Mum of murdered Nikki Allan taking legal action against police

Seven-year-old Nikki was lured to a derelict building in Sunderland in October 1992. She was stabbed and hit with bricks by David Boyd, now 55, and left for dead, or dying, in the basement.

In a botched initial inquiry Northumbria Police charged innocent man George Heron with the crime only for the trial to collapse when the confession they gained after three days of oppressive questioning was deemed inadmissible.

Read more: Paedophile who killed Nikki Allan 30 years ago jailed for life with a minimum term 

Nikki’s mother, Sharon Henderson, never gave up her fight for justice, made her own investigations and repeatedly called on the force to re-open the inquiry.

Following a DNA breakthrough and painstaking police work, Boyd was arrested and was convicted of Nikki’s murder at Newcastle Crown Court in May, and was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 29 years.

Nikki Allan (Image: Contributor)

Speaking in May after Boyd was found guilty, police on the case told the media they were "truly sorry" it took 30 years to get justice.

Northumbria Police Assistant Chief Constable Alastair Simpson 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.”

But the apology was knocked back by Nikki's mum Sharon who said she should have been visited personally by a senior officer rather than hearing of their apology through the media.

She said at the time: "I don't accept their apology, it feels hollow to me, especially as I had to hear about it through the media."

David Boyd was convicted of Nikki's murder earlier this year. This picture is from around the time Nikki was killed in 1992. (Image: Contributor)

The long battle came at a great cost to Sharon and her family, as she struggled with her mental health and drinking, and got into trouble with the law. Ms Henderson told BBC’s Newsnight she will take legal action against the force, saying: “I was treated really badly by the police.

“Because I was the one parent, I didn’t have any support and I was drinking heavily.

“I was living in a council flat and I didn’t have any money.”

Boyd was the boyfriend of Nikki’s babysitter, lived in the same block of flats as her and told officers he had seen her on the night she disappeared.

He was never treated as a suspect, even after he was convicted of a child sex offence in the late 1990s, and remained at large until the DNA breakthrough in 2017.

Read next:

• Sharon Henderson's anger at police errors in Nikki Allan inquiry
• Nikki's mother on incredible 30 year fight: 'How I tracked down daughter's killer'
• Seven-year-old’s murder in 1992 destroyed my family, mother tells court

Get more from The Northern Echo now for just £6 for 6 months with a Premium Plus digital subscription. Click here

After Boyd was sentenced, Harriet Wistrich, director at the Centre for Women’s Justice, said: “Now, Sharon demands that Northumbria police are held accountable for their historic failures that allowed a 31-year wait until the right man was convicted of Nikki’s murder.

“The full extent of the failures remain unknown and therefore we are demanding a public inquiry to examine the historic investigation which led to the wrong man being prosecuted and the police failing to consider alternative suspects until over 20 years later.”

Northumbria Police also apologised to George Heron after Boyd's conviction, who had to leave Sunderland despite being cleared in 1993.

At the time, Detective Chief Superintendent Lisa Theaker, who led the successful inquiry, praised Nikki’s family, saying: “I would like to thank them for their patience and strength shown during their relentless pursuit of justice.”

Northumbria Police declined to comment about any potential legal action.

The force has offered Ms Henderson a meeting with Assistant Chief Constable Alastair Simpson, who issued the previous apology to the family and to Mr Heron.