The Witness is a tragic three-part drama that’s finally landed on Netflix.
Netflix’s The Witness is now available to stream, boasting an impressive cast of familiar faces from Peaky Blinders, Happy Valley and The Bay.
All three episodes of The Witness landed on Netflix on Thursday, June 4, charting the story of a woman who was stabbed to death in the early 1990s.
What makes it all the more distressing is that her young son was the sole witness to the horrific crime, with the series weaving back and forth between the immediate aftermath and events a decade on.
Is The Witness on Netflix based on a true story?
Yes, Netflix’s The Witness is rooted in real events, depicting the circumstances surrounding Rachel Nickell’s killing in 1992 on Wimbledon Common.
Following her death, which was witnessed by her two year old son Alex Hanscombe, her partner and his father Andre Hanscombe fled first to France and then to Spain, unable to cope with the relentless media attention.
Alex and Andre’s experiences portrayed in the Netflix series are drawn from Alex’s own 2015 memoir Letting Go: A True Story of Murder, Loss and Survival.
The Witness also chronicles the 10-year investigation into Rachel’s death, during which police initially charged a man named Colin Stagg with her murder.
He spent 13 months on remand awaiting trial before the judge threw out the case, citing the “honeytrapping” tactics officers had employed in an attempt to extract a confession.
Stagg was subsequently cleared of the crime and awarded compensation in 1994. After the case had remained closed for several years, it was reopened in 2002 and, thanks to advances in DNA technology, police were able to connect convicted murderer Robert Napper to the crime.
He pleaded guilty to manslaughter in 2008 on the grounds of diminished responsibility.
Speaking about their involvement with the production, Andre and Alex Hanscombe released a statement saying: “Our life has been a battle.
“We can never express how indebted we are to everyone that’s been a part of this, for the kindness and generosity they’ve extended to us, for the chance they took with us in bringing our story to the screen, and for the care they have taken.
“Our journey has all been by the grace of God and a promise to go on together, and we feel incredibly blessed to be able to share our story in this way.
“We hope that audiences will be left with a testament to the tough battle of life we all face and to the power of faith, hope, love – and never giving up.”
The Witness is available to watch on Netflix.
