Ruth Neave thanks jury after man found guilty of Rikki’s murder
Ruth Neave has spoken out after James Watson, 41, was found guilty by majority verdict at the Old Bailey of murdering six-year-old schoolboy Rikki Neave. - Credit: John Elworthy / PA
The mother of Rikki Neave, who was murdered by 41-year-old James Watson in 1994, has thanked the jury for making “the right decision”.
This afternoon (April 21), Watson was found guilty by majority verdict at the Old Bailey of murdering six-year-old schoolboy Rikki Neave.
In a statement, Ruth Neave said: “I would like to thank the jury for the right decision, the prosecution, police and the people that believed in me and Rikki.
“This is not the time to celebrate as it should never have happened.
“It was Cambridgeshire Police and Cambridgeshire Social Services working together to cover up the sexual attacks on the Estate, and then framing me for my son's murder.
“Neglect and cruelty were used by these people to cover their own failings, information was gathered from liars, who gave multiple statements with many different versions of there lies.
“Statements were released to the media, and I was not allowed to defend myself because of a gagging order from Social Services, so anyone could say anything and get away with it.
“Social services lost, destroyed and lied about my family files, but we still have many of these files which show malicious complaints, fraud, drug taking and forged documents, all from social services.
Most Read
- 1 REVEALED: The 'gang of five' who want Dr Nik Johnson gone
- 2 Level crossing set for morning closure at Norwood Road in March
- 3 March: Man charged with possession of a knife in public
- 4 Pictures show major lorry blaze on A16 near Cambridgeshire
- 5 ‘Sudden death’ reported at Nene and Ramnoth School in Wisbech
- 6 Tribute to ‘much-loved’ school worker who died suddenly in Wisbech
- 7 Exclusive look at photograph taken at RAF Warboys from IWM's new The Royal Family in Wartime book
- 8 Roads minister and North East Cambs MP open £17m Guyhirn roundabout
- 9 Coastal hotel with big aspirations wins tourism award
- 10 Rush hour rail disruption between Peterborough and London
“Now my son's murderer is convicted and police and social services have totally ruined mine and my daughters' lives, the only thing now is to close this chapter in my life and open a new one.
“I wonder what Rikki would be like today, married, children? Who knows? But this monster has taken that all from me and my daughters.”
Rikki disappeared on November 28 1994 and his body was found in woodland near his home in Peterborough the next day.
He had been strangled and his naked body was posed in a star shape by his killer.
James Watson, who was 13 at the time of Rikki's death, was found guilty by jurors at the Old Bailey in London this afternoon (April 21).
He was the second person to stand trial for Rikki's murder, after the boy's mother Ruth Neave was cleared by a jury in 1996.
