British Police agree to a public apology for former murder suspect Colin Stagg

Former murder suspect Colin Stagg is to receive an apology from Scotland Yard following a campaign to clear his name over the killing of Rachel Nickell. The Daily Mail can reveal that 14 years after the former prime suspect was acquitted of her murder on Wimbledon Common, police are preparing to make a public statement. A senior Metropolitan Police officer is expected to express regret over the treatment of Mr Stagg during the bungled prosecution. The apology should follow the conclusion of the December 18 trial of Robert Napper, 42, who is now accused of the killing. A senior legal source said: ' Discussions have taken place at a high level in Scotland Yard about making a public apology to Mr Stagg. It would be extremely churlish not to make such a statement.'

Mr Stagg, 45, spent 13 months in custody and endured more than a decade of speculation that he was the killer of Miss Nickell. The 23-year- old was stabbed 49 times and sexually assaulted on Wimbledon Common, south-west London, in 1992, in front of her two-year-old son Alex.

The case against Mr Stagg was thrown out at the Old Bailey two years later, but despite his acquittal he claimed the stigma made him unemployable and a 'national hate figure' for years afterwards. At the trial, the judge lambasted the Met's 'honeytrap' operation in which an undercover woman detective encouraged Mr Stagg to confess to the killing by instigating an exchange about his violent sexual fantasies.

Crucially, however, Mr Stagg never confessed. Napper, originally from south-east London, was charged with the murder last November following a three-year inquiry. By then, Mr Stagg had submitted a compensation claim. Three months ago he was awarded a record o706,000 damages, which he described as 'like winning the lottery'.

The award prompted criticism and was compared to the o90,000 given to Miss Nickell's son Alex - now living abroad with his father. The award was decided by Lord Brennan QC, a government assessor, who described the police tactics as 'reprehensible'.

After details of the payout were announced, Mr Stagg's legal team said 'what he really wanted was an apology from the Metropolitan Police'. Last night it was unclear whether the Crown Prosecution Service would also apologise.

Original report here



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