Man held in Portugal in connection with notorious unsolved murder of six-year-old Rikki Neave
Suspect to remain in custody during extradition process
A BRITISH man has this lunchtime been arrested by cops in Portugal in connection with the 1994 murder of six-year-old Rikki Neave.
James Watson, from Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, was arrested by local officers in Lisbon at around lunchtime on Tuesday over the notorious and unsolved murder of the schoolboy.
The 35-year-old was nabbed by police under a European Arrest Warrant on suspicion of breaching his licence.
Officers from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit are expected to travel to Portugal shortly to begin the process of bringing him back to the UK.
Watson was arrested in April and released on bail but fled to Portugal from a hostel in Northamptonshire back in June.
The Sun understands he had smuggled himself out of the UK in a motorhome from Dover, Kent, before travelling south to sunnier climes.
Watson was originally arrested on April 19 when police raided his mother’s flat on the same Welland estate in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire.
Rikki went missing near the estate where he lived on November 28, 1994 and his naked body was found the following day in woodland. He had been strangled.
After his first arrest, Watson was taken away for days of “intensive” questioning before being released on bail until June 15. He was then re-bailed again and is due to return to see police on September 20.
Cops found out on July 15 that Watson had breached his police bail by travelling overseas and UK police began liaison with European forces to locate him and ensure his return to this country.
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A police spokesman said at the time: “We have reason to believe that the 35-year-old man from Peterborough who was arrested in connection with the historic murder of six-year-old Rikki Neave left the country while on police bail.
“We have been in communication with him and are working with him and partner agencies in order for him to return to the UK promptly.”
Cops have told the murdered schoolboy’s mum Ruth – who stood trial for the murder but was acquitted – that they are aware of her frustration around the current situation.
It is understood that the CPS has asked police to provide further evidence ahead of any possible charge.
Mrs Neave said: “I am very anxious about all of this, I am under a lot of pressure and I have had to get some sedation to calm my nerves because they have been shot to pieces.”
Rikki’s mother Ruth Neave, now 45, was charged with murder at the time but later found not guilty by a jury. She pleaded guilty to child neglect and cruelty of Rikki and his two sisters, Rebecca, then eight, and Rochelle, three, and was sentenced to seven years in prison.
In recent years she has campaigned for Cambridgeshire Police to look again at the case – saying his killer remains at large.
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