The police watchdog will investigate whether the inquiry into the 1992 murder of seven-year-old Nikki Allan missed opportunities to identify her killer sooner.
It was only last year, 31 years after the event, that David Boyd, 55, was finally convicted of murdering the schoolgirl in a derelict basement in Sunderland’s East End.
Northumbria Police’s initial investigation saw innocent man George Heron go on trial before he was cleared in 1993.
Nikki’s mother, Sharon Henderson, never gave up her fight for justice, made her own investigations and repeatedly called on the force to reopen the inquiry.
Following a DNA breakthrough and painstaking police work, Boyd was arrested and was convicted of Nikki’s murder at Newcastle Crown Court in May, and was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 29 years.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is investigating two complaints.
It will look at the actions and decision-making of police involved in the murder investigation and a subsequent homicide review.
This will include the identification and elimination of suspects during the original investigation, as well as whether there were missed opportunities to identify Boyd using DNA analysis sooner, the watchdog said.
The IOPC was asked to investigate by the Centre for Women’s Justice (CWJ) on behalf of Ms Henderson.
She said: “This is the next stage of my campaign to get truth and justice and to hold those responsible accountable.
“I lost all trust in Northumbria Police and I now hope this independent investigation can lift the lid and expose incompetence and worse.”
Her solicitor Harriet Wistrich, who is director for CWJ, said: “It is extremely concerning that a child murderer who lived only three doors away from Nikki’s home, failed to come under the spotlight of the police for nearly three decades.
“Instead the police insisted their prime suspect had been acquitted on a technicality and failed to explore other suspects.
“It is outrageous that the bereaved mother of the deceased child should have suffered any blame or criticism and had to take increasingly desperate measures to get the police to do their job.
“I hope the IOPC will leave no stone unturned in exposing incompetence and wrongdoing.”
IOPC regional director Emily Barry said: “My sincere sympathies are with Nikki’s family, who have lost a loved one in such horrific circumstances and then endured a 30-year wait to see justice served.
“Our investigation, which will be carried out independently of police, will be thorough and ensure the actions of police are thoroughly scrutinised.
“This is a complex and challenging case, not least because the passage of time means some of those involved in the original police investigation have since retired, but we will use all the resources available to us to ensure the family’s concerns are carefully investigated.
“We have been in contact with Nikki’s family to explain our role and will provide them with regular updates throughout our investigation.
“Our thoughts remain with all those affected by Nikki’s death.”
Boyd was the boyfriend of Nikki’s babysitter, lived in the same block of flats as her and told officers he had seen her on the night she disappeared.
He was never treated as a suspect, even after he was convicted of a child sex offence in the late 1990s, and remained at large until the DNA breakthrough in 2017.
After the jury convicted Boyd, Northumbria Police apologised to Ms Henderson, as well as to Mr Heron, who had to leave Sunderland despite being cleared in 1993.
