A detective still feels sorry for the man falsely accused of the horrific killing of Rachel Nickell.
Det Insp Keith Pedder, speaking after the first part of Channel 4’s Deceit about the case, sympathises with Colin Stagg.
A police honeytrap operation tried to trap him into confessing to the 1992 murder of Rachel Nickell, a young mum stabbed 49 times in front of her son, aged two, on a walk on Wimbledon Common, South West London.
An undercover officer, known as “Lizzie James”, groomed Mr Stagg for five months with explicit tapes and letters promising sex in exchange for his confession.
When his 1994 Old Bailey trial collapsed he spent the next 14 years as “the man who got away with murder”.
Are you looking forward to watching Deceit? Join the discussion in the comment section
(
Image:
Sunday Mirror)
Mr Pedder reckons a handful of senior officers were to blame.
He said: “The treatment of Lizzie James was disgusting.
“She was one of the bravest officers I ever met.
“She took on this highly stressful operation within three months of getting married.
“But when she returned to SO10, where she had been a star, she was hung out to dry.
(
Image:
PA)
“I still feel sorry for Colin Stagg. He paid a terrible price for a man found not guilty of murder after due process of law.
“But I don’t believe he has a justifiable complaint against our handling of the murder inquiry.
“I only have issues with the behaviour of a small cadre of senior officers over the undercover operation.
(
Image:
PA)
“The operation was signed off by two deputy assistant commissioners, two commanders, two detective chief superintendents, a number of detective chief inspectors and numerous Met solicitors.”
Mr Stagg himself has said he feels no anger towards the officers for what they did to him.
He said “What would be the point? I’m free and happy.”
(
Image:
Channel 4)
Get all the latest news straight to your inbox. Sign up to one of the Mirror’s newsletters
Pedder resigned 18 months after the trial and Lizzie, confined to office work, left on health grounds in 1998.
In August 2008 Mr Stagg was awarded £706,000 for his ordeal.
That December Robert Napper, a convicted double killer, was found guilty of Rachel’s murder.
