Man charged with the 1994 murder of schoolboy Rikki Neave

The youngster was found dead in woodland a few minutes walk from his home in Redmile Walk, Welland, Peterborough, on November 29, 1994.

He had disappeared after leaving home to walk to school at about 9am the previous day. Tests showed he had been strangled.

Rikki's uniform was found dumped in a nearby bin.

On Monday, the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit said James Watson, of no fixed address, had been charged with murder.

He will appear at Peterborough Magistrates' Court on Thursday (February 20).

Originally Rikki's mother, Ruth, was accused of his murder, but she was later cleared of the killing and instead found guilty of child neglect and cruelty, and jailed for seven years.

In 2014, police looked again at the cold case and began re-investigating in 2015.

Rikki Neave’s family have been informed.