Three doors down
By Tortoise Media
Full series out now
Three doors down: a murder, a mother and a thirty year investigation
In May 2023 David Boyd was found guilty of the brutal murder in 1992 of seven year-old Nikki Allan. Sharon Henderson, Nikki’s mother, called for a public inquiry into why it had taken the police so long to find and convict her daughter’s murderer.
When Nikki was murdered, Sharon was a single mother of four living in Wear Garth, a rundown housing estate in Sunderland. David Boyd lived a few floors above Sharon in the same block. He was known to the police. He was the kind of offender who should have been caught.
Three doors down tells the astonishing story of Sharon Henderson’s thirty year campaign to get justice for her daughter’s killing. It shines a light on police behaviour and their treatment of working class women. It’s a personal tale of trauma and resilience in the face of systemic police failure, that couldn’t be more timely.
For the premium Tortoise listening experience, curated by our journalists, download the free Tortoise audio app. For early and ad-free access to Tortoise podcasts, subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts.
If you’d like to further support slow journalism and help us build a different kind of newsroom, do consider donating to Tortoise at tortoisemedia.com/support-us. Your contributions allow us to investigate, campaign and explore, and to build a newsroom that is responsible and sustainable.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Latest episode
-
Introducing...Dangerous Memories
Introducing...Dangerous MemoriesWhen Sarah watched her 23 year old daughter cycle away from her in Chelsea - a well-off corner of London - she had no idea it would be the last time they’d see each other for 6 years. What would make a lo… -
Introducing… Legacy
We are partnering with Wondery, so that we can continue to bring our listeners brilliant investigations like Three Doors Down. You can join Tortoise as a member to get early and ad-free access to new series and support our investigations at -
Episode five - Inquiry
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. -
Episode four - Conviction
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 -
Episode three- Confession
The number one suspect is interrogated by police until he confesses but it's not until 30 years later that the right man is put on trial.This is a 5-part series from Tortoise with new episodes being released every Tuesday… -
Episode two- Rumours
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?This is a 5-part series from Tortoise with ne… -
Episode one - Missing
In 1992 on a council estate in Sunderland a seven year old girl is murdered. It took the police 30 years to find the killer, a convicted child sex offender who lived three doors away from where Nikki Allan went missing. What happened on the n… -
Introducing: Three doors down
A murder, a mother and a thirty year investigation
