Colin Stagg, wrongly accused of the horrific Rachel Nickell murder, chased a knife-wielding burglar naked through the streets early yesterday.
The 45-year-old had been asleep on his living room couch when he surprised the hooded intruder at about 2am, at his Roehampton flat.
"He must have had the shock of his life when I leapt up stark naked and screamed obscenities at him," said Mr Stagg, who was acquitted of killing 23-year-old Rachel Nickell on Wimbledon Common in 1992.
"He just stood in the doorway with what looked like a knife or a big screwdriver in his hand then he legged it down the garden. I didn't stop to think and raced after him," he explained.
Mr Stagg chased him for about four hundred yards before he realised it could be dangerous and gave up.
"I was naked and would have been defenceless if he had turned on me," he said. "Discretion seemed more sensible and I went home hoping nobody had seen me."
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"He must have had the shock of his life when I leapt up stark naked and screamed obscenities at him."
Colin Stagg
He said he then found a mountain bike leaning against his wall, which he thought could have been the man's getaway. He did not want to touch it, fearing it was stolen, and when he got up at dawn it was gone.
"My only impression was that he was a big bloke and held some sort of weapon. I couldn't tell if he was black or white because of the hood and what looked like a scarf across his face. He was off like a shot when I shouted at him," he added.
"I didn't bother calling the police because nothing had been taken and he was long gone. But afterwards I realised I might have had a lucky escape. There have been plenty of cases where burglars or vandals have turned violently on their pursuers."
Last November Robert Napper was charged with Rachel Nickell's murder. He will face trial in November this year.
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