
Show Notes
In July 1992, Rachel Nickell was murdered in broad daylight on Wimbledon Common, with her two year old son nearby. The killing shocked Britain and triggered one of the most controversial murder investigations in modern British history.
Helen Fospero and Martin Brunt are joined by Bill Clegg KC, the barrister who defended Colin Stagg, the innocent man police accused of Rachel's murder.
With no forensic evidence or confession linking Stagg to the crime, investigators launched an extraordinary undercover "honey trap", using a female police officer to try to persuade him to confess. The confession never came.
Bill reveals what went wrong inside the investigation, how he dismantled the prosecution at the Old Bailey, and what happened when the case against Stagg spectacularly collapsed.
Meanwhile, Rachel Nickell's real killer was still free.
Bill Clegg KC's book, Under the Wig: A Lawyer's Stories of Murder, Guilt and Innocence:https://www.quercusbooks.co.uk/titles/william-clegg/under-the-wig/9781529401240/
.........
Support the Show
Listen ad free and access our full catalogue, including a True Criminals coffee mug, on Patreon at www.patreon.com/truecriminals.
As an independent podcast, we rely on listener support. You can also donate via PayPal
https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=YQVFJR5766BJE
Follow True Criminals
Instagram: @true.criminals TikTok: @truecriminalspodcast
Connect with Martin Brunt
Follow Martin on Twitter at @skymartinbrunt. Discover more about his career and the cases he’s covered by reading his book, No One Got Cracked Over the Head for No Reason: Dispatches from a Crime Reporter, available here: https://amzn.eu/d/g1WisSY.
Connect with Helen Fospero Follow Helen on Instagram at @helenfospero and check out her podcast, The Convex Conversation, here: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-convex-conversation/id1510209575.
Credits True Criminals is produced by Audio Bleach Global.
Visit www.audiobleachglobal.com/truecriminals for more information.
Executive Producer: Lee Mann. Producer: Russell Barnes. Audio Production: BLEACHED Music Composition: BLEACHED Artwork: BLEACHED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
More from True Criminals
After more than five decades behind bars, Charles Bronson is once again fighting for his freedom. With another crucial parole hearing approaching, True Criminals hosts Martin Brunt and Helen Fospero discuss the latest developments in the extraordinary case of one of Britain's most notorious prisoners.
In February 1990, seven-year-old Rachel Watts went out on her roller skates to buy sweets near her home in Brighton. On her way back, she encountered Russell Bishop — the man acquitted three years earlier of murdering Karen Hadaway and Nicola Fellows. Bishop abducted Rachel, drove her to Devil's Dyke, sexually assaulted and strangled her, and left her for dead.
Did you know True Criminals is on Patreon?
In October 1986, nine-year-old best friends Karen Hadaway and Nicola Fellows disappeared after going out to play near their homes on the Moulsecoomb estate in Brighton. The following afternoon, their bodies were discovered in Wild Park.
Did you know True Criminals is on Patreon? You can listen ad free and enjoy exclusive bonus content, just like the episode you’re listening to right now.