Hodgson was jailed for life, with a recommendation that he serve at least 18 years, after being convicted on DNA and fake text messaging evidence which involved his travelling many miles so as to make it appear that Nicholl was still alive and camping some distance away from her home town.
[1] On the 30 June 2005, Nicholl told her parents that she was spending the night with friends, which was not uncommon for her, and took items with her that suggested she was going on a camping trip.
[5] Nicholl was reported missing by her parents on 4 July 2005 after they had no contact with her over the previous days and her car (a white Rover 214i) was found parked in the Holly Hill Pub in Richmond.
[14] In May 2007, police formally charged David Hodgson, and he appeared that same month in Northallerton Magistrates Court where he was remanded in custody until a trial early in 2008.
[15] The case came to court in January 2008 where Hodgson denied taking Nicholl to any of his ramshackle huts hidden in the Sandbeck Plantation near to the A6136 road, south of Richmond.
Hodgson's elder daughter stated in court that Nicholl was seen alive in Richmond two days after her disappearance and had been staying with Robert.
[17] At court, the prosecution were able to establish that the text messages sent to family and friends days after her disappearance were not in the style that Nicholl would typically compose.