A fantasist has been found guilty of murdering schoolboy Rikki Neave - finally ending a 27-year mystery. A jury deliberated for 36 hours and 31 minutes to convict 41-year-old James Watson by a majority verdict of 10 to two following an 11-week trial at the Old Bailey.
Rikki's sister Rochelle Neave, 30, hailed the verdict as a "victory" for the family who had campaigned for justice. She said: "He thought he'd got away with it for that many years and thought we were just going to go away and roll under the table. We weren't."
She remembered her brother as a "cheeky" and "loving" boy, who would look after his siblings. Youngest sister Sheradyn Neave, 27, who was a baby when Rikki died, added: "I think we were let down by the police at the time, we were let down by social services, we were let down by everyone who was in our lives who was meant to care."
