The Witness: The True Story Behind Netflix's Miniseries & Rachel Nickell's Murder
The Tragic True Story Behind Netflix’s The Witness
Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re looking over the tragic true story behind the Netflix miniseries, “The Witness.”
The Murder of Rachel Nickell
At the top of his memoir, “Letting Go: A True Story of Murder, Loss & Survival,” Alex Hanscombe mentions that his memory isn’t flawless. This is worth noting, since Hanscombe was only two years old when his world was forever changed. On July 15, 1992, young Alex and his mother, Rachel Nickell, took their dog for a walk in Wimbledon Common, an open area in southwest London. In 2017, the same year he published his memoir, Hanscombe told The Sun what happened that fateful day. Despite his age and less-than-perfect memory, Hanscombe distinctly remembers a man with a black bag over his shoulder. The ensuing tragedy has “remained engraved in [Hanscombe’s] mind.”
According to Hanscombe, he was grabbed and thrown to the ground. His mother dropped beside him within seconds. Hanscombe described his memory as a “silent movie” because there were no screams. Everything went silent. Hanscombe remembers the attacker’s blank face, armed with a knife he took from his bag. After washing his hands in a stream, the attacker disappeared “like a ghost.” Hanscombe attempted to wake his mother, thinking she might be asleep or playing a game. In reality, Rachel Nickell was dead, having been stabbed almost fifty times. Hanscombe found others in the park, who called an ambulance with the authorities following. While Hanscombe claims to have vivid memories of his mother’s murder and her attacker, the case persisted for over a decade.
The Wrong Suspect
Although Hanscombe was covered in blood when he was found, there was little forensic evidence. The police interviewed roughly 500 suspects and arrested over thirty, eventually focusing on Colin Stagg of Roehampton. Unemployed at the time, Stagg was known for walking his dog in Wimbledon Common. Two months after Nickell’s murder, Stagg pleaded guilty to exposing himself in the Common, receiving a £200 fine. Criminal psychologist Paul Britton devised a profile for Nickell’s killer, with the police feeling that Stagg fit the bill. Stagg also seemed to meet Hanscombe’s physical description of his mother’s attacker. Without the DNA to back up their suspicions, the authorities assigned a female officer to go undercover in what came to be known as Operation Edzell.
Stagg had been part of the lonely hearts club. The undercover policewoman used this to contact Stagg, using the name “Lizzie James.” Conversing through letters containing sexual fantasies, Stagg and James eventually met in person. Landing on the subject of Nickell’s murder, James tried to get a confession out of Stagg. While Stagg wanted to impress James, he never admitted to any involvement in the Wimbledon Common case. Regardless, Stagg was officially charged in August 1993. When Stagg went to trial in September 1994, a lack of evidence quickly led to his acquittal. Mr Justice Ognall felt the police’s treatment of Stagg was “deceptive conduct of the grossest kind.” Many still accused Stagg of being a murderer until new evidence came to light.
Nickell’s True Killer
Robert Napper’s upbringing was deeply disturbing, reportedly facing abuse at home, mistreatment at school, and an assault on a camping trip. In addition to being on the autism spectrum, Napper’s mental health issues extended to paranoid schizophrenia. It’s hard to say when Napper’s criminal history started. Multiple sexual assaults traced as far back as 1989 have been potentially linked to him. At least three lives ended at Napper’s hands. One of them was Rachel Nickell, although Napper wouldn’t be charged with her murder until years later. Napper had been on the police’s radar during the Nickell case. He was questioned in August 1992 concerning assaults that had occurred around the Green Chain Walk. Yet, the authorities thought Napper didn’t meet the description, being too tall.
A month after Stagg’s initial arrest, Napper was apprehended for possessing weapons at his flat. Napper was only incarcerated for eight weeks. Less than a year later, Stagg was charged with Nickell’s murder, with Napper still a free man. Napper went on to target Samantha Bisset and her young daughter, Jazmine. In November 1993, Napper infiltrated their home, killing and mutilating Samantha. Jazmine wasn’t spared either. It’s unclear why exactly Napper allowed Alex Hanscombe to live while cutting Jazmine’s life tragically short. It was probably due to Napper’s resentment toward women. In any case, Napper left fingerprints behind this time, leading to his arrest in May 1994. Despite the similarities between the murders, Dr. Paul Britton didn’t think there was a connection between Napper and Nickell.
Napper would be questioned about Nickell’s murder in November 1994, although he claimed to have nothing to do with it. Just under a year later, Napper entered a guilty plea concerning the murders of Samantha and Jazmine. He also confessed to multiple assaults that occurred in 1992. Napper would be sent to Broadmoor Hospital, a high-security psychiatric hospital. By this point, Stagg had been acquitted, but Napper still wasn’t being treated as a serious suspect in the Nickell case. Napper was questioned about Nickell’s killing again in December 1995. With Napper remaining firm that he wasn’t involved, though, the investigation saw little traction until the early 2000s. DNA analysis saw some significant breakthroughs during that time, paving the way for new evidence.
Napper’s Conviction & Aftermath
Male DNA was uncovered on Nickell’s clothing. It didn’t belong to Alex or his father, André Hanscombe. In time, Napper emerged as the primary suspect, with the case fully reopened in July 2004. It’d still be another three years until Napper was charged with Nickell’s murder in November 2007. In January 2008, Napper pleaded not guilty, with his trial set to commence in December of that year. Although Napper had repeatedly asserted that he wasn’t involved in Nickell’s death, he had a change of tune at this trial. He didn’t admit to murder, but Napper would plead guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility. While Napper acknowledged that he committed other attacks, he’s been suspected of well over 100 sex crimes.
Napper was again sentenced to Broadmoor Hospital, with Mr Justice Griffiths Williams deeming him “a very dangerous man.” He’s to remain there indefinitely, with little chance that Napper will ever get out. While the Nickell case received closure after sixteen years, justice had stumbled along the way. After being incarcerated for more than a year and his acquittal, Stagg struggled as the court of public opinion continued to demonize him. The constant accusations and paranoia reached a boiling point when Stagg threatened a man with an axe at Wimbledon Common. Stagg avoided further prison time, receiving a 12-month probation in 1995. Stagg pursued legal action against the police, receiving over £700,000 in 2008. Lizzie James sued over the ordeal as well, settling for £125,000.
Napper issued an apology to Stagg via his counsel. His barrister also extended an apology to Rachel Nickell’s partner and son “for the dreadful thing that he did.” As depicted in “The Witness,” Alex and André Hanscombe were both left with psychological scars over the loss. Although André tried to shield his son from the media, trauma seemed to follow wherever they moved. This put a strain on their relationship. While the sorrow has never left, the father and son would reach a place of reconciliation. They’d move to Barcelona, where Alex is involved in yoga, hypnotherapy, and music. Alex has learned to live with the grief, saying that he had “no choice but to make peace with it.”
What did you think of “The Witness” and its depiction of this true story? Let us know in the comments.
