Missing | Three Doors Down Ep 1

On 7 October 1992, seven-year-old Nikki Allan was brutally murdered, her body left in a semi-derelict building. The child had been lured from nearby her home by a tall, white, clean-shaven man in his 20s whom she obviously knew. Her last moments alive were captured on CCTV – poor quality, grainy footage showing a small girl skipping behind a man who appears to be striding purposefully ahead. But Nikki’s killer got away with it – until he was finally convicted almost 31 years later. Nikki was a shy girl who lived in the east end of Sunderland on a run down estate with her three sisters and her mother, Sharon Henderson. Following her murder the police were quick to arrest and charge a local man, George Heron. But during his 1993 trial in Leeds the judge ruled that his confession was inadmissible because it had been obtained under duress. After the trial the police said they weren’t looking for anyone else for Nikki’s murder. From Sharon Henderson’s perspective this was just the first chapter in a botched police investigation which led to thirty years of trauma and a tireless quest for justice. Now, in great part thanks to Sharon’s campaign, a man has finally been convicted of Nikki’s murder. Last year the feminist campaigner and journalist Julie Bindel approached Tortoise to tell Sharon’s story. Julie has known Sharon for more than sixteen years. It’s a story about a lot more than just a mother’s search for daughter’s killer, it’s also about police culture and how working class women like Sharon are sometimes treated.

Rumours | Three Doors Down Ep 2

Rumours choke the case and a vulnerable suspect is arrested. The first 48 hours after a crime are crucial: what did the police get so wrong in the days after Nikki went missing?

The confession | Three Doors Down Ep 3

In episode 3, the primary suspect is interrogated by police until he confesses. But it’s not until 30 years later that the right man is put on trial

Conviction | Three Doors Down Ep 4

Sharon's case should be extraordinary but it isn't. A few miles away from Sharon another mother was left to solve her own daughter's murder after being let down by police.

Inquiry | Three Doors Down Ep 5

The police say they are not looking for any more victims of David Boyd but we met other women who were confronted by the killer.