A fresh witness has told the major crimes unit investigating the murder of Rikki Neave of seeing two youths pushing a buggy with “an oversized boy” in it on the night the six year-old was murdered.
The startling revelation came from BBC Crimewatch tonight and followed a reconstruction of Rikki’s last day. The programme also showed the 3D technology being used to re create the Welland estate, Peterborough, 21 years ago.
Det Inspector Jerry Waite said the witness had come forward recently and believes he saw the youths on the night Rikki died – at around 10.30pm- pushing the buggy along Belvoir Way, Peterborough.
The detective said Rikki was seen earlier that evening, at around 6.30pm, outside the small shopping centre in Scalford Road and was seen heading away from the shops with two youths and towards Belvoir Way.
“Police want to know where Rikki went from there,” he said. It was in the same area that a man later came forward to confirm seeing two teenage boys in the same area “pushing a pushchair, with an oversize boy in the pram.”
He also said they want to question a jogger who was in the area at the time and also wanted to know “who dumped Rikki’s clothes? They were found in a wheelie bin at Willoughby Court “Who put that clothing there?”
DI Waite also repeated an alleged sighting of two youths the following morning coming out of the wooded area – and on the day when his naked body was found- coming from the copse at around 6.30am. The police chief described both as about 16-17, one lanky and around 6ft, the other one smaller and whom he described as ‘spiky.” Rikki’s body, naked and sprawled out, was found in the copse hours later.
Police are confident they are moving towards making an arrest, pointing out too that recently commissioned new forensics evidence had given them substantial evidence.
Rikki’s sister, Rochelle, who was interviewed on Crimewatch said that “to think someone has taken my brother away - part of my family- and is living a lie is unbelievable. Part of me died when he died.”
“From the day I left Peterborough through to my adult days there have been a lot of unanswered questions.”
Late last night several people called the show claiming to have names for the two youths in the picture.
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