BUNGLING law enforcement officials spent months “honeytrapping” harmless guy Colin Stagg after Rachel Nickell become stabbed to loss of life and sexually assaulted on Wimbledon Common 27 years ago.
We screen how police used “misleading behavior of the grossest kind” to attempt to get their high suspect to admit in go back for the promise of S&M intercourse at the same time as Rachel’s proper killer walked free.
Colin Stagg become wrongly accused of murdering Rachel Nickell on Wimbledon CommonCredit: PA:Press Association
Who is Colin Stagg?
Unemployed Stagg have become the maximum hated guy in Britain whilst he become accused of knifing Rachel Nickell to loss of life in 1992.
The former version were on foot on Wimbledon Common together along with her canine Molly and two-year-antique son Alexander whilst she become stabbed forty nine instances and sexually assaulted.
Her son become later discovered clinging to his mum’s blood-soaked frame pleading for her to wake up.
Criminal psychologist Dr Paul Britton were requested through police to create an culprit profile of the killer.
Stagg become a loner who did now no longer blend an awful lot outdoor his Roehampton domestic and police made him their high suspect.
Rachel Nickell become murdered 25 years agoCredit: PA:Press Association
What become Operation Ezdell?
A lady undercover police officer become given the pseudoymn Lizzie James and spent 5 months contacting Stagg through writing extra than forty letters, every extra express than the last.
By the end, Lizzie become certainly worrying Stagg confess to Rachel’s homicide in go back for sadomasochistic intercourse.
She instructed him she desired to be “absolutely on your power, defenceless and humiliated”, and despatched him a tape wherein she fantasied approximately a person protecting a knife to her pores and skin at the same time as having intercourse together along with her.
Referring to Rachel, Lizzie stated: “It could now no longer remember to me in case you had murdered her…in positive methods I want you had. It could make matters less difficult for me.” She later instructed Stagg: “It could had been wonderful in case you had accomplished it. I want you had accomplished it … it is a turn-on, to reflect onconsideration on the person that did it.”
But even confronted with the possibility to admit to the homicide in go back for the intercourse he so desperately craved, Stagg insisted he had not anything to do with Rachel dying.
He stated: “I should have lied to you and stated to you I did do it simply to be with you.”
Rachel’s son Alexander become together along with her with she brutally slainCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
When become Colin Stagg charged with Rachel’s homicide?
Stagg become arrested and charged on August 17, 1993, and held in custody for a year.
But the case become thrown out on the Old Bailey in 1994 through Mr Justice Ognall, who refused to place the undercover officer’s proof earlier than a jury.
Justice Ognall stated police had shown “immoderate zeal” and had attempted to incriminate a suspect through “misleading behavior of the grossest kind”.
What passed off to Colin Stagg?
For extra than a decade, Colin Stagg become pressured to stay below the shadow of the unsolved homicide and claims he become unemployable.
But in 2008, he become provided a then-record £706,000 reimbursement from the Home Office, which he defined as “like triumphing the lottery”.
He stated on the time: “There will usually be folks who suppose I had some thing to do with the homicide, and not anything I can do will persuade them otherwise.
“I were given so used to human beings developing to me and shouting ‘nonce’ that I began out to stay with a castle mentality.”
He added: “The most effective distinction is that now human beings also are developing and pronouncing sorry for questioning the worst of me.
“But there is nonetheless quite a few human beings that want to mention sorry. I had been extraordinarily wronged.”
Robert Napper become in the end recognized as Rachel’s killerCredit: PA:Press Association
After Robert Napper become convicted over the killing, Scotland Yard issued an apology to Stagg.
Former Assistant Commissioner John Yates stated: “In August 1993 he become wrongly accused of Miss Nickell’s homicide. It is apparent he’s absolutely harmless of any involvement in this example and I these days apologise to him for the errors that have been made withinside the early 1990s.
“We additionally realize the large and lasting effect this had on his lifestyles and, on behalf of the Metropolitan Police, I even have these days despatched him a complete written apology.”
When become Robert Napper charged with Rachel’s homicide?
It become now no longer till 2008, sixteen years after the attack, that Napper, then 42, admitted stabbing Rachel.
Napper were a affected person at Broadmoor Hospital for extra than ten years affected by paranoid schizophrenia and Asperger’s.
He were convicted of killing Samantha Bisset and her four-year-antique daughter Jazmine in November 1993 – sixteen months after Rachel become slain.
On 18 December 2008, Napper pleaded responsible to the manslaughter of Rachel at the grounds of faded responsibility.
Justice Griffiths Williams stated he could be held indefinitely at Broadmoor Hospital due to the fact he become “a completely risky guy”.
How as it should be is he portrayed in Channel 4’s Deceit?
Although the real-lifestyles “Lizzie” has now no longer been concerned withinside the drama, Colin labored with the manufacturing crew in a bid to in addition clean his call.
Executive manufacturer David Nath stated: “Colin Stagg spent sixteen years because the challenge of innuendo, suspicion and vilification.
“Talk to human beings now and point out the call Colin Stagg and quite a few human beings will say he become convicted for Rachel’s homicide. He wasn’t.
“So we needed to be very aware with this collection that we have been now no longer reinforcing a number of the incorrect information that exists approximately Colin already.
“It’s one of the motives Colin collaborated with us, due to the fact he desired the definitive tale available that tells the sector he’s and become an harmless guy.”
