Episode Details

After covering the Rachel Nickell murder, we're taking a deeper look at the man eventually identified as her killer: Robert Napper, the British serial sexual offender linked to the notorious Green Chain attacks across southeast London. Years before Rachel's 1992 murder, Napper's own mother had contacted police after he allegedly confessed to rape. Neighbours later identified him as resembling a wanted attacker, while police encounters uncovered weapons, suspicious maps and other warning signs. Yet Napper repeatedly escaped serious scrutiny.

In 1993, Napper murdered Samantha Bisset and her four-year-old daughter Jazmine, before being detained indefinitely at Broadmoor in 1995. Advances in DNA testing eventually connected him to Rachel Nickell, leading to his 2008 manslaughter plea. This episode explores Robert Napper's timeline, the Green Chain rapes, the Bisset murders and the extraordinary police failures that allowed a dangerous predator to remain free.