Another article from 23 May, information regarding Boyd's sentencing and the previous conviction of Heron.
'A judge on Tuesday ruled that David Boyd must serve a minimum term of 29 years for the
murder of Nikki Allan.
[...]
On Tuesday, the judge, Mrs Justice Lambert, said Nikki’s terror must have been “unimaginable” and it was a crime that would “horrify all those who hear or read about it”.
She said she had to sentence Boyd as the law stood in 1992, when life sentences were shorter. If the crime were contemporary the minimum term would have been 37 years.
The Heron prosecution came after his supposed confession, which followed three days of intense police questioning and 120 denials. He was found not guilty by a jury after a judge ruled that a number of police interviews were “oppressive” and inadmissible as evidence. The case led to changes at a national level in the way police interviews were conducted.
Northumbria police have written to Heron to apologise, an apology also extended to Nikki’s family including her mother, Sharon Henderson, who has
never stopped campaigning to get justice.
Henderson said afterwards she was “absolutely devastated” at the sentence, adding: “I thought life would have meant life, I’ve been let down again by the justice system.”
She is being helped by the the
Centre for Women’s Justice. Speaking on the steps of Newcastle crown court, the organisation’s director, Harriet Wistrich, said an inquiry into the “scandal” of the original flawed investigation was needed and a civil claim for damages against Northumbria police was being pursued.'
David Boyd must serve at least 29 years for killing seven-year-old he stabbed 37 times
www.theguardian.com
