Sharon Henderson, who has fought for justice for 30 years following the murder of her seven-year-old daughter in 1992, gave a moving and powerful interview with Victoria Derbyshire, on BBC Newsnight on 9 August 2023. Footage of Sharon’s interview can be watched below.
Sharon’s daughter, Nikki Allan was murdered after being lured by a man from her home in the East End of Sunderland to a derelict building where she was stabbed multiple times and hit over the head with a brick.
Following an initial murder investigation Northumbria Police arrested the wrong man and forced a confession from him. When the confession was thrown out by the judge at a trial in Leeds Crown Court in 1993, the wrongly accused man, George Heron was acquitted.
It took Northumbria Police another twenty five years to commence a full review of all the evidence available at the time of the murder, after Sharon begged them to properly resource the investigation. In 2018, David Boyd was arrested and convicted of Nikki’s murder in May 2023.
Last week, CWJ Director, Harriet Wistrich wrote to the Chief Constable of Northumbria Police to notify her of the intention to pursue litigation and take other action to hold the police force accountable. She also wrote to the Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner to invite her to conduct a full formal inquiry.