Alex Hanscombe was just three weeks shy of his third birthday when he witnessed the brutal murder of his mother, Rachel Nickell, on Wimbledon Common in July 1992. Now 27, he has written an account of the attack and its aftermath, describing the moment he realised his mother was gone as the most vivid memory of that day.
Speaking alongside his father, André Hanscombe, in Barcelona, where the family relocated shortly after the murder, Alex recalled the silence and strange peace that followed the frenzied attack. 'It was so quick, and everything was silent. There was this strange polarity – even though it was hectic and violent and there was blood, at the same time, there was this big feeling of peace and tranquillity,' he said.
Alex provided police with a strikingly accurate description of the attacker, noting his loping walk, blank face, black bag and white shirt. He remembers being thrown to the ground and then seeing the man washing his hands in a stream before lurching away. Rachel had been stabbed more than 40 times.
Despite his young age, Alex had already formed an understanding of death after the family buried a rescued bird on the common. He never asked for his mother again after that day, transferring all his love and emotion to his father. André described the challenge of functioning while raw with shock and grief, and the media frenzy that forced them to leave the UK.
The murder of Rachel Nickell remains one of the most high-profile crimes of the last few decades, but Alex and André have largely stayed out of the spotlight until now. Alex’s account offers a unique perspective on the tragedy, seen through the eyes of the child who witnessed it.
