Colin Stagg speaks out over 1992 Rachel Nickell murder

The man who was falsely accused of murdering Rachel Nickell has said people would not have thought he was a killer if he was better looking.

Colin Stagg, 54, from south west London, was the prime suspect over a horrific knife attack of the 23-year-old mother on Wimbledon Common 25 years ago, but was cleared of all guilt by a judge. 

It took 16 years before the true killer, Robert Napper, was finally brought to justice, during which time Mr Stagg continued to attract unfair suspicion from the public. 

Rachel Nickell pictured in an undated handout photo

Rachel Nickell was just 23 when she died on July 15, 1992, leaving her partner, Alex’s father Andre Hanscombe, now 54, to raise their beloved only son

Speaking to BBC Radio Five Live, he said people’s views were largely based on the way he looked. 

‘I accepted there is an ancient kind of belief that ugliness is associated with criminality,’ he said. 

‘If I was a tall, handsome guy, I don’t think people would think I was guilty.

‘I’ll admit, I’m not the world’s best-looking man, but people were basing their view on me by just saying, look at him, he’s obviously guilty.’

Mr Stagg attracted plenty of media attention before and after his trial, much of which was negative. 

Commenting on the coverage, he said: ‘When people say I this and did that in the media I just knew it wasn’t true. 

It took 16 years before the true killer, Robert Napper, was finally brought to justice, during which time Mr Stagg(pictured) continued to attract unfair suspicion from the public 

It took 16 years before the true killer, Robert Napper, was finally brought to justice, during which time Mr Stagg(pictured) continued to attract unfair suspicion from the public 

‘I’m just one of these people who just take it all on and then carry on with life.’

Mr Stagg now has a job at a major retail company and plans to marry. 

‘I just enjoy going into work every day now,’ he said. 

‘My colleagues knew they’d seen my face before so I just told them. They say “you’ve led a very interesting life”.’ 

Rachel Nickell was just 23 when she died on July 15, 1992, leaving her partner, Alex’s father Andre Hanscombe, now 54, to raise their beloved only son. 

She was stabbed 49 times and sexually assaulted on Wimbledon Common, south-west London, in 1992, in front of her two-year-old son Alex.

The case against Mr Stagg was thrown out at the Old Bailey two years later, but despite his acquittal he claimed the stigma made him unemployable and a ‘national hate figure’ for years afterwards.

At the trial, the judge lambasted the Met’s ‘honeytrap’ operation in which an undercover woman detective encouraged Mr Stagg to confess to the killing by instigating an exchange about his violent sexual fantasies.

At the trial, the judge lambasted the Met's 'honeytrap' operation in which an undercover woman detective encouraged Mr Stagg to confess to the killing by instigating an exchange about his violent sexual fantasies

At the trial, the judge lambasted the Met’s ‘honeytrap’ operation in which an undercover woman detective encouraged Mr Stagg to confess to the killing by instigating an exchange about his violent sexual fantasies

Crucially, however, Mr Stagg never confessed. Napper, originally from south-east London, was charged with the murder last November following a three-year inquiry.

By then, Mr Stagg had submitted a compensation claim. He was awarded a record £706,000 damages, which he described as ‘like winning the lottery’.

The Home Office paid out around £706,000 in compensation for the error that led to Mr Stagg’s conviction and he spent it on luxury cars, holidays and flawed business investments. 

The award prompted criticism and was compared to the £90,000 given to Miss Nickell’s son Alex – now living abroad with his father.

The award was decided by Lord Brennan QC, a government assessor, who described the police tactics as ‘reprehensible’.

After details of the payout were announced, Mr Stagg’s legal team said ‘what he really wanted was an apology from the Metropolitan Police’. 

This was later delivered in a televised statement.       



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