Rikki’s murderer was an accused who spoke of a wealth of new details when interviewed by police about 22 years ago.
James Watson, then 13, allegedly strangled six-year old James Watson in Peterborough’s woods. He also reportedly left Watson’s body in an’star-shaped’ position and dumped the clothes into a wheelie container 27 years earlier.
According to Old Bailey’s testimony, the murderer stayed with the victim’s corpse for over an hour and didn’t try to hide it.
Ruth Neave, Rikki’s mother was falsely accused and cleared of murder in 1996.
Jurors were able to hear that Rikki was tested for DNA in an ‘uncold case review’, 2015 and found a matched with Watson.
Now aged 40, Watson denies murdering Rikki, between November 28 and 29, 1994.
James Watson, 40, is on trial for the murder of six-year-old Rikki Neave at the Old Bailey in London. The defendant denies murdering the child and then dumping the body near his Peterborough residence in November 1994.
Rikki, a victim of a murder near Peterborough in Cambridgeshire, was killed on December 5, 1994. His body was found in nearby woodlands.
Watson, in his 1994 original police statement stated that he saw a small boy while walking to his dad’s house. After a short exchange they parted ways.
At the time, he said he didn’t know Rikki.
Watson was re-interviewed in July 2015 by police. He stated: “I have now read the original statement, and I believe that it is true.
Watson shared another story of Rikki and Watson’s meeting a year later. He ‘introduced wealth of new detail.
According to him, “I took him and threw him over the fence.”
You didn’t toss him, but you knew that you held him high over the fence and watched the other guys do the job.
“And then we left, and walked on down the second hills…we walked away from here and I continued my journey here across through these houses to our home.
“I think I’d just pick him up from under his armpits and lift him over the fence.
The police appealed for more information over the following years of Rikki’s assassination
Rikki’s mom Ruth Neave was pictured with Gary Rogers at the time. She was initially accused of murdering her son, but she was later found not guilty.
Watson (center) told police that he lifted Rikki to inspect a fence on a digger. He was asked about his DNA in the clothes of the boy.
He said, “I couldn’t,” he didn’t believe it. I’d have picked him up under his arms and held him against the fence.
“I think yes, after having a good look at them, and the men digging there, then we, we both, went off.”
John Price, QC, the prosecution said that he had never given an account of the meeting, which could even come close to explaining how DNA from his father should be found on the boy’s clothes. Hence, Watson was able, on April 19, 2016, to answer this crucial question, before anyone else.
Watson (pictured) was seen on Crimewatch, according to the prosecutor. This episode featured an investigation that revealed the existence’scientific proof’.
Watson, according to Prosecutors, had altered his statements between 1994 and 2015.
Watson’s claim that Rikki had been lifted to see over a fence by him was wrong, according to the prosecution. The fence wasn’t there in November 1994.
Watson was also asked about his previous investigation in a separate interview that day.
According to police, he told officers that he watched an episode of BBC Crimewatch about the case.
Mr Price stated that Rikki Neave would have seen the video and heard DCI Waite speak about the investigation.
“Again, Mr Waite gave prominence in his remarks to the potential of uncovering fresh, but unspecified scientific evidence.”
Jurors were not aware that Watson’s DNA match had been discovered at the time.
Price said: “If Rikki Neave’s killer was looking, he would have seen that he had taken the body.”
“He was aware that he had placed the clothes in the trash can.”
He knew that he was capable of handling it.
“Being the only person to know the truth, as he listened and watched, what would the murderer have made of all this?”
“Might he have been afraid that he would be discovered all those years later?”
Court heard from detectives that Watson suddenly appeared to have ‘the fence’.
Price stated that, ‘While he said in December 1994 that his preferred route from Rotherby Grove to Ragdale Close was blocked by a digger in his testimony, he now says that the obstruction was a fence.
“He was asked about the reason for that shift.
“He marked the spot where the fence was.” [on a plan].
“It was located at the same northwestern end of the alleyway…”. He had indicated that this is the spot where Rikki had been met to him at 12:20, December 5, 1994. However, the statement did not mention any fence.
However, there weren’t any fences around that spot on Monday 24 April 1994.
This was proven by video footage that was taken for documentary on the case from November 28 to December 15, 2015.
“There would have been no reason for Mr Watson on that day to pick Rikki up in order that he might be able to see a digger,” Mr Price stated.
Rikki could see it because there was nothing to stop her.
“This can’t be. Therefore, we suggest, Mr Watson’s hands came into contact with Rikki’s clothes on Monday.
“So, it can’t be that his DNA was discovered on fibers from the clothing of the deceased child.”
“So, we ask again… How did your DNA get here?”
Watson denies the murder of his father, who is not at home.
The trial is continuing.