Colin Stagg, the man wrongly accused of murdering Rachel Nickell on Wimbledon Common in 1992, has said that public perception of his guilt was influenced by his appearance. Speaking to BBC Radio Five Live, Mr Stagg, now 54, stated: 'If I was a tall, handsome guy, I don't think people would think I was guilty.' He added that there is an 'ancient belief that ugliness is associated with criminality'.
Mr Stagg was the prime suspect in the horrific knife attack that killed 23-year-old mother Rachel Nickell, but was cleared by a judge in 1994. The true killer, Robert Napper, was only brought to justice 16 years later. Despite his acquittal, Mr Stagg continued to attract unfair suspicion from the public and negative media coverage.
Reflecting on the media attention, Mr Stagg said: 'When people say I this and did that in the media I just knew it wasn't true.' He now works for a major retail company and plans to marry. His colleagues, who recognised his face, accepted his explanation, saying he had 'led a very interesting life'.
The case against Mr Stagg was thrown out after the judge lambasted the Metropolitan Police's 'honeytrap' operation, in which an undercover female detective encouraged Mr Stagg to confess by discussing violent sexual fantasies. Crucially, Mr Stagg never confessed. He later received a record £706,000 in compensation, which he described as 'like winning the lottery'. The award was criticised as it compared to the £90,000 given to Rachel Nickell's son Alex.
