The Boy in the Woods Podcast
Why it took more than 20 years to track down a killer. Winifred Robinson investigates a case that's stayed with her for more than half her working life.
The Boy in the Woods, six-year-old Rikki Neave, had been strangled and left naked. His body was positioned in a distinctive star shape.
People on the council estate where he lived told police they had seen his mother, Ruth, hitting and shouting at Rikki. He was on the Social Services Register of children at risk. All the people closest to Rikki were in trouble and all of them were known to the authorities who offered help. It didn't work. The day before he died his mother begged a family aid worker to take him into care, saying she would kill him.
Winifred Robinson has been following this case for more than 20 years. She's always felt it held the key to what goes wrong in the lives of society's most vulnerable children. Police built a case against Rikki's mother but this investigation uncovers how crucial evidence was never brought before the court. Ruth Neave was jailed for seven years for child cruelty while Rikki's killer was left at large.
The series exposes how this happened and what it took for the truth to emerge. Original police interview tapes, evidence from forensic scientists and others who have never spoken to the media before, help piece together what happened.. Close friends of Rikki, who were themselves vulnerable children, reveal for the first time how his death came to shape all their lives.
And as the net closes in on the real killer, who was himself a boy of only 13 at the time, how he goes on the run, taunting police from abroad.
We hear from a teacher who alerted police to this boy at the time of Rikki's death, noticing his obsession with the case. We've recorded the first interviews with a family aid worker who was with Rikki, the day before he died and with a troubled teenager who was alongside his mother on the day he was killed.
As the verdict is delivered, the jurors share with us how they weighed the evidence that convinced them they had looked into the eyes of a killer.
Winifred Robinson, the reporter, and Sue Mitchell, the series producer, are an award-winning 成人快手 documentary team. They have worked together for 20 years on high profile cases, interviewing the father of James Bulger. His son's killing provoked huge interest in Rikki's case.
Episodes to download
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The Boy in the Woods: The Discussion
Mon 17 Oct 2022
Winifred Robinson investigates how vulnerable children are dealt with.
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10. A Case to Answer
Fri 14 Oct 2022
What about those who paid no price for their part in what happened to Rikki Neave?
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9. A Web of Lies
Thu 13 Oct 2022
Police and prosecutors engage in a cat and mouse game to catch the killer of Rikki Neave.
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8. A Suspect on the Run
Wed 12 Oct 2022
As the net tightens, police are taunted by a criminal on the run.
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7. Hidden Clues
Tue 11 Oct 2022
Could new forensic techniques solve the mystery of what happened to six-year-old Rikki?
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6. Out of the Shadows
Mon 10 Oct 2022
An amateur detective sets out on a new search for clues in the murder of Rikki Neave.
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5. The Clamour for Justice
Fri 7 Oct 2022
The crowds turn out in their hundreds demanding justice for the murder of Rikki Neave.
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4. The Interrogation
Thu 6 Oct 2022
Over a three day period police relentlessly question their main suspect in the case.
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3. The Prime Suspect
Wed 5 Oct 2022
People on the Welland estate are quick to identify the person they believe killed Rikki.
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2. A Body is Found
Tue 4 Oct 2022
Police discover the body of six-year-old Rikki Neave laid out in the woods.
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1. A Child is Missing
Mon 3 Oct 2022
In this new series Winifred Robinson investigates the murder of six-year-old Rikki Neave.
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Introducing... The Boy in the Woods
Mon 5 Sep 2022
Why it took more than 20 years to catch a child's killer.