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18/12/2008
Man Admits Rachel Nickell Manslaughter
A 42-year-old man has admitted to killing and sexually assaulting 23-year-old mum Rachel Nickell more than 16 years ago.
The former model was attacked as she walked with her two-year-old son on Wimbledon Common in south-west London on 15 July 1992.
Robert Napper, 42, a Broadmoor patient, pleaded guilty to manslaughter on grounds of diminished responsibility of Rachel at the Old Bailey.
He was sentenced to a hospital order for the rest of his life.
Members of the public discovered Ms Nickell's body on the Common. She had been the victim of a violent sexual assault and received 49 stab wounds. Her young son was found crying next to her.
Mr Justice Griffiths Williams told Napper he was "on any view a very dangerous man".
He added: "You still present a very high risk of sexual homicide which can only be managed in a high security hospital. You must be returned immediately to Broadmoor."
Napper was already a patient in the psychiatric hospital having pleaded on grounds of diminished responsibility to the manslaughter of Samantha Bisset, 28, and her four-year-old daughter Jazmine Bisset in November 1993.
Napper was also convicted of one rape and two attempted rapes which happened in 1992. These sexual assault offences formed part of Operation Ecclestone which was a series of linked sex attacks in south-east London.
The investigation into Rachel's murder was taken on by the Murder Review group in October 2001. His plea ends one of the most high-profile crimes the Metropolitan Police have ever dealt with.
Meanwhile, Scotland Yard have offered a full apology to a man wrongly accused of Rachel's murder. Assistant Commissioner John Yates said "mistakes were made" as Colin Stagg was targeted by detectives pursuing Rachel’s killer.
He said: "In August 1993 he was wrongly accused of Miss Nickell's murder. It is clear he is completely innocent of any involvement in this case and I apologise to him for the mistakes that were made in the early 1990s.
"We also recognise the huge and lasting impact this had on his life and, on behalf of the Metropolitan Police, I have today sent him a full written apology."
Stagg, who spent 13 months in custody, was this year awarded £706,000 compensation from the Home Office, which he described as "like winning the lottery".
(JM)
The former model was attacked as she walked with her two-year-old son on Wimbledon Common in south-west London on 15 July 1992.
Robert Napper, 42, a Broadmoor patient, pleaded guilty to manslaughter on grounds of diminished responsibility of Rachel at the Old Bailey.
He was sentenced to a hospital order for the rest of his life.
Members of the public discovered Ms Nickell's body on the Common. She had been the victim of a violent sexual assault and received 49 stab wounds. Her young son was found crying next to her.
Mr Justice Griffiths Williams told Napper he was "on any view a very dangerous man".
He added: "You still present a very high risk of sexual homicide which can only be managed in a high security hospital. You must be returned immediately to Broadmoor."
Napper was already a patient in the psychiatric hospital having pleaded on grounds of diminished responsibility to the manslaughter of Samantha Bisset, 28, and her four-year-old daughter Jazmine Bisset in November 1993.
Napper was also convicted of one rape and two attempted rapes which happened in 1992. These sexual assault offences formed part of Operation Ecclestone which was a series of linked sex attacks in south-east London.
The investigation into Rachel's murder was taken on by the Murder Review group in October 2001. His plea ends one of the most high-profile crimes the Metropolitan Police have ever dealt with.
Meanwhile, Scotland Yard have offered a full apology to a man wrongly accused of Rachel's murder. Assistant Commissioner John Yates said "mistakes were made" as Colin Stagg was targeted by detectives pursuing Rachel’s killer.
He said: "In August 1993 he was wrongly accused of Miss Nickell's murder. It is clear he is completely innocent of any involvement in this case and I apologise to him for the mistakes that were made in the early 1990s.
"We also recognise the huge and lasting impact this had on his life and, on behalf of the Metropolitan Police, I have today sent him a full written apology."
Stagg, who spent 13 months in custody, was this year awarded £706,000 compensation from the Home Office, which he described as "like winning the lottery".
(JM)
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Man pleads guilty to stabbing student
A man who stabbed a student to death on a train has been sentenced to life imprisonment. Thomas Lee Wood, 22, from Skelmersdale in Lancashire admitted killing first-year student Thomas Grant, 19, from Glouestershire who had been attending St Andrews University.
29 November 2007
Man Charged With Wimbledon Common Killing
Detectives working on a murder that took place at Wimbledon Common in the summer of 1992 have charged a man. Robert Napper, 41, will appear before Westminster Magistrates Court next Tuesday to face the allegations that he murdered Rachel Nickell on Wimbledon Common that July.
Man Charged With Wimbledon Common Killing
Detectives working on a murder that took place at Wimbledon Common in the summer of 1992 have charged a man. Robert Napper, 41, will appear before Westminster Magistrates Court next Tuesday to face the allegations that he murdered Rachel Nickell on Wimbledon Common that July.
04 December 2007
Rachel Nickell Murder Accused Appears In Court
A 41-year-old man has appeared in court charged with the murder of former model Rachel Nickell on Wimbledon Common 15 years ago. Robert Napper appeared at City of Westminster Magistrates' Court today, accused of the 23-year-old's murder. He was granted technical bail on the condition that he remains detained at Broadmoor Psychiatric Hospital.
Rachel Nickell Murder Accused Appears In Court
A 41-year-old man has appeared in court charged with the murder of former model Rachel Nickell on Wimbledon Common 15 years ago. Robert Napper appeared at City of Westminster Magistrates' Court today, accused of the 23-year-old's murder. He was granted technical bail on the condition that he remains detained at Broadmoor Psychiatric Hospital.
21 June 2006
Man questioned over Rachel Nickell murder
Police investigating the murder of model Rachel Nickell in 1992 are questioning a 40-year-old man about the case, police have revealed. It has been reported that the man is a convicted sex killer who is currently being detained at Broadmoor high security hospital.
Man questioned over Rachel Nickell murder
Police investigating the murder of model Rachel Nickell in 1992 are questioning a 40-year-old man about the case, police have revealed. It has been reported that the man is a convicted sex killer who is currently being detained at Broadmoor high security hospital.
24 January 2008
Not Guilty Plea Over Rachel Murder
A man charged with the murder of young mother Rachel Nickell on Wimbledon Common more than 15 years ago has appeared in court today. Robert Napper, 41, pleaded not guilty to Miss Nickell's murder at the Old Bailey via videolink from Broadmoor secure hospital. Napper was charged with Miss Nickell's murder in November, following a review of the case.
Not Guilty Plea Over Rachel Murder
A man charged with the murder of young mother Rachel Nickell on Wimbledon Common more than 15 years ago has appeared in court today. Robert Napper, 41, pleaded not guilty to Miss Nickell's murder at the Old Bailey via videolink from Broadmoor secure hospital. Napper was charged with Miss Nickell's murder in November, following a review of the case.
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