Nickell partner apologises to Stagg
Partner of 1992 murder victim Rachel Nickell apologises to Colin Stagg, man wrongly accused of killing her
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Monday, 16, Nov 2009 05:28
By Matthew Champion.
The partner of 1992 murder victim Rachel Nickell has apologised to Colin Stagg, the man wrongly accused of killing her.
Ms Nickell, 23, was stabbed almost 50 times while out with her two-year-old son Alex, on Wimbledon Common, south-west London.
Mr Stagg spent 13 months in prison on remand before an Old Bailey judge threw his trial out on the grounds of inadmissible evidence in 1994.
It took another 14 years for Ms Nickell's real killer, Robert Napper, 42, to be convicted. He pleaded guilty to manslaughter on grounds of diminished responsibility and was detained in Broadmoor indefinitely.
The Evening Standard today obtained a letter written by Andre Hanscombe, who lives in France with his and Ms Nickell's son Alex, now 20, apologising to Mr Stagg for the years he spent thought responsible the murder.
"I am sorry for the ordeal that you have endured during virtually the whole length of this very sad affair, and any part that I might have had personally to make it worse," he wrote.
"I had been led to believe by officers of the Metropolitan police that they considered you responsible for my partner's death.
"I know now that you were, and are, an innocent man who was mistakenly charged. I wish you a long, happy and productive life."
Mr Stagg's lawyer said his client accepted the apology "with gratitude".
"It means a lot to me," Mr Stagg, who was awarded £706,000 in compensation by the Home Office last year, added.