A couple are in shock after police woke them to say they had arrested a man in his 30s for the murder of schoolboy Rikki Neave nearly 22 years ago.
Ruth Neave and husband Gary Rogers say they are still numb after officers arrived unannounced at 6.55am today (Tuesday 19).
The pair hopes it marks the beginning of uncovering the truth about how the six year old’s naked body was found strangled and dumped in woods near Peterborough in November 1994.
A man from Peterborough, who would have been a teenager at the time of Rikki’s death, is in custody - detectives have until Wednesday at 7pm to press charges.
Gary, 53, said: “It is not over until the fat lady sings but this is another step on the journey. We are in shock, numb, but happy.
“We won’t rest until the person responsible for killing Rikki is found guilty and locked up.
“The visit came totally out of the blue. We always hoped this day would come but now it has it hasn’t quite sunk in.
“Ruth has been through hell but she has always told the truth - she was never going to win mother of the year award but she was nowhere near as bad as she was portrayed.
“We know there will always be those who wont believe this no matter what is said, but hopefully people will now see that for 21 years the public did not know the truth. The evidence was all in the files.
“Finally we have been taken seriously, finally we are going to get justice for Rikki.”
The news comes days before the couple celebrate the 8th anniversary of when they met on a blind date at Histon Football Club - the day when Gary promised 47 year old Ruth he would find her son’s killer.
He said: “I made a promise to Ruth that I would get justice. Today we’re half way to finding out what happened. Today is a massive boost.
“It will hurt Ruth and bring up a lot of emotions but we are strong together and get through this to find peace for Rikki.”
Speaking at a press conference at the Oliver Cromwell Hotel in March, the pair thanked police for supporting them and spoke of the revolutionary 3D imaging and new DNA techniques used by a team of 30 detectives that led to today’s arrest.
They also praised the hours of hard work put in by Cambs Times editor John Elworthy who went through interviews, statements and video evidence with a fine tooth comb.
Gary said: “Without John this case would never have been re-opened. He has gone above and beyond the call of duty, he believed us from day one, he worked hard, he took a lot of stick locally by fighting for justice for Rikki. We are incredibly grateful.”
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