Sentencing of Peterborough schoolboy Rikki Neave's killer will now take place in June

The man who killed Peterborough schoolboy Rikki Neave will now be sentenced next month, after the hearing was delayed.

James Watson was found guilty of murdering six-year-old Rikki in 1994 following a trial at The Old Bailey last month.

Following the guilty verdict, Watson (41) of no fixed abode, was initially told he would be sentenced at the London court on May 9.

However, that hearing has now been postponed, and Watson will now be sentenced on Friday, June 24. No reason has been given by the court for the date being moved.

Watson was just 13 when he strangled Rikki in the Welland Estate in Peterborough on November 28 1994.

Rikki’s body was left naked in woods on the estate, with his clothes found in a bin later.

The trial heard Watson most likely used Rikki’s zipped up coat as a ligature, in the attack. He used so much force that marks from the zip’s metal teeth were imprinted on Rikki Neave’s skin.

A key piece of evidence against Watson was the DNA he left on Rikki’s clothes. Samples from the clothes were taken in 1994 but the technology was not sufficiently advanced to provide a DNA match until 2015.

Watson explained away the DNA by saying he had picked up Rikki so he could see over a wooden fence to see diggers on a construction site. He had never mentioned that to police when he gave statements in 1994 and 2015. He only did so after finding out the police had new information and guessed it might be DNA. Images from 1994 revealed there was no fence at the location although one was built years later.

Judge Mrs Justice McGowan has said that while Watson will receive a life sentence, the length of time he serves behind bars will be impacted by his age at the time the crime was committed.

She said: “He will fall to be sentenced for something he did at the age of 13.

“The sentence for murder is one of life imprisonment. I have to set the minimum term he must serve before he can be considered for release.

“It will be determined largely by the age he was at the time of the offence he committed.”