Rikki Neave: Man appears in court charged with murder Published duration 20 February

image copyright Cambridgeshire Police image caption Rikki Neave was found strangled and naked in woodland in Peterborough in 1994

A man has appeared in court charged with the murder of a six-year-old boy who was found strangled in woodland 25 years ago.

Rikki Neave disappeared after leaving his Peterborough home on the morning of 28 November 1994. His naked body was found the following day.

James Watson, 38, appeared at Peterborough Magistrates' Court.

The defendant, who was 13 at the time of Rikki's death, spoke only to confirm his name and date of birth.

image copyright Julia Quenzler image caption James Watson is accused of murdering Rikki in Peterborough between 28 and 29 November 1994

Mr Watson, of no fixed address, was not asked to enter a plea during the one-minute hearing and was remanded into custody.

He will appear at the Old Bailey on Friday.

image copyright PA Media image caption Rikki Neave was found in woodland near his home and his school uniform was dumped in a bin

Rikki's mother, Ruth Neave, was tried for his murder in 1996 and cleared of the killing but was jailed for seven years after pleading guilty to child neglect.

On the 20th anniversary of Rikki's death, the case was reviewed by a cold case team and the investigation was reopened in 2015.