Trial for man accused of murdering Peterborough schoolboy Rikki Neave postponed

The trial was due to start on January 12 2021 at The Central Criminal Court - better known as The Old Bailey.

James Watson (39) of no fixed abode is accused of killing six year old Rikki in November 1994. Watson would have been 13 at the time.

At a hearing at Old Bailey today, Mrs Justice McGowan broke the fixture, saying the trial would not start on that date.

A new date has not yet been set, but it is likely to be after Easter.

The Judge also said the trial may not take place at The Old Bailey, and other venues were being looked at. The new date and venue for the trial will be set in the new year.

The trial was scheduled to last for eight weeks.

Watson did not attend the hearing.

Rikki was last seen leaving for school at around 9am on Monday, November 28, 1994, from his home in Redmile Walk, Welland. He is believed to have been wearing grey trousers, a white shirt, black shoes and a blue coat.

Rikki’s body was found in a wooded area off Eye Road, close to Willoughby Court, the following day – five minutes’ Walk from his home in the Welland Estate.

A post mortem examination concluded that Rikki had died as a result of compression of the neck – strangulation.