Nikki Allan's mum has spoken of how she endured years of trauma and was accused of being a "bad mother" after the horrific murder of her daughter.
David Boyd, 55, is facing life in prison today for the killing of the seven-year-old in 1992, who he beat with a brick and stabbed 37 times after luring her to an abandoned warehouse.
A victim impact statement from Nikki’s mum Sharon Henderson read at a sentencing hearing at Newcastle Crown Court said: “Nikki was a bright and sparky child who was always a mammy’s girl. She had a beautiful smile and was loved.
“I can’t put into words how I felt on finding out she was missing and then found murdered.”
Nikki's father, David Allan, meanwhile said in his victim impact statement he feels "anger and hatred" towards his daughter's killer and stated he will never "will never be able to forgive" the man responsible.
Sharon said in her statement that she had to endure the trauma of the trial of innocent George Heron in 1993. The mum said that even after his acquittal, police told her they weren’t looking for anyone else.
Speaking of her years spent trying to find justice, she added: “I was accused of being a bad mother. Local people were angry towards me and not the person responsible for her murder.
“I was left feeling I had to fight for justice for Nikki. I’ve fought tirelessly and endlessly for this. The stress of it has led to a deterioration in my mental and physical health. I’ve been sectioned and spent periods of time in hospital."
Sharon shared that she had "targeted those I believed were covering for others" over the years, and this had "led to my arrest at times".
She said: “I’ve felt so frustrated over the years because I felt I had not been listened to.
“I speak to Nikki all the time and tell her I will never give up. I’ve spent more than 30 years fighting for justice.
"I was 25 when she was murdered. I speak to her all the time. I am 57 now and have spent over 30 years fighting for justice.
“My life and that of my family has never been the same since Nikki was murdered. By murdering Nikki, David Boyd destroyed the life of my beautiful daughter, my life and the lives of my daughters and grandchildren.”
Sharon was in the court building this morning but listened to proceedings via a live link rather than sitting in the court itself.
She persuaded a chief constable to reopen the investigation in a 2017 cold case review. That eventually saw a DNA breakthrough which brought Boyd to justice.
In his statement David added he could never forgive Boyd for killing his daughter.
He said: “I know I will never be able to forgive the man responsible for her murder.
“I was unable to cope or make sense of what happened to Nikki.
“I’ve never been able to walk past the building in which she was found. I live close to it and it’s a constant physical reminder to me.
“I think about Nikki lying on her own in the cold in that building that night. The building which, on the night she was missing and murdered I drove past countless times looking for her.
“Since Nikki’s death I can’t go to funerals because I’m reminded of the sight of her coffin.”
Boyd remained free and indecently assaulted a nine-year-old girl in a Teesside park in 1999, later confessing to his probation officer he had previously had sexual fantasies about naked "young girls".
The Mirror told how he used seven different names in his bid to escape justice. But Sharon refused to give up. Northumbria Police's then chief constable, Steve Ashman, met her in 2017 and gave a fresh start in the inquiry.
New DNA techniques extracted traces on Nikki's clothing and that breakthrough ultimately led police to Boyd, but also involved more than 850 Sunderland men volunteering to give DNA samples so they could be eliminated from the inquiry.
Boyd is to be sentenced later today. Richard Wright KC, prosecuting, told the court that there was a sexual motive to the murder which was reflected in her scream, heard by people who lived nearby, before Boyd forced her into the warehouse and attacked her.
