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Rachel Nickell, Samantha & Jazmine Bisset

The tragic case involves Robert Napper, who brutally murdered 27-year-old Samantha Bissett and her 4-year-old daughter Jazmine in their Plumstead home on November 3, 1993. Napper, who also murdered 23-year-old Rachel Nickell in Wimbledon Common on July 15, 1992, was later apprehended due to advancements in forensic technology.

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Victims: Rachel Nickell, 23 (L), Jazmine Bisset, 4, Samantha Bisset, 27 (R)

Perpetrator: Robert Napper, 27
Date of Incident: Rachel Nickell Murder: July 15, 1992 / Samantha & Jazmine Bisset
Location: Wimbledon Common & Plumstead

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​Key Details: 

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  • Samantha Bissett Murder:

    • Stabbed in the neck and chest

    • Sexually assaulted

    • Body mutilated post-mortem

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  • Jazmine Bissett Murder:

    • Smothered to death

    • Arranged on her bed surrounded by toys

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  • Rachel Nickell Murder:

    • Attacked while walking with her son on Wimbledon Common

    • Stabbed 49 times and sexually assaulted post-mortem

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  • Investigation Failures:

    • Napper was twice identified through e-fits but failed to show up for DNA testing

    • His mother reported his rape confession in 1989, but police errors prevented follow-up

    • Napper's attack locations were marked in his A to Z map, including Wimbledon Common, which police overlooked

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  • Colin Stagg:

    • Wrongly accused and charged for Rachel Nickel's murder based on a psychological profile

    • Undercover operation (honey trap) failed to elicit a confession

    • Acquitted in 1994 due to lack of evidence; received £706,000 in compensation

    • Suffered public suspicion and media scrutiny, affecting his life significantly

    • Co-authored two books about his ordeal: "Who Really Killed Rachel" and "Pariah"

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  • Capture and Conviction:

    • Napper's DNA matched to the Nickel case in 2004

    • Pleaded guilty to manslaughter of Nickel on grounds of diminished responsibility in 2008

    • Sentenced to indefinite detention at Broadmoor Hospital

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  • Psychological Profile:

    • Diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia

    • Displayed obsessive-compulsive behaviours and social withdrawal

    • History of sexual deviance and violent behaviour

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  • Additional Details:

    • Forensic evidence re-examined in 2001 and 2004 led to Napper’s capture

    • Napper's crimes included a series of rapes known as the Green Chain Walk rapes

    • His crimes were characterised by extreme violence and post-mortem mutilation of victims

    • Napper was first convicted of an air gun offence in 1986 and later for rapes on Plumstead Common in 1989

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