Famous British true crime case from the 90s to be released as a Netflix drama series

Netflix has confirmed a new true crime series about the 1992 murder of Rachel Nickell.

“The Witness” was announced yesterday (March 14) by the streamer and will examine the aftermath of her death from the perspective of her son Alex Hanscombe and his father André.

Nickell was stabbed to death on Wimbledon Common in July 1992; the only witness was her then two-year-old son.

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The Netflix drama “takes us on their journey from 1992 to the early 2000s as they cope with the devastating impact of Rachel’s brutal murder on their lives.”

“His father André – who became a single father overnight – put his own grief aside and made Alex the center of his life,” the synopsis continues (via What’s On Netflix).

“As he navigated the ruthless media frenzy and the urgency of an increasingly desperate police investigation, his only concern was the welfare of his young, traumatized son, who also happened to be the only eyewitness to the attack.

“This is the story of how a father and his son overcame the aftermath of an unimaginable tragedy, coming through the darkness into the light.”

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Filming on The Witness is set to begin this summer. The series was created by Rob Williams (The Victim), with Alex and André Hanscombe serving as consultants on the series.

“We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the entire team,” said the Hanscombes. “We owe our journey to the grace of God and the promise to continue it together.”

“We hope that the audience will be left with a testimony to the hard struggles of life that we all face and the power of faith, hope, love – and never giving up.”

Nickell’s murder was previously investigated in the four-part Channel 4 series “Deceit” in 2021, which focuses on the police operation in the case.

“The Witness” is streaming on Netflix.

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