A man wrongly jailed over one of Britain's most infamous murders says he is desperate to meet the victim's family - to help bring them both closure.<br /><br />Colin Stagg, 60, spent 13 months in prison after being set up in a 'honeytrap' operation by police investigating the horrific murder of Rachel Nickell in one of the biggest miscarriages of justice in British history.<br /><br />And he said he now wants to meet her surviving relatives face-to-face to express his sympathy - and said he understands their 'misdirected' anger towards him for so many years.<br /><br />Rachel was stabbed 49 times aged just 23 in front of her two-year-old son on Wimbledon Common in July 1992.<br /><br />Until Robert Napper was identified as her real killer 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.<br /><br />Colin, who is now homeless and living in temporary accommodation after blowing his £700,000 Home Office compensation payout, says he just wants to live a quiet life out of the spotlight.<br /><br />But he said one thing he was desperate to do before that was to express his deep sorrow to her loved ones - in a step he hopes might finally bring some closure to both parties.<br /><br />He said: "I've always had an incredible amount of sympathy for the family since it first happened. It really depressed me they thought I was still guilty for so long and only got off on a technicality.<br /><br />"I just wanted to shake them and say 'I did not do this'. There is no way I could have done it - it is not in my nature.<br /><br />"Looking back on it - they know now I am innocent - but I would still like to meet Andre (Rachel's partner at the time) and his son. I would just shake them by the hand and say I am so sorry for all that happened to their family.<br /><br />"People say I've had it bad enough, but it has been so much worse for them. It is such a horrible thing that happened."<br /><br />Colin said there was first murmurs of a meeting being arranged a couple of months ago but it fell through.<br /><br />He added: "I am not sure why it fell through. But I would like to put that offer to them publicly. I am certainly up for it but only as long as they are happy. I am not going to force it but I would like to meet them.<br /><br />"I don't want to bring everything up again. It was a long time ago - but I'd like to tell them I've always been on their side. I've always had a lot of respect and sympathy for them.<br /><br />"I know they will never get over what happened, but I just hope they can move forward."<br /><br />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".<br /><br />He excluded all the entrapment evidence and the prosecution was left with no option but to drop the case.<br /><br />But Colin said even after he was cleared, he had to cope with lingering doubts over his guilt, right up until a DNA breakthrough helped convict Napper of the murder in 2008.
