Mistakes by police have left my life in tatters
AN INNOCENT man’s life was destroyed by detectives whose investigation saw him branded their “only suspect” in the hunt for the killer of schoolgirl Nikki Allan.
Northumbria Police fixated on Nikki’s neighbour George Heron, while pointers to the guilt of real killer David Boyd were never investigated.
The original investigation, led by Det Supt George Sinclair, now deceased, saw Mr Heron, then 25, charged with the sevenyear-old’s murder and put on trial at Leeds Crown Court in 1993.
However the case was halted by the trial judge Mr Justice Mitchell who ruled police interviews had been “oppressive” and that Mr Heron was hectored into making a confession to something he knew nothing about.
He was cleared at the judge’s direction but his life was ruined.
Yesterday he was due to make a statement to Newcastle Crown Court outlining the effect the case had on his life, but Mrs Justice Lambert said she was unable to consider his words in passing sentence on Boyd.
But after Boyd was jailed Mr Heron, now 56, released his statement. He said: “I lost what little honour and property I had as a result of being falsely accused of Nikki Allan’s murder.
“I have had to read and hear malicious lies being spread about me and my family – some of whom are now deceased and whose funerals I didn’t get a chance to attend.”
Mr Heron said he had been forced to move home repeatedly, became ostracised from family members and developed an alcohol addiction as clouds of suspicion remained over him.
He added: “I don’t understand why the original officers couldn’t have admitted they made a mistake, apologised and looked at the case again, instead of having a blinkered view and not trying to put things right.”
Mr Heron added: “Nikki Allan’s murder destroyed so many people’s lives – I am just one of those people.”