 1990. She moved away with their mother, while James was placed in a children’s home in nearby March.
Under cross-examination, Clair denied knowing the Neave family or visiting them with her half-brother, Andrew Bailey. She also revealed that James never spoke to her about the murder investigation, calling the trial a “surprise.”
The trial continues as jurors weigh the chilling evidence in this decades-old murder case.
