Murdered Nikki Allan’s mum sends message of hope to other families fighting for justice

Her personal fight for justice as made her an inspiration to others.

When Sharon Henderson’s little girl Nikki Allan was brutally murdered in 1992 she never imagined that she would have to wait more than 30 years to see her killer convicted.

But brave Sharon has spent the last three years fighting for justice for her little girl in a quest that would see the heartbroken mum doing her own detective work and even identifying David Boyd as a suspect herself.

Read more: “He’s a monster”: Nikki Allan’s mum Sharon Henderson still tortured after murder conviction

After seeing Boyd convicted of seven-year-old Nikk’s murder, Sharon has sent a message of hope to others who are fighting for the truth.

The 56-year-old said: “Just never give up. Go with your instincts and don’t let anyone put you off. My instincts were right in the end. My instincts were right about Boyd.”

Sharon’s life changed forever when Nikki vanished from near her home at Sunderland’s Wear Garth flats on October 7, 1992.

Her body was found in the derelict Old Exchange building the following morning. Nikki had been stabbed multiple times and smashed over the head with a brick.

Nikki’s murder became one of the North East’s most notorious unsolved killings and as she became increasingly frustrated with the lack of progress in the case, Sharon began to carry out her own investigations into her daughter’s death.

The heartbroken mum set about identifying men who lived at the flats that could potentially be suspects, including Boyd.

And although she did not initially know his name she went on a mission to track him down, at one point even moving to a different part of Sunderland to be near the woman who had been his partner.

Sharon eventually learned the name of her suspect and passed information on to police. And she spent years begging Northumbria Police to reopen its investigation into Nikki’s murder.

The force eventually did and a scientific breakthrough finally snared the killer.

Boyd was arrested at his Stockton home in 2018 after advances in DNA techniques led to a breakthrough in the case when the killer’s DNA was found on Nikki’s clothes.

A jury at Newcastle Crown Court found the 55-year-old guilty of murder with the killer due to be sentenced on Tuesday.

During her long campaign for the truth, Sharon has become friends with bereaved families from across the country and has supported many through their own personal quests for justice.

After last week’s verdict she was inundated with messages, with many telling Sharon she was an “inspiration” to them.

And the brave mum has urged anyone fighting injustice not to lose hope.

“People have been sending messages saying it’s given them hope to fight on,” she said. “I have been fighting the system and not being believed for 30 years. But if something doesn’t fit right the police should be looking into it.

“I was fighting everyone.”

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