The Aftermath

COLIN STAGG

In August 2008, Colin Stagg receives record compensation and recognition of the fact that he was always innocent. One of the first things he does is give £5,000 to a wounded veteran’s charity. He still lives in the same council house on the Alton estate, except now, he can afford to buy it. And he still likes to take his dog, Jessie, for a walk.

THE POLICE

No one from the police is ever disciplined or sacked as a result of the police’s failings. All charges of professional misconduct were dismissed against Paul Britton in October 2002. However, Scotland Yard dramatically change their tactics and their use of specialists, meaning that some now claim that it is the most effective way of investigating murder anywhere in the world.

THE NICKELL FAMILY

"I can still see the knife in the killer’s hand and my mother covered in blood", says Alex Hanscombe, remembering the murder 18 years later. Alex spent years suffering from nightmares. The trauma is so great, he can’t share them with the police, his psychologists or his father, Andre. To escape the media, Andre takes him to France just a few months after the murder, and then to a small village in Spain, where they settle. Andre hires a female tutor but the lack of a mother is too great and Alex often takes his anger out on Andre.

However, after an understandably troubled adolescence, Alex has settled down.Alex is given what his grandparents consider a "derisory" amount by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board for the loss of his mother. His grandparents are further hurt by their grandson’s distance as he is their last living reminder of their daughter. They have not seen him since he was eight.‘…the pain remains with you every minute of every day...We hope the man who committed the crime will spend the rest of his life in prison. That is the sentence he has given us.’ - Monica Nickell

NAPPER

Robert Napper has been remanded in Broadmoor Hospital indefinitely. He is suspected of carrying out 106 rapes, indecent assaults and other sex offences. He refuses to admit to anything for which there is no forensic evidence. His mother has disowned him and has burnt every family photo she had of him.