Colin Stagg, who was falsely accused of one of Britain's most notorious murders, has refuted claims of a lavish lifestyle and disclosed that he donated half a million pounds of his compensation to charity. He endured over a decade under the dark cloud of suspicion for the brutal murder of Rachel Nickell, who was horrifically stabbed 49 times in front of her young child on Wimbledon Common in July 1992.

At 61 years of age, Stagg recounted spending 13 months locked up due to a deceitful 'honeytrap' ploy, marking it as one of the most egregious judicial errors in the UK. Now residing in Farnborough with his canine companion, Stagg disclosed his lack of an in-person apology from the police and mentioned a thwarted attempt at reconciliation with Rachel's family, impeded by legal advisors.

Despite winning £706K in Home Office compensation, Stagg admits to losing his home after squandering the sum. However, contrary to the narrative of extravagance, he states he distributed most of his funds to charitable causes. Keen on confronting his past trauma, Colin is currently sharing his story across the nation alongside journalist Jon Ronson, contributing as a notable guest on their tour.

Stagg poignantly remarked, "I was Britain's most hated person for about 15 years. So many stories were made up about me - like I was the worst person who ever lived. I know I had to go through it by myself. There was no counselling or support - no one wanted to know.

"It still affects me now and the mind wanders and you start thinking about it all. Speaking about it to a crowd helps in some way - to get it off my chest. Lots of people didn't know about the truth and what police were saying was all lies - that only came to light years later. Speaking about it now is some sort of cathartic experience. "I am still a lonely person, I live alone with my dog but talking like this does help."

Colin was freed in September 1994, when Mr Justice Ognall ruled that the police had shown "excessive zeal" into trying to incriminate him by "deceptive conduct of the grossest kind." He excluded all the entrapment evidence and the prosecution was left with no option but to drop the case.

But until Robert Napper was identified as her real killer in a DNA breakthrough in 2008 - Colin said Rachel's family continued to hold him in anger and contempt - believing he had been cleared of her murder on a mere technicality. Colin said there was talk of travelling to meet Andre Hanscombe (Rachel's partner at the time) and her son Alex that he feels would bring the 'ultimate closure' - but it is yet to materialise.

He added: "Their solicitor put a stop to it for some reason. They said they wanted to meet me too to offer an apology. I said they had nothing to apologise for. It wasn't them that did this to me. That was the last I heard. Of course I would meet them but the last notification I had was it was off. I would tell them I've always felt a lot of sympathy for them. Alex was a very young child and to see that happen to his mother is the most horrible thing in the world.

"I always had the deepest of sympathy. I did want to contact them when I was being accused but was told not to as it could be seen as mercenary and gloating. The is not how I am though. I just wanted to tell the whole family how awful I felt for them - no one wants that to happen to anybody."

Colin revealed that his life has been a challenge to piece back together, finding himself without a home after his partner ousted him from the residence they shared since 2016. He managed to secure provisional lodgings prior to the council arranging a more permanent solution. Colin continued, "I get asked if I have any compensation left. I donated a lot to charity.

"I wasn't interested in the money. All I wanted was a full apology from the police face to face. I've never had that. The high brass read out a statement to say 'Colin Stagg is 100 per cent innocent and we apologise to him, but they should have said it to me.

"I gave around half a million to charity. I've always been in favour of charities and am against all forms of animal cruelty. They need the money more than I do. I can survive but I just wanted to help these poor animals. Even before I had this money, every time I had a little extra I would always donate what I could."

The sum was distributed amongst various charitable causes such as animal welfare organisations, the Army's benevolent fund, WWF, Blue Cross, and the RSPCA, Colin disclosed. He explained: "I had a council house so I did that up - but I gave a lot of it away to others.

"I was left homeless for a bit. The council have found me a place for people over 55 to live in. It is a very quiet place but I'm happy here. I also helped a lot of people out - my ex-partner, family and friends. I bought them cars each. But some people I thought were friends turned their back on me when the money dried up. I still think about it. I've always been good with money but cannot believe I got through it so quickly. I was not living the high life as some were claiming. I didn't go on exotic holidays or anything like that. I bought a decent car and just lived the way I did. My bills were always paid - but I was let down by people I trusted."

Colin disclosed that his notoriety made him 'almost unemployable' - he even lost his last job in Tesco after the media shared photos of his workplace. Now, he's thrilled about 'going back on tour' with Jon Ronson later this year. Adding: "From November last year into December I was doing stage shows with Jon Ronson up and down the country.

"He also had me on zoom calls when he toured Australia and has now said he would like to have me on his next lot of shows. He introduces me as a special guest and I discuss the case. While many have forgotten, the older generation all recognises me. I talk about how the honeytrap occurred - how they entrapped me and the phycological impact it had on me. It has been like therapy for me. The first show I did not know what I was getting into in front of a live audience with thousands of people."

"It was very nerve wracking seeing all the faces. I tell them about the undercover officer and how it had a big impact on her life. She thought she was meeting a psychopathic killer. I have got a lot of pity for her - she was only doing her job. On the whole people are more understanding. You get the odd person asking 'did they catch the real killer - are you still a suspect'. My response is they got the killer in 2008 - but that never got the kind of press I got - and they believe all the fake stories they might have read in the newspaper. I'm basically looking forward to November and do it all again. The show finishes with a question and answer session and a lot of people can't believe I went through that."

Colin is set to tread the boards once more, with his first engagement set at the Great Hall in Exeter come November.