Nikki Allan murder trial: Haunting footage of Sunderland girl's final moments played in court

The grainy CCTV was shown to jurors during the trial of David Boyd, who has been charged with her murder.The black and white footage, which is of poor quality, shows two figures, one adult sized and one much smaller, walking in the same direction.

Richard Wright KC told Newcastle Crown Court: "It is a final tragic glimpse of Nikki before her murder, captured on CCTV."

Boyd, 55, is accused of leading seven-year-old Nikki to a disused building in an area of wasteland in Sunderland in October 1992, shattering her skull with a brick and stabbing her multiple times.

The schoolgirl's body was found inside the Old Exchange building the following day by residents who were helping police with their search.

Jurors were told a witness had seen a young girl, who is believed to be Nikki, with a man walking towards the area where she was killed and that she would "skip" to catch up if she fell behind as they walked.

The CPS have also released a sketch prepared by a witness of a man she saw the little girl with in her final moments.

The court heard she had initially assumed they were father and daughter.

Prosecutors say the younger David Boyd bore a "striking resemblance" to the man depicted in the sketch.

Jurors were shown photographs of both, placed side by side for comparison.

The CPS have now also released the picture of Boyd as a younger man.

They were also read a statement written by Nikki's father David Allan, who said he conducted a search of his own for his daughter alongside family members.

Mr Allan said he had left Nikki's mother Sharon in 1986 but would still see Nikki and her sister Sharon playing in the area of the Garths whenever he passed through to reach the east end of the city, and that he was stillquite close to them.

He added that he was alerted to Nikki's disappearance on October 7 1992 by his sister Valerie, but at the time he believed she would have been playing in one of the flats close to her home.

However, he said: "When Valerie rang me back less than half an hour later saying the police were searching for Nikki, I realised something was seriously wrong."

Jurors heard Mr Allan took his mother's car and travelled to the Garths to look for Nikki with members of his family.

He said: "We drove about in my mam's car for about two to three hours. We looked all over the east end of Sunderland and even drove to Hendon Beach about three times.

"I spoke to two fishermen on the beach in case they had seen Nikki but they hadn't.

"At 4am I drove in the Wear Garth with my family. I spoke to two PC's who told me there was no further news on Nikki.

"We drove around the area again for about two more hours and this time even drove to Whitburn Beach to look for Nikki.

"I was so distressed I couldn't see properly to drive. I couldn't believe Nikki could be in that area and not be found given the dozens of people I had seen looking down there."

The family returned home at around 6am, but by 7.30am they were informed Nikki's body had been discovered at the Old Exchange Building, the court heard.Mr Allan told in his statement how Nikki had never previously mentioned the Old Exchange building, and said he had only been in it once or twice before himself.

He added that it seemed unlikely Nikki would go off with a stranger.

"Nikki had never mentioned the (Old Exchange) building to me. As far as I'm aware she had never previously been there,” he said in the statement.

"I would have described Nikki as an outgoing, friendly girl who liked to be talkative.

"I feel she might have struck up a conversation with a stranger if someone approached her.

"I don't think she would have strayed that far from her home if a stranger approached her."

Mr Allan said he had only ever been in the building once or twice before with his friends when they used to search for racing pigeons.

The court heard it used to be nicknamed the 'Judo' due to a big sign outside advertising the sport.

Richard Wright KC, prosecuting, told the court that Nikki was lured away from the flats and led to the wasteland behind the building.

She was then struck to the body which caused her to bleed and forced through an opening in a boarded up window where she was hit by the brick and fatally stabbed 37 times, it is claimed.

Jurors have heard that DNA matching Boyd was found on multiple places on Nikki's clothing.

Mr Wright said: "He (Boyd) lifted and dragged her downstairs into the blackness of the basement, and no doubt knowing his way around, navigated the series of rooms, dragging her with him, and dumping her body in the corner of an end room, where he must have hoped she would remain undetected, but where in fact she would be found the next morning by two of the many local residents who were desperately searching for her."

Boyd, of Chesterton Court, Norton, Stockton, Teesside, denies murder.

The trial continues.