Colin Stagg; we all feel for him now - but how many of us wanted 'revenge' after Rachel Nickell's murder?

Question

Did the word 'loner' (meaning, in populist-speak 'oddity'), or other terms typed out by the papers in question turn us into the moral disgusted? When did we discover Mr. Stagg was not only bait for dodgy police (which didn't work), but tabloid heaven, in which most of us read, and read...and read with expectation upon every word? How did we feel after being found out we'd been had?
Realise answers might not be - ahem - forthcoming, but in the middle of the melee, one of the papers gladly told us '90%' of their readers wished the death penalty was still on the books.

...worry ye not - you will not have to tell me if you were one of the '90%' - or if you still spit at him and have your wee bairns pull funny faces at him at Waitrose - but the media surely had us over a barrel, as they tend to do when a blonde caucasian model (from London naturally) is murdered.

Come on, 23 Skidoo - and the other dude...on the surface it may twin with the current McCann trouble, but they're profesionals, whereas Stagg was almost made for the tabs; kept himself to himself, for starters...and that means 'he dun it' in tabloid land.

http://www.septicisle.info/2006/06/mail-watch-hounding-of-colin-stagg.html

...read it & weep.

Answer 1

Colin Stagg was a victim of a sting of the worse king the fact that someone may be a little bit weird does not make them a murderer. What made the case more shocking was as people said the press coverage was horrendous of him and the fact that the advice to set up a honey trap was given to the police by a criminal profiler of supposedly high credibility.
And now with the McCann case the press are having a field day and there is speculation but until the truth is un earthed why do people not let the authorities do their job.

Answer 2

This is the reason why we must never bring back the death penalty, one mistake is too many. Stefan Kiszko, a man with a mental age of a child was coerced into admitting he killed the little girl, Lesley Moleseed. He served 16 years in prison and when he was released, only lived a couple of years of freedom before he died. They have now caught the real killer who has been free all that time.
Barry George has been in prison for eight years, i saw his face on the TV when they arrested him and i knew they had the wrong man, i don`t know how, i just knew.
These unsafe convictions can only be blamed on the police, the papers can only report people`s names if they have been arrested. If the police were prosecuting the right people in the first place, then who cares what the papers say about murdering paedophile scum. The police have a huge responsibility to make sure they have enough evidence. How can they feel they have done a good job if they have any old conviction, when they know there is a free man on the loose who may commit a similar crime.

Answer 3

The case against Colin Stagg was dismissed, which speaks better for the judge in the case than it did for the police. However Mr. Stagg did bring a lot of it on himself and is definitely a rather "odd" person.

There are people who believe in the death penalty and could not be dissuaded from that view no matter what. You are definitely correct in saying that the more high profile a case is the more people tend to be in favour of the death penalty.

The fact that so many people take so much notice of sensationalist tabloid headlines is another thing. It can be extremely difficult not to let emotions take over in such cases and this is heightened by editors intent on selling more newspapers.

The average person's desire for revenge together with the newspapers, and other media, contributing to the feeding frenzy is a perfect reason for the death penalty to remain off the statute books in what purports to be, a civilised country.

Answer 4

I was a bit young at the time of the murder to actually understand what the evidence but looking back there never was any evidence.

How dare people compare this to the McCanns the two cases are entirely different. A young mother is murdered in front of her toddler son and an innocent man spends years trying to clear his name, all because police were under pressure to find the murderer.

The McCanns left their children unattended and now no one knows what happened to their daughter.

I don't read tabloids because I don't agree with their sensationalising of every story, their so called evidence, their character profiles and their rampant bigotry towards anyone who isn't white and male, likes to play darts down the boozer and calls women 'birds'

Edit: Yes, Colin Stagg is a bit of an oddball, but seriously why would that make him a murderer????

Answer 5

Trial by media is an ugly and dangerous thing. I remember The Express, The Mail, and The News of the World were at the front of the lynch mob baying for blood. I wonder if any of them will apologise to Stagg?

Answer 6

I for one, was convinced Colin Stagg did it. Why? Because he was sunbathing naked in a public place. Just goes to show how wrong gut instincts can be. I've learned my lesson and now I never prejudge anyone, no matter how convincing the case is against them.
The police were wrong, their gut instincts were wrong. Mine were wrong, and those who would have strung him up were wrong too. A lesson well learned.
Although I still think you shouldn't sunbathe nudie in a public place.

Answer 7

I always though Colin Stagg was innocent and I can't believe he has retained his sanity through all this, WHY HASN'T HE HAD HIS COMPENSATION YET?

Answer 8

Not me, I was always sceptical about his guilt.

On the wider issue, I don't want 'revenge' against murderers. It achieves nothing except further brutality. Just lock them up forever.

Answer 9

I never thought he was guilty. You just wait in a few years they will let Ian Huntley out as well.

Answer 10

I always had my doubts about him. It all seemed so 'neat' somehow, and there was a lot of pressure on the police to get their man.