Jury members have been selected in Sunderland murder trial – Nikki Allan
A man accused of stabbing a seven-year-old girl to death more than 30 years ago is standing trial.
Jury members were assembled today.
Nikki Allan vanished after leaving her grandparents’ flat in Wear Garth, Sunderland, in October 1992.
Nikki’s school shoes were found a few hundred yards away the next morning, outside of an Exchange building.
The schoolgirl’s body was discovered in a derelict building by a neighbour, who was helping police with their search.
She had been stabbed 37 times.
Nikki’s murder has gone unsolved for over 30 years, despite appeals by Northumbria Police and Nikki’s mother, Sharon Henderson.
David Boyd, 55, of Chesterton Court, Norton, was arrested in 2022 and charged with Nikki’s murder. He is due to stand trial at Newcastle Crown Court.
Boyd appeared in the dock today, Wednesday, April 19.
The judge addressed 50 possible jurors: “The case concerns the murder of a seven-year-old girl, her name is Nikki Allen.
“The murder took place a long time ago in October of 1992 in the Hendon area of Sunderland
“The defendant is David Boyd, also known as David Smith and David Bell.
“He is the man accused of killing Nikki Allen.”
The trial, is expected to begin tomorrow, April 20, and is due to last around five weeks.
