Man who fled UK after being arrested in Rikki Neave murder investigation returned to British prison

A 35-year-old man from Peterborough, arrested in connection with the historic murder of six-year-old Rikki Neave, has been returned to the UK and is behind bars this morning.
By The Newsroom
Published 15th Aug 2016, 09:46 BST
Updated 25th Aug 2016, 18:36 BST
James WatsonJames Watson
James Watson

James Watson fled the country without a passport and went on ‘holiday’ to Portugal last month.

After appearing in court in Portugal on Thursday, August 4, he has now been extradited.

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He has been taken to Bedford prison after breaching the terms of his license and will now be dealt with by the probation service.

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Officers from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit travelled to Portugal to return him and would like to thank the National Crime Agency and Polícia Judiciária for their support.

They would also like to acknowledge the Crown Prosecution Service for their assistance with the matter.

Watson was first arrested in April over the unsolved murder of Rikki Neave in 1994. The six-year-old schoolboy was found strangled to death on the same estate in Peterborough where Watson grew up.

Watson, a father-of-one, has remained on bail since his arrest and was living in a hostel until he fled the country with a friend in a campervan last month.