Where Is Colin Stagg Now? From Wrongful Arrest In Rachel Nickell's Murder Case To A Police Apology

Rachel Nickell was stabbed to death in 1992 at the age of 23. The incident happened at Wimbledon Common Park in southwest London. The police started investigating the case, and while they could not find any leads, they took help from a criminal psychologist, leading to the arrest of Colin Stagg in 1993. However, Colin was released in 1994 after the court dismissed the evidence collected as part of an operation to take Stagg into custody.

Notably, Colin got involved in legal trouble, although the evidence did not link him to the murder case in any manner. The case was resolved in 2008 after the conviction of the real culprit, Robert Napper. Meanwhile, the arrival of two shows on Netflix based on Rachel Nickell’s murder has now brought Colin Stagg into the spotlight once again. Keep reading to know more about him and his whereabouts.

Colin Stagg used to live near the place where Rachel Nickell was murdered

Although a lot of details about Colin Stagg’s early life remain unknown, he used to live near Wimbledon Common Park. He was 29 years old when the incident happened and was unemployed at that time. Colin is currently living a quiet life in the Roehampton area of southwest London. When the investigation into Rachel Nickell’s murder started, the police received thousands of calls from the public. The cops got a breakthrough when many callers mentioned Colin as a possible suspect after the visual representation of the culprit was released.

The police also searched Colin’s house, and they recovered a few items that seemingly confirmed his involvement in the case. This included knives and a survival kit. The cops also found a zodiac symbol on the carpet and a sign which said, ‘Christians Beware.’ On the other hand, Colin was involved in another legal issue in the past, where he was charged after sunbathing naked in the park.

Colin Stagg was arrested in 1993 and released a year later

The police planned an operation to arrest Colin Stagg by sending an officer in the disguise of a single woman named Lizzie James. The duo connected, and the officer allegedly tried to make Colin admit to the murder. On one particular occasion, Stagg directly dismissed his involvement in the case. However, he was arrested in 1993, and his trial started a year later in 1994, when he was released. Although Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Sir Paul London, supported his officers, saying that the judge was wrong to dismiss the evidence of the operation, Colin told the reporters:

“My life has been ruined by half-baked psychological theories and some stories written to satisfy the strange sexual requests of an undercover police officer. The judge recognised there was never any evidence against me, no forensic evidence, no confession evidence. Nothing.”

On the other hand, Rachel Nickell’s boyfriend, Andre, was worried since he believed that the killer could do anything to his family. Andre eventually shifted to another place, aiming to maintain a distance from Stagg. The DNA evidence in the case underwent a retest in 2002, and the results confirmed that Colin had nothing to do with the murder.

Colin Stagg’s life changed after being wrongfully accused

While speaking in the new Netflix documentary, The Murder of Rachel Nickell, Colin Stagg said that there was a time when people claimed that he should be hanged, and he was guilty. In 1999, he wrote a book with David Kessler, titled Who Really Killed Rachel? Four years before the book came out, Colin tied the knot with a care worker, Diane Beddoes, in 1995. The marriage did not last long, leading to their divorce. Colin said that he avoided looking at women in any area to keep himself away from trouble. He recalled the moments before his arrest and said:

“I’d never had a proper girlfriend up to the point of 29, so when I received a letter from Lizzie James I just felt really happy that a woman had shown interest in me. I had low self-esteem before this all started, this knocked me back further.”

Apart from Robert Napper’s conviction in 2008, the Metropolitan Police also apologised to Colin Stagg for everything that happened to him after Rachel Nickell’s murder. The Home Office for the miscarriage of justice also paid Colin £760,000, which he ended up using to purchase cars and other things, alongside going on vacations, since a majority of his youth life was wasted due to his name being linked to the case.

What are your thoughts about Colin Stagg’s wrongful arrest and his life after being released from prison? Let us know.

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PC: ITVX, PA, The Telegraph, Netflix, Evening Standard

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