Trial postponed of man accused of Rikki Neave murder
Rikki Neave in an intimate family photo with his sister Rebecca. Picture; FAMILY - Credit: Archant
The trial of a man accused of murdering a six-year-old boy more than 25 years ago has been put off.
James Watson, 39, is charged with the murder of Rikki Neave in Peterborough between November 28 and November 29 1994.
Rikki disappeared after leaving home to walk to school at about 9am on November 28 1994.
His naked body was found the following day in woodland a few minutes’ walk from his home in Redmile Walk, Welland, Peterborough.
He had been strangled and his uniform was dumped in a nearby bin.
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The defendant, of no fixed address, would have been 13 years old at the time of Rikki’s death.
Watson had faced a two-month trial at the Old Bailey before Mrs Justice McGowan from January 12.
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But on Friday the judge broke the fixture and set a hearing for January 15 at the Old Bailey to discuss a new date for the trial.
The senior judge suggested that the case could be moved to another crown court and would not take place until after Easter.
The defendant, who is in custody, did not attend the virtual hearing.
