Nikki Allan cops have said they are ‘truly sorry’ it took 30 years to get justice for her family.

Seven-year-old Nikki was murdered by David Boyd in Sunderland in October 1992. The case went unsolved for more than 30 years with Boyd only convicted last week.  

Meanwhile, her mum Sharon Henderson made it her personal mission to hunt down her daughter’s killer, successfully persuading police to reopen the case in 2017.

Read more: Nikki's mother on incredible 30 year fight: 'How I tracked down daughter's killer'

Last week Sharon, 55, said errors in the initial police investigation caused her “30 years of heartache” while Nikki’s killer roamed free.

The Northern Echo: Sharon HendersonSharon Henderson (Image: Contributor)

She said: “I was so badly let down by the police, they had so many chances to catch Boyd years and years ago.

“Instead I have spent 30 years investigating Nikki's death myself and I could have been spared that if the police had done their job properly.”

Now two top officers have apologised to Sharon for the failings of the original murder probe.

The Northern Echo: Northumbria Police Assistant Chief Constable Alastair Simpson and Detective Chief Superintendent Lisa TheakerNorthumbria Police Assistant Chief Constable Alastair Simpson and Detective Chief Superintendent Lisa Theaker (Image: DANIEL HORDON)

Speaking on Wednesday Northumbria Police Assistant Chief Constable Alastair Simpson offered to meet with Sharon to offer an apology for her three-decade wait for justice.

He told reporters: “I am truly sorry for the mistakes that were made in the 1992 investigation and I’m sorry for the length of time it has taken to get justice for the family.

“I can’t imagine the impact on them over the course of the last 30 years so I have offered to meet with Sharon and with other members of the family, and I will be happy to say that to them when I meet.”

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Detective Chief Superintendent Lisa Theaker who led on the case added: “This has been a really challenging and complex investigation and we don’t underestimate the impact this has had on Sharon and the rest of her family.

The Northern Echo: Nikki AllanNikki Allan (Image: Contributor)

“She was let down and I felt a huge amount of responsibility, no matter which way this case went, to be the person that was going to sit with Sharon and explain the reasons why.

“The most overwhelming emotion for me is that of relief for Sharon and for the family that they’ve got the answers they’ve waited for for years.”

Sharon took matters into her own hands trying to track down any man who lived on the estate she had any suspicion about. To help aid her memory she drew out a map of the block of maisonettes and tried to eliminate each in turn.

The Northern Echo: David Boyd was last week convicted of Nikki's murder. This picture around the time Nikki was killed in 1992.David Boyd was last week convicted of Nikki's murder. This picture around the time Nikki was killed in 1992. (Image: Contributor)

Eventually, only one was left - David Boyd. At the time he was using the surname Smith and also Bell, so no one knew his true identity.


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Sharon moved across Sunderland to within a few doors of Boyd’s ex-girlfriend Caroline Branton and gradually got closer to his former lover. She learnt of Boyd’s true identity around the same time police zoned in on him. In a 2017 meeting with Northumbria Police's Chief Constable Steve Ashman Sharon begged him to make sure the case was reopened by a new team before his retirement as top cop.

DSI Theaker, known as ‘The Chief’ on Channel 4’s Hunted, continued: “Sharon absolutely needs to be given credit for the work, the campaigning and not giving up.

“That meeting was really significant with the then Chief Constable. We were working in the background, we knew that we had something, but her coming to see the chief and for him to see first-hand the impact it had absolutely deserves credit.”