Directed by Lucy Bowen, The Murder of Rachel Nickell utilizes exclusive archival footage to contextualize interviews about the case with forensic experts. Meanwhile, The Witness, a three-part fictionalized true crime adaptation created by Rob Williams, had Nickell's son Alex Hanscombe and his father André Hanscombe serve as consultants. The Witness focuses largely on how the Hanscombes coped after Nickell's death, as André tried to protect his young son amid the investigation.
Nickell with her husband André and their son Alex
On July 15, 1992, British model Rachel Nickell was on a walk through Wimbledon Common in South West London with her son Alex, aged 2, and their dog, Molly. The 23-year-old mother was attacked out of nowhere, sexually assaulted, and stabbed 49 times until she died—all in broad daylight as her son looked on. Her murder thrust Alex into the spotlight as the sole witness and one of the youngest sources ever for police questioning
As an adult, Alex has reflected on surviving the attack that took his mother's life. “The moment I watched my mother’s soul leave her body is one I will never forget," he told The Sun in 2017. "It’s all remained engraved in my mind. It was a frenzied attack but like a silent movie...Even today, almost 25 years later, I can still see the film running inside my mind."
What Alex saw—and what he remembers today
Alex Hanscombe today —Courtesy of NetflixAlex allegedly saw Nickell's killer wash the blood off his hands in the nearby stream. "He just disappeared off into the distance like a ghost," he said.
Alex sought help from other parkgoers, who quickly called an ambulance after seeing the toddler wandering through the trees covered in blood. Alex's father André met him at the police station, where he told Alex that there had been a "terrible accident" that led to Nickell's death.
A still of Max Fincham and Jordan Bolger portraying father and son in The Witness —Courtesy of Netflix
Thirty-two men were interrogated by police officers about Nickell's death. It took more than a year before detectives charged the one they believed to be the killer: an unemployed man named Colin Stagg, who often walked his dog through Wimbledon Common. Stagg was charged with Nickell's murder in August 1993, without any forensic evidence linking him to the scene of the crime. He remained in custody for 13 months until a judge cleared him of Nickell's murder in 1994. Stagg was later compensated £706,000 for the wrongful charge, especially after London police were found to have used “honey trap” methods to coerce a false confession by Stagg. Stagg appeared, decades later, in the 2023 documentary The Murder That Changed Britain alongside Professor Paul Britton, the forensic psychologist on the Nickell case who originally pinpointed him to be a possible suspect. His clearance, of course, meant the killer was still out there.
New technology leads to a breakthrough
A still of the dramatization in The Witness —Courtesy of NetflixYet Nickell's family had "made peace" with her killer years prior to even knowing who was to blame. “The first time I saw Napper’s picture, I felt nothing," Alex told The Sun in 2017. "Putting him behind bars brings me no satisfaction. I’d forgiven my mum’s killer long before I knew it was Napper."
Rachel Nickell's Legacy
Nickell and her family in an undated photo —Courtesy of NetflixInstead of allowing Napper's conviction to overshadow Nickell's life story, Alex hopes his late mother's legacy will be one of police reform.
Alex wrote a memoir, Letting Go: A True Story Of Murder, Loss & Survival, to document his experience in the wake of his mother’s death. Now, he continues to challen his energy into ways to remember his mom.
“I still remember her smile, her smell, the sound of her voice," Alex said. "She used Coco by Chanel, and I still have that at home along with jewelry and pictures of her. It helps to evoke memories of her."
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