Nikki Allan murder trial: Jurors shown brick from scene of schoolgirl killing

The trial of the man accused of murdering Sunderland schoolgirl Nikki Allan in the 1990s has heard more distressing details about the seven year old’s death.

Nikki Allan was found with 37 stab wounds in the Old Exchange building in October 1992.

On the fourth day of the hearing, the court heard evidence from PC Nigel Beattie, the first police officer to arrive on the scene after the schoolgirl was found.

In his statement read to the court he described seeing a woman in distress near the Old Exchange building in Sunderland as people searched for Nikki.

The jury was told the woman said: “Oh my god. It’s the bairn. Go along there. They’ve found the bairn.”

He described then making his way into the basement of the Old Exchange and seeing Nikki’s body lying beside a wall.

As the details were read out from his statement, sobbing could be heard coming from the public gallery.

Proceedings in court stopped briefly while a woman who had been crying was helped out of the room.

Later during today’s proceedings a forensic scientist who worked on the case at the time was called to give evidence.

Consulting her notes from more than 30 years ago, Hilary Parkinson showed the court a mannequin dressed like Nikki the night she disappeared, that her green t-shirt was rucked up when her body was found.

In evidence she said she had concluded this was a result of the seven year old being dragged along the ground.

A bloodstained brick found at the scene was also passed around the jury wrapped in a sealed box to enable them to sense the weight of it.

Hilary Parkinson told the court she had concluded Nikki had been struck with the brick.

David Boyd, 55, of Chesterton Court, Stockton-on-Tees, denies murder.

The trial continues.

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