We deserve police payout over bungled Yard probe to catch Rachel Nickell’s killer
MURDERED Rachel Nickell’s son and her partner have demanded compensation from Scotland Yard over the bungled investigation into her killer.
Alex Hanscombe and his father Andre claim Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley should “correct old wrongs” by offering damages over the frenzied Wimbledon Common stabbing 31 years ago.
They have received nothing over psychopath Robert Napper’s attack or the blunders made catching him, while Colin Stagg received £700,000 for being falsely suspected.
The pair – who have Zimbabwean heritage through Andre’s father – blame racism for the failure and have demanded talks within two weeks before they take legal action.
In a letter to Sir Mark, Alex, 34, and Andre, 60, say their campaign was triggered by his pledge to clean up the force hit by repeated racism, misogyny and homophobia scandals.
“We feel that the Met, as an organisation, is the body that makes sure others suffer the consequences of their mistakes. We can’t have double standards.
“We’ve been living with this for 30 years and people have cleaned their hands of the issue.
“But we think now is the time to put a wrong right. My mother was a white woman, but the fact that me and my father would be the recipients of any reward or compensation seems to be an issue.
“There is no better time than now, at the start of his time in the role, to correct old wrongs.This is why we are acting now.
“It might sound like we are bitter when talking about racism in the Met.
“But why was there a willingness to accept that things weren’t right, apologise and compensate others in the case? And why did it stop when it got to us?” They continue: “The Metropolitan Police has an acknowledged yet outstanding moral debt towards us.
“We believe any payment awarded to us can be put to good use. The greater part would be dedicated to good causes through our soon-to-be established charitable foundation in our family name.”
Rachel was 23 when serial sex attacker Napper pounced as she and three-year-old Alex walked their dog across the south-west London beauty spot in July 1992.
Napper emerged from some bushes and stabbed the former model 49 times before stalking off, leaving a distraught Alex clinging to her body.
Detectives focused on Colin Stagg, setting up a honey trap in which a female officer tried to secure a confes- sion by starting a relationship.
Jobless Stagg spent 13 months in custody before being cleared when the Old Bailey heard about his entrapment by the detective identified as “Lizzie James”.
Napper had already been identified to police as a rapist by his own mother, but they did not connect that with the murder.
The serial offender remained at liberty, and one year after the Wimbledon Common case, murdered Samantha Bisset and her daughter Jazmine, four.
He was convicted of Rachel’s murder in 2008 and was sentenced to indefinite detention at Broadmoor Hospital. A Police Complaints Commission report concluded there was a “catalogue of bad decisions and errors” in the inquiry and even “Lizzie James” received £150,000 compensation. When the Met decided not to pay them compensation, the father and son, who now live in Barcelona, began a legal battle but postponed it when Andre fell ill.
The Met said: “Since the murder of Rachel Nickell the service has significantly changed how it investigates murders. “This includes the development and professionalisation of police training, new forensics techniques and closer liaison with the Crown Prosecution Service.”