Nikki Allan: Police sorry for family's 31-year wait for justice

The murder of seven-year-old Nikki Allan in 1992 remained unsolved for decades

A police force has apologised to the family of a girl murdered in 1992 and a man falsely accused of killing her.

On Friday, David Boyd, 55, was found guilty of beating seven-year-old Nikki Allan with a brick and stabbing her in a disused building in Sunderland.

Northumbria Police initially prosecuted Nikki's neighbour George Heron but he was cleared of murder in 1993.

The force said it was "sorry for the mistakes" it had made before Boyd was eventually brought to justice.

Mr Heron was 24 and lived near Nikki's family at the Wear Garth flats in Hendon when she vanished on the night of 7 October.

• A mother's 30-year search for her daughter's killer

Her heavily bloodstained body was later found dumped in the basement of the disused Old Exchange building, about 300 yards from her home.

In a trial in 1993, the judge said Mr Heron had been subjected to "oppressive" questioning and had denied any involvement in the murder 120 times during three days of interviews before appearing to make a confession.

After the trial collapsed, Northumbria Police stated it was not looking for anyone else in connection with Nikki's murder.

Nikki's family lived in the same block of flats as her killer David Boyd and falsely accused George Heron

Police re-opened the investigation in 2017 and advances in DNA testing revealed a link to Boyd, from Stockton.

In 1992 he was 25 and lived just three doors away from Nikki's grandparents in Wear Garth. His then girlfriend was Nikki's babysitter.

Police did speak with Boyd at the time but regarded him as merely a "helpful neighbour". He was never treated as a suspect because detectives were intent on connecting Mr Heron to the crime.

Assistant Chief Constable of Northumbria Police Alastair Simpson has now written to Mr Heron, who was understood to have had his face slashed while on remand in the 1990s, then had to move away from Sunderland - despite being cleared - and was taken in by a religious order.

In his letter, Mr Simpson said he would like to "apologise for the mistakes made in the investigation" and he hoped Boyd's conviction would "finally bring some closure" and allow Mr Heron to "move on with life".

David Boyd will be sentenced for murdering Nikki Allan next week

ACC Simpson also offered his apologises to Nikki's mother, Sharon Henderson, who campaigned for more than 30 years to get justice for her daughter.

"I am truly sorry for mistakes that were made in the 1992 investigation and I am sorry for the length of time it has taken to get justice for the family," he said.

"I cannot imagine the impact on them over the course of the last 30 years."

After the conclusion of the trial, Ms Henderson spoke of the "injustice" that "this evil man slipped through the net to murder Nikki when he was on their [police] files in the first place".

When asked how she had found the strength to keep fighting, she said: "Because Nikki's my daughter and I love her."

Det Ch Supt Lisa Theaker, who led the re-investigation, said detectives were certain Boyd did not have an accomplice

Det Ch Supt Lisa Theaker, who led the re-investigation, said police were certain Boyd has acted alone.

The team of detectives, which she continued to manage despite moving to Cleveland Police, had looked at more than 1,000 potential suspects.

Ms Theaker paid tribute to members of the public who had co-operated with the inquiry: "The community in Sunderland have massively helped and they have played their part."

She said now Boyd had been convicted officers would be able to share information with Ms Henderson to reassure her family that no-one else was involved.

Boyd is due to be sentenced on Tuesday.

Nikki's mother Sharon Henderson campaigned for 30 years to find her daughter's killer