There was complete silence in the courtroom as the man who murdered seven-year-old Nikki Allan more than 30 years ago was put behind bars.
The reaction was a sharp contrast to the one which could be heard at Newcastle Crown Court just weeks earlier when David Boyd, 55, was convicted of the young girl’s murder in Sunderland in 1992.
On that occasion, those in the public gallery celebrated. Cheers of "yes" and "come on" could rang out as a police officer urged them to be quiet.
Read more: Devastated mum of murdered Nikki Allan slams sentence handed to daughter's killer a 'disgrace'
This time around, the only sound that could be heard as Boyd was sentenced was the movement of Nikki Allan's mother Sharon Henderson as she left the courtroom before the end of the hearing.
She had sobbed as she heard how Boyd could only be sentenced using the guidelines which were in place at the time of the offence - which are lower than the sentences imposed now.
Sharon, who was sitting in the front row of the public gallery, listened to the sentence which Mrs Justice Lambert proposed to give Boyd and decided to leave the room. She was clearly devastated.
As the door closed behind her, Boyd, who was flanked in the dock by two prison officers, was asked to stand up to be sentenced.
The paedophile, who had a shaved head, neck tattoos and was wearing a white t-shirt, had spent the entire hearing looking straight ahead with a blank expression on his face.
He did not react, and kept the same facial expression, when the judge told him: "For the murder of Nikki Allan on the 7th October 1992 the sentence of the court will be life imprisonment, you will serve 29 years."
The senior investigating officer in the case, Detective Chief Superintendent Lisa Theaker, of Northumbria Police, and jurors who had convicted Boyd of the murder were amongst those in the courtroom at the time.
Two police officers in uniform sat at the back of the public gallery but, unlike last time, they did not need to try and quiet those sitting there.
The press benches were once again jam-packed with reporters and some were refused entry due to the courtroom being full.
Some reporters watched the hearing via a video link and the judge's comments were streamed live via Sky news.
Nikki Allan was hit with a brick and stabbed 37 times by David Boyd in Sunderland in October 1992. Her body was found in a derelict building known as the Old Exchange building.
For more than 30 years, Sharon has fought tirelessly for justice for her daughter, who would have been 38 years old now.
Advances in DNA led to Boyd, of Chesterton Court, Norton, Stockton, being charged with Nikki's murder.
He was found guilty, following a trial at the court in Newcastle, on Friday, May 12.
Read more:
- Man falsely accused of killing Nikki Allan speaks out after David Boyd jailed for life
- Nikki Allan murder: Live updates as David Boyd jailed for life for killing seven-year-old
- 'I feel numb and shocked': The family of Nikki Allan speak after monumental guilty verdict which took 31 years
- "He's a monster": Nikki Allan's mum Sharon Henderson still tortured after murder conviction
- Nikki Allan police satisfied no one else involved in killing of seven-year-old after David Boyd conviction
