Disappearance of Damien Nettles
Unsolved 1996 British missing person case
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Damien Richard Nettles (born 21 June 1980) disappeared from Cowes on the Isle of Wight on 2 November 1996 at the age of 16 during a night out with a friend. Nothing has been seen of him since.[1] The investigation into his disappearance has been ongoing ever since, with five men arrested in 2011, although no charges have been brought.[2]
21 June 1980
Cowes, England
Damien Nettles | |
|---|---|
| |
| Born | Damien Richard Nettles 21 June 1980 |
| Disappeared | 2 November 1996 (aged 16) Cowes, England |
| Status | Missing for 29 years, 9 months and 10 days |
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (193 cm) |
| Parents |
|
| Relatives | Sarah Nettles (sister) Melissa Nettles (sister) James Nettles (brother) |
Background
Damien Nettles was born 21 June 1980, to parents Valerie and Edward. He has a sister named Sarah. At the time of his disappearance he was roughly 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 metres) in height. He loved the rock band Nirvana and was often seen wearing his Doc Martens boots.[3]
Disappearance
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 YouTube videos | |
 Yorkies chip shop CCTV |
On the night of his disappearance, Nettles was wearing blue jeans and a black fleece jacket. It is believed that he had not taken a bag of any kind or any personal belongings with him from home.[4] Nettles planned to go to a party with his friend, Chris Boon, who lived in East Cowes. His father dropped him off at his friend's house.[5]
The night started with Nettles and Boon attending the party, but after some time they left to purchase cider.[1] Nettles was seen leaving the party carrying a black camera, which has never been found.[4] Nettles and Boon then journeyed back over to West Cowes via the ferry.[6] Once back in West Cowes, Nettles entered Yorkies, the High Street fish and chip shop, but left without ordering anything.[4] The friends made unsuccesful attempts to get into pubs. This caused the two friends to part ways for the night at Northwood Park, with Boon heading home. Nettles then went back to the High Street, purchased chips from Yorkies, and was later seen wandering around until midnight.[1]
A witness remembered that Nettles was attempting to open the car doors of a blue Ford Fiesta somewhere around 23:15 and claims it took place in the Harbour Lights pub car park. Another witness placed Nettles at a bus stop near one of The Co-operative Group supermarkets. He entered a bus, but exited shortly after talking to the driver. It was alleged that he had tried to take the driver's picture with the camera he had on him. He was said to have thanked the driver at the time of exiting the bus.[4] A third witness claimed that a person matching Nettles’ description was eating chips, nestled together with his arms and legs close to his body. The witness then claimed the figure approached him, saying “They are watching us”, before clearing rain off the car window and walking off towards High Street.[5]
Investigation
Numerous people who witnessed Nettles on the night of his disappearance alleged he looked as though he could have been heavily drunk and possibly somewhat confused. Another allegation was made that a drug dealer by the name of Bunny Iles had sold drugs to Nettles. A previous girlfriend of Nettles, Abbie Scott, revealed she believed there were some aspects of his life he was keeping secret. She suspected Nettles could've been involved with drugs.[4] Unfortunately, it was not possible to completely verify all witness statements from the night of Nettles’ disappearance, as some of the CCTV footage was claimed to be lost by police.[7]
There have been eight arrests in connection to Nettle's dissapearance in the years after his last sighting. In May 2011, five arrests were made on suspicion of murder. These included a man from Sandown, Isle of Wight, aged 48, a person from Cowes, aged 45, a person from Newport, Isle of Wight, aged 50, a person from Ryde, aged 37 and a person from Gravesend, Kent, aged 40. All were released on bail and no further charges were made. A sixth arrest was made in July 2011, a man from East Cowes, aged 38. He was also released.[8] On 1 November 2011, two arrests were made in Cowes on suspicion of conspiring to murder after the police received information regarding the case. The suspects were a 44 year old man and a 35 year old woman. They were both questioned whilst in custody and linked to an address in Marsh Road, Gurnard, Isle of Wight, which was searched by police in the hopes of finding Nettles or any evidence related to the case. They were also released.
As of 4 October 2013, a £20,000 reward was on offer from Hampshire Constabulary for 6 months. Despite receiving 30 accounts of information during this period, the authorities were still no closer to solving the mystery of Nettles’ whereabouts. Regardless of the family’s pleas, the reward was not extended.[9]
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| Unsolved: The Boy Who Disappeared (BBC) |
On 25 July 2016, a BBC Three series, Unsolved: The Boy Who Disappeared, was broadcast about the case.[10]
Nettles’ family became aware their son may have been captured on CCTV whilst on the High Street in Cowes. Nettle's mother was able to locate her son in the footage, where he could be seen alone, eating, and walking along the empty street just after midnight. This is believed to be his last known movements. Unfortunately, this footage was lost by police. A complaint was made by Nettles’ mother to the Independent Police Complaints Commission in 2005 regarding this loss and the way her son’s case had been dealt with. She was informed that the incident concerning the officer responsible for the lost tapes had already been dealt with.[4]
It has been claimed that Nettles’ mother has conveyed how disheartened she had found herself, because of the police’s management of the case. Evidence ended up being misplaced, along with records failing to be kept, hindering any possible progression of the case. The call log made to police on the night of Nettles’ disappearance no longer exists, and the records detailing which officers were on duty that night were lost. However, the case remains open.[4] Other criticisms towards the handling of the investigation include requests made to commence searches both on land and air being rejected, and the error made by police who initially listed Nettles (aged 16) as a missing adult rather than a missing child.[11] Members of the public campaigned by protesting and participating in a march. Their aim was to convince police to dig at Parkhurst Forest and Gurnard, as claims were made that Nettles’ remains may be buried there. However, police declined this request, as they believed the claims made to them came from untrustworthy sources.[12]
Theories emerged that Nettles fell into the sea following his night out, but his mother dismissed these assumptions. She was convinced he suffered at the hands of a gang. She revealed that in spite of Cowes’s upscale reputation, there are people there associated in supplying others with drugs.[13]
In March 2002, Hampshire Constabulary’s major crime department was passed the case, and details of the investigation were entered on to the Holmes computer system. It was at this point that an informant, who in the 1990’s was connected to a local drug dealer named Nicky McNamara, alleged he told police what happened to Nettles. In 2010, the informant approached Nettles’ mother as he felt no action had been taken regarding his claims. She was told by the informant that McNamara got into an altercation with Nettles, resulting in McNamara unintentionally giving Nettles a fatal punch. The informant claimed his body was concealed for three weeks in a drug den, then later buried in Cowes. The police investigated, arranged searches and made arrests after Nettles’ mother took the information to them, but they concluded that the informant couldn’t be trusted. McNamara died in 2002 of a heroin overdose. It was claimed that McNamara made a deathbed confession regarding his involvement in Nettles' disappearance.[4]
Additional theories revolve around the possibility that Nettles may have fallen victim to a sexual predator. Between 1999 and 2002, police were informed in two separate occassions that Nettles may have been sexually assaulted and later killed by a local sex offender. However, the first claim was dismissed by police after the suspect was found to have moved away from the area months prior to Nettle's dissapearance. The second claim was dismissed after the person who confessed to having sexually assaulted Nettles could not provide tangible evidence. [4]
In 2024, Nettle's mother was featured in an article contrasting her son's case with other more recent cases, the disappearance of Jack O'Sullivan and the death of Jay Slater.[14]
In spite of the many investigations conducted, plenty of campaigning, and production of documentaries seeking a resolution, Nettles’ whereabouts still remains a mystery.[11]
See also
Bibliography
- Nettles, Valerie (5 September 2019). The Boy Who Disappeared. Kings Road Publishing. ISBN 978-1-78946-093-3.