Rikki Neave murderer James Watson loses appeal against conviction

A antheral jailed past twelvemonth for murdering a six-year-old schoolboy astir 30 years agone has mislaid his entreaty against his conviction.

Rikki Neave's assemblage was recovered successful woods adjacent his Peterborough location the time aft helium disappeared successful November 1994.

A sheet of 3 judges dismissed his lawsuit astatine the Court of Appeal.

Jennifer Dempster KC, starring Watson's appeal, had argued that a "wholesale nonaccomplishment and demolition of evidence" successful the lawsuit meant a just proceedings had not been imaginable for her client.

"It closed down wholly immoderate accidental for the defence to research the imaginable of different suspects," she said.

However, John Price KC, for the Crown Prosecution Service, had told entreaty judges determination was nary grounds that Watson's lawsuit had been affected.

"The applicant failed to show that determination was immoderate prejudice caused to him by the nonaccomplishment of the worldly that has been identified," helium said.

"If determination was... we bash not judge that it was not susceptible of being ameliorated successful the accustomed way."

The assemblage of Rikki was recovered bare and posed star-shaped with his arms outstretched and legs wide apart, successful woodland adjacent wherever helium lived connected the Welland estate. He had been strangled.

Watson denied execution but was recovered blameworthy by a assemblage and sentenced astatine the Old Bailey successful London past June.

Watson, who besides lived connected the Welland estate, was the 2nd idiosyncratic to basal proceedings for Rikki's murder, aft the boy's parent Ruth Neave was cleared by a assemblage successful 1996.

Three entreaty judges - Lord Justice Holroyde, Mr Justice Morris and Judge Angela Morris - said Watson's entreaty against his condemnation had failed and "must accordingly beryllium dismissed".

In a written ruling, Lord Justice Holroyde said lawyers representing Watson had argued his prosecution was an "abuse" of process due to the fact that the "unavailability of important exhibits meant that it was intolerable for him to person a just trial".

He said Watson's lawyers had besides complained astir the proceedings justice allowing "bad character" grounds to beryllium considered by jurors.

Prosecutors had "applied to adduce" grounds showing that Watson had a intersexual involvement successful young boys and successful strangulation, helium said.

But the proceedings justice had held that it was "open to the assemblage to find that the sidesplitting had a intersexual element".

He added: "We are... satisfied that the justice was close to find that the appellant could and would person a just trial.

"We are satisfied that the justice did not err successful admitting the atrocious quality evidence."

Watson's lawyers besides argued that remarks by the proceedings justice placed "undue pressure" connected the assemblage to scope a verdict.

Lord Justice Holroyde said: "Taking the remarks collectively, we are satisfied that they could not person caused immoderate juror to consciousness nether immoderate unit to compromise his oregon her oath, and they bash not render the condemnation unsafe."