Updated: 19:55, 27 April 2022 A new Channel 5 documentary examines the case of the murdered six-year-old boy from Peterborough Rikki Neave and how Ruth’s mom waited 28 years to be convicted. Rikki’s killer, James Watson, who was 13 when Rikki went missing on November 28, 1994, was found guilty of murder at Old Bailey in London last week (April 21). The case and the trial unfold in The Murder of Rikki Neave: The Mother’s Story, which includes an exclusive television interview with Ruth Neave. Ruth herself was imprisoned in 1996 after admitting to the cruelty of the children – but was never found guilty of killing her son. What happened to Ruth and where is she now? Convicted murderer James Watson, who killed Rikki Neave in 1994 – Certification: Cambridgeshire Constabulary A photo of the crime scene on November 29, 1994, one day after the disappearance of six-year-old Rikki Neave – Credit: PA Rikki’s mom reported her son missing at 6pm on Monday, November 28, 1994. Rikki had eaten Weetabix for breakfast and left home at 9.30am, but never made it to school. Ruth’s neighbors said they saw Rikki accompanied by James Watson that morning. Cambridgeshire police officers arrived at Ruth’s home on the Redmile Walk at 6:17 p.m. and found Rikki’s body naked and lying in a star shape in a nearby forest the next day. The front page of the Eastern Daily Press on November 30, 1994, with a short article detailing the discovery of Rikki Neave in the Peterborough Forest – Credit: The EDP file at localrecall.co.uk A photo of Ruth Neave’s former home at 209 Redmile Walk, taken by police during the initial search – Credit: PA A post-mortem examination concluded that he was strangled with the zipper of his hood. Watson, then 13, gave a false bill to police on December 5. On January 19, 1995, Ruth was arrested on suspicion of murder. Until October 1996, a Northampton Crown Court unanimously acquitted Ruth of her son’s murder, but she pleaded guilty to child cruelty and was sentenced to seven years in prison. Ruth Neave acquitted of murder, but pleads guilty to child cruelty – Credit: Archant / Eastern Daily Press After her release, she returned to Cambridgeshire where she met her husband Gary Rogers. She approached the Cambs Times in 2014 and along with her husband Gary and publisher John Elworthy, Ruth campaigned to reopen her case to the police. Ruth Neve’s husband, Gary Rogers, approached the Cambs Times in 2014 and launched a campaign to reopen the case – Credit: Archant / Cambs Times Press conferences followed, and police examined DNA evidence in Rikki’s clothes that matched samples provided by Watson – and a Crown Prosecution attorney ruled in 2019 that Watson should be prosecuted. The killer was indicted in 2020 and the trial began in February this year. A London court heard for 36 hours and 31 minutes before issuing their guilty verdict. Court sketch showing Ruth Neave (center) speaking at the James Watson trial (right) – Certification: Elizabeth Cook / PA Former Assistant Chief of Police Paul Fullwood Senior Investigator Outside Old Bailey After James Watson Sentenced – Credit: Victoria Jones / PA “Gary worked day and night looking at every document, statement and piece of evidence he could find (and how he did it will remain unspeakable),” said Cambs Times editor John Elworthy. I interviewed them often, and collected fresh stories, offering fresh thoughts, fresh perspective with a growing sense that an editor of a provincial newspaper might just “have something.” “I liked Ruth and Gary. And I never wanted to give up – even when a family member threw hot coffee at me because “I’re lining up with this scum.” “Now, with the verdict, I’m just relieved.” Rikki Neave, who was murdered when he was six years old in 1994 – Credit: Cambridgeshire Constabulary / PA But Ruth will not watch the documentary. “It’s very emotional for me and I do not want to see it,” he said. Following the verdict, Ruth fell at her home in Cambridgeshire and broke her shoulder. She underwent emergency surgery in Cambridge on Monday and is recovering at home. “Both my husband Gary and I are exhausted and need to recharge,” he said. Ruth is set to attend Watson’s conviction on Monday, May 9, where she would like to read her victim’s statement to the man who killed her son. Watch The Murder of Rikki Neave: The Mother’s Story on My5.
