Nikki Allan killing: Tests reveal suspect David Boyd's DNA in 7-year-old's clothing 30 years after brutal murder
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NEWCASTLE, ENGLAND: A court heard on April 20 that the DNA of the man who is now charged with the 30-year old murder of a schoolgirl was discovered "in multiple areas" on her clothing. In October 1992, Nikki Allan, 7, was discovered dead in an abandoned building near her Sunderland home. After going missing, she had endured numerous beatings and stabbings.
A jury heard that David Thomas Boyd, 55, who was residing in the same apartment complex, led her to her death in an adjacent building and then lied to authorities about his whereabouts. He was said to have had "intimate knowledge" of the warehouse where Nikki's body was discovered a few hours after she vanished and knew how to enter it, Newcastle Crown Court was informed.
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'Skipping to her death'
He matched the description of a man who was seen by a passerby with a young child "skipping behind him" and was the last individual to see her alive "by his own admission," the jury heard. The prosecutor, Richard Wright KC, claimed the school student was "skipping to her death."
He informed the jury, "Over thirty years ago, on the night of October 7, 1992, a little girl called Nikki Allan was lured away from the block of flats in which she lived and down towards the River Wear in Sunderland. The man who led her away took her into an area of wasteland behind a disused building. There he struck her at least one blow that caused her to bleed," as reported by SunderlandEcho.
He further added, "He then forced her through an opening in a boarded-up window into the derelict building. It was the only point of access to that building, and this man plainly knew that building well and knew exactly where and how to get into it."
'He shattered her skull'
He then gave gruesome details about the crime and said, "Inside the building, the man who took her there beat Nikki Allan above the head with a brick. He shattered her skull. He then used a knife to stab her repeatedly through her chest, the knife being driven in and out of her body many times through the same hole. Into her heart, into her lungs, making sure of the job of killing her," as reported by Sky.
He then said that the killer hoisted her and took her downstairs into the pitch-black basement, where he undoubtedly knew his way about. He then dumped her body in the corner of an end room after carrying her through a succession of rooms. He said, "He must have hoped she would remain undetected, but in fact, she would be found the next morning by two of the many local residents who were desperately searching for her." He described how George Heron was charged with her murder during a trial that took place in 1993 at Leeds' Crown Court.
'George Heron was not the killer'
Wright added, "The jury found him not guilty of murder. They were right to do so. George Heron was not the killer of Nikki Allan. The killer of Nikki Allan was David Boyd, the man sitting in the dock at the back of this court."
Boyd was referred to in court as David Smith or David Bell in 1992. He was 25 at the time. "He lived close to Nikki in the same block of flats at Wear Garth in Sunderland," Wright continued. He was familiar with the structure where she was killed and knew how to enter there. He created a false alibi in 1992, taking advantage of the police's mistaken attention on an innocent individual. He even gave a statement that was utilized in the initial trial, as per reports. By his own account, he was the last person to see her alive that night, keeping a close eye on her right up until she was lured, as reported by Mirror.
'Circumstantial' yet 'compelling' evidence
Wright said, "Modern scientific testing has revealed his DNA on her clothing in multiple areas. The case against David Boyd is a circumstantial one, but it is, we will invite you to conclude, a compelling one, a case that will enable you to come to the sure and safe conclusion that he is guilty of her murder." Wright hypothesized that Nikki's "capacity to recognize" her killer may have contributed to her murder.
The jury was informed that the current re-investigation of the case had examined "all identifiable potential suspects without making any assumptions," in contrast to the prosecution of George Heron. Upon arriving in court to hear the testimony, Nikki's mother Sharon Henderson, 56, was greeted by relatives and friends and given an embrace. She broke down in tears while the details of Nikki's death were being presented to prospective jurors, as per reports.