Nikki Allan's murderer fails in his attempt to overturn conviction

The man convicted of the murder of schoolgirl Nikki Allan has failed in his bid to appeal his conviction and sentence.

Nikki was killed in October 1992 and her murder went unsolved for more than 30 years until a DNA breakthrough enabled detectives to link 57-year-old David Boyd to the crime.

Boyd from Stockton was found guilty of beating seven-year-old Nikki with a brick and stabbing her 37 times in a disused building near her home in Sunderland.

He was jailed for life in May last year and told he would serve a minimum of 29 years in prison for her murder.

Watch a special report from Gregg Easteal from May 2023 when Boyd was convicted.

Nearly 5 months on from his sentencing, Boyd lodged an appeal for his conviction in September 2023.

Today (4 October 2024) it was revealed that his application was recently thrown out by the Court of Appeal, meaning Boyd's original sentence will still stand.A spokesperson said: "This case did not proceed to the full court."

He will continue to serve his life sentence where he will serve a minimum of 29 years behind bars.

During the murder trial judge heard in May 2023, Mrs Justice Lambert told Boyd: “You decided to kill her, to silence her and prevent her from telling anyone that you had sexually assaulted her or attempted to do so. It would not have taken the seven-year-old long to appreciate she was trapped in that cold and dark building and that you were coming through the window to get her.“She was in a cold, pitch black building. Her terror at what was to befall her as you stalked her in that building is unimaginable. This must have been a truly terrifying experience for this seven-year-old girl."The court also heard how Boyd had previous convictions for sex crimes against children.

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