44-404: Sedeka is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: Alex Sedeka, fictional lawyer in three David Kessler thriller novels Dara Sedaka , American musician Neil Sedaka (born 1939), American singer See also [ edit ] Sedaka's Back , 1975 album Tzedakah [REDACTED] Surname list This page lists people with
88-410: A charge of raping a white girl in a cause celebre that has America bitterly divided. 2011 marked a change of direction for Kessler with a new book, The Moses Legacy , a combination of conspiracy, historical and chase thriller about an expert on Semitic languages (Daniel Klein) who is called in to translate a sample of Proto-Sinaitic script found on the shattered remnants of ancient stones found in
132-541: A comeback in 2009 when he signed a three book deal with the Avon division of HarperCollins UK for a series of books about a San Francisco lawyer, Alex Sedaka. Prior to that, an unpublished version of Mercy , the first book in the series, appeared on the Authonomy website (owned by HarperCollins). However, it was not picked up by HarperCollins through Autonomy. Rather it was sent to HarperCollins by Kessler's agent and picked up through
176-603: A knife, then sexually assaulted her. The assailant fled the scene, leaving Alex physically unharmed in the vicinity. A passer-by found him clinging to his mother's blood-soaked body, repeating the words "Wake up, Mummy", with a piece of paper stuck to her forehead as a bandage. In a television interview on 7 September 2021 with Lorraine Kelly , discussing the documentary Death on the Common: My Mother's Murder, Alex Hanscombe said after his mother had been attacked, he said to her three times "wake up, Mummy" before realising she
220-519: A publishing contract from Hodder Headline . His first book A Fool for a Client was a legal thriller and courtroom drama about the trial of a 23-year-old female medical student in New York for the murder of an Irish nationalist who had fled to the United States and avoided extradition. The title is an allusion to the legal aphorism that anyone who conducts their own defense "has a fool for a client". In
264-535: A series of opportunities to take him off the streets and suggested the lives of Samantha Bisset and her four-year-old daughter, Jazmine, would also have been saved if police had acted on tip-offs, including one by Napper's mother. Rachel Cerfontyne of the IPCC said that police failed to investigate the 1989 report that he attacked a woman on Plumstead Common in London and no record of the telephone call can be found. She said, "It
308-499: A suspect was wrongfully charged and later acquitted—before the case went cold . In 2002, with more advanced forensic techniques, the case was reopened. On 18 December 2008, Robert Napper pleaded guilty to Nickell's manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility . Napper, who was already detained at high-security Broadmoor Hospital in Berkshire for a 1993 double murder , was ordered to be detained there indefinitely. At
352-541: Is clear that throughout the investigations into the 'Green Chain' rapes and Rachel Nickell's death there was a catalogue of bad decisions and errors made by the Metropolitan Police. The police failed to sufficiently investigate after Napper's mother called police to report that he had confessed to her that he had raped a woman and, inconceivably, they eliminated Napper from inquiries into the Green Chain rapes because he
396-400: Is different from Wikidata All set index articles David Kessler (author) David Kessler (born 1 April 1958) is an English author of mystery novels and thrillers . The plots of his novels often involve people falsely accused of crimes, legal battles, DNA, computer hacking and police investigations and are characterised by multiple plot twists and last-minute surprises. With
440-463: The WayBackmachine ), and inserted some additional text falsely implying that Kessler was interested in, and approved of, online gambling. The fraudster also posted a hotlink on the appropriated website to a monetised gambling website (lightning-dice-game.com) which contained similarly misleading text. The fraudster posted pictures of an unknown male ( not Kessler ) on both sites, as well as links to
484-504: The real David Kessler's LinkedIn profile. Kessler wrote to the hosts of both the fake David Kessler website (Gname.com Pte. Ltd.) and the gambling website (Super Privacy Service LTD c/o Dynadot) notifying them of the dishonest actions, but they refused to take any action. Rachel Nickell Rachel Jane Nickell (23 November 1968 – 15 July 1992) was a British woman who was stabbed to death on Wimbledon Common in south-west London on 15 July 1992. The initial police investigation of
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#1732863165442528-409: The surname Sedaka . If an internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that link by adding the person's given name (s) to the link. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sedaka&oldid=1160504834 " Category : Surnames Hidden categories: Articles with short description Short description
572-660: The French countryside. Following an investigation, the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) released a report, dated 3 June 2010, into the actions of the Metropolitan Police Force and their handling of the murder investigation. It described a "catalogue of bad decisions and errors" by the Metropolitan Police which had resulted in Napper being free to kill Nickell. It said that officers missed
616-514: The Nickell murder investigation. An internal review estimated that the pursuit had cost the public £3 million and that vital scientific information had been missed. Stagg sued the police for damages totalling £1 million following the fourteen months he spent in custody. He has co-written and published two books about the case: Who Really Killed Rachel? (with novelist David Kessler ) and, more recently, Pariah (with journalist Ted Hynds),
660-571: The Scotland Yard team interviewed convicted murderer Robert Napper for two days at Broadmoor. Napper, 40 years old at that time, had been diagnosed as having paranoid schizophrenia and Asperger syndrome and had been held at the secure institution for more than ten years. He had been convicted of the murder of Samantha Bisset and her four-year-old daughter, Jazmine, in November 1993, sixteen months after Nickell's homicide. On 28 November 2007, Napper
704-489: The Sinai desert by a female archaeologist. Kessler – who lists Dan Brown as one of his influences (see below) – adopted the pen-name Adam Palmer to signify the change of style and genre. Kessler has also written and published eBooks in other genres such as science fiction, children's literature and chick-lit. Kessler cites Harlan Coben , Ayn Rand , Sidney Sheldon and Dan Brown as his influences. However, he also admitted that
748-407: The case from 2000. In 2002, ten years after the killing, Scotland Yard used a cold case review team, which used refined DNA techniques only recently made available. A small team of officers and retired veteran investigators analysed statements from witnesses, reassessed files on a number of potential suspects and examined the possibility that the case was linked to other crimes. Officers compared
792-432: The conventional channels. Mercy is about Sedaka's race against time to save a client on death row after the client declines an offer of clemency from the governor. The entire book takes place in a 15-hour time-frame and was described by James O'Brien (radio presenter) on LBC as "a cracking thriller". No Way Out is about Sedaka's defence of a black neoconservative talk show host (and former black power activist) on
836-422: The crime resulted in the arrest in controversial circumstances of an innocent man, who was acquitted. Her killer, Robert Napper , was identified by a later police investigation and convicted in 2008. Nickell was walking with her two-year-old son on Wimbledon Common when she was stabbed 49 times in the neck and torso and died at the scene. A lengthy police investigation to find the perpetrator followed, during which
880-576: The exception of A Fool for a Client , his early novels (published by Hodder Headline ) were set in Britain. His new series of books (published by HarperCollins ) is set in the Bay Area of California and centres on a series of recurring characters including the lawyer Alex Sedaka and his paralegal Juanita Cortez. His latest series, published under the pseudonym "Adam Palmer", introduces the character of Daniel Klein, an expert on ancient Semitic languages. Kessler
924-417: The families of imprisoned IRA members. This was followed by The Other Victim about the stabbing of a teenager and the disappearance of a billionaire in what turn out to be linked cases. The London Sunday Express wrote of this book: "The pace is fast, characters convince and the plot is well thought out. Kessler writes well." However after his next two books, Tarnished Heroes and Reckless Justice , he
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#1732863165442968-457: The grounds that Stagg's descriptions of the murder were not nearly as close to the reality as the police had maintained. With no other evidence to present, the prosecution withdrew its case and Stagg was acquitted. Keith Pedder, the case's lead detective, received heavy public criticism. Even after Stagg was (rightfully as it later turned out) cleared of the murder of Nickell, Pedder continued over subsequent years to promote his theory that Stagg
1012-453: The injuries suffered by Nickell with other attacks and consulted forensic scientists about improvements in DNA matching. In July 2003, reports surfaced that, after 18 months of tests on Nickell's clothes, police had found a male DNA sample which did not match her boyfriend or son. The sample at the time was insufficient to confirm an identity, but was large enough to rule out suspects. In July 2006,
1056-495: The inspiration for Mercy came from a conversation with a psychiatric nurse with whom he got talking when he called the wrong number while trying to contact an old friend. On 12 February 2024, Kessler contacted a literary agent with a view to restarting his writing career, after several years of inactivity. Four days later, a fraudster created a website using the same name as Kessler's old website (davidkesslerauthor.com), plagiarised some text from Kessler's old website (available via
1100-594: The investigation quickly targeted Colin Stagg, a man from Roehampton who was known to walk his dog on the Common. As there was no forensic evidence linking him to the scene, the police asked Paul Britton, a criminal psychologist , to create an offender profile of the killer. They decided that he fitted the profile and asked the psychologist to assist with designing a covert operation, code-named Operation Edzell, to see whether he would eliminate or implicate himself. This operation
1144-531: The killing. Police released a taped conversation between the police officer and him in which she claimed to enjoy hurting people, to which he mumbled, "Please explain, as I live a quiet life. If I have disappointed you, please don't dump me. Nothing like this has happened to me before". When she went on to say, "If only you had done the Wimbledon Common murder, if only you had killed her, it would be all right", he replied, "I'm terribly sorry, but I haven't". Stagg
1188-461: The latter being published on the same day as the real culprit's appearance in court to enter a plea. In January 2007, the Home Office confirmed that Stagg would receive compensation for wrongful prosecution, with the amount to be set by an independent assessor. On 13 August 2008, it was announced that the compensation was £706,000. The undercover officer involved in the attempt to obtain evidence in
1232-399: The major publishers turned it down—named Robert Napper as one of four credible suspects. Nine years later, Napper pleaded guilty to manslaughter due to diminished responsibility for the crime, after new DNA technology and other innovations in forensic science linked him to the crime. Kessler wrote an ebook The Wimbledon Common Murder updating his earlier work on the subject. Kessler made
1276-399: The manslaughter of Rachel Nickell on the grounds of diminished responsibility . Mr Justice Griffith Williams said that Napper would be detained indefinitely at Broadmoor because he was "a very dangerous man". It is unlikely he will ever be released. At the same time, Stagg received a public apology from the Metropolitan Police for their previous involvement and prosecution of him in regard to
1320-537: The novel, the accused, Justine Levy, insists on conducting her own defence despite judicial advice to the contrary. The book was reviewed by Susanna Yager in the Sunday Telegraph , who wrote: "The author has thought up the most ingenious method of committing murder that I have come across in a long time". The book dealt with a number of political themes, including the funding of the IRA by front organizations allegedly helping
1364-585: The original investigation by befriending him took early retirement from the Metropolitan Police force in 1998. With the support of the Police Federation , she sued the Metropolitan Police for damages arising from the investigation. In 2001, shortly before it was due to be heard, her case was settled out of court and she received £125,000. Her solicitor said: "The willingness of the Metropolitan Police to pay substantial damages must indicate their recognition that she sustained serious psychiatric injury". The payout
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1408-504: The police. He later faced corruption charges, but the case was thrown out by the judge in a pre-trial hearing on the grounds of insufficient evidence. Every year on the anniversary of the killing Scotland Yard came under pressure for progress. In the late 1990s, Nickell's murder was re-investigated as part of Operation Enigma , which was a national cross-force investigation into the unsolved murders of 207 women. Under new management, detectives began to collate evidence and files related to
1452-600: The telephone and exchanging letters containing sexual fantasies. During a meeting in Hyde Park , they spoke about the Nickell homicide; he later said that he had only played along with the topic because he wanted to pursue the romance . Profiler Paul Britton later said that he disagreed with use of the fantasy-filled letters and knew nothing of them until after they had been sent. The undercover officer won Stagg's confidence and drew out fantasies from him that psychologist Paul Britton interpreted as "violent", but he did not admit to
1496-430: The time of her death, Nickell was living near Wimbledon Common with partner André Hanscombe and their two-year-old son, Alexander Louis. Nickell was 23 years old at the time of her death. On the morning of 15 July 1992, she and Alexander were walking their dog on Wimbledon Common. Whilst passing through a secluded area of the common, Nickell was attacked. An assailant killed her by repeatedly stabbing and slashing her with
1540-470: Was "gone" and not playing. He then walked into a clearing on the common, where people saw that he was covered in blood and therefore discovered his mother's body. Officers of the Metropolitan Police undertook the investigation, under pressure to find the perpetrator by press coverage and public outrage at the circumstances of the murder. Thirty-two men were questioned in connection with the killing;
1584-437: Was born to a Jewish family in London, England, and dropped out of school at the age of 15. Shortly thereafter, he wrote a screenplay that he showed to his mother's cousin, movie director Clive Donner . Although never produced, the screenplay made Kessler realise that he wanted to become a writer. Kessler began writing at the age of 15 when he dropped out of school, but it wasn't until he was in his late thirties that he secured
1628-463: Was charged with Nickell's murder. He appeared at City of Westminster Magistrates' Court on 4 December 2007, where he was granted bail on condition he remained at Broadmoor psychiatric hospital until another hearing on 20 December 2007. On 24 January 2008, he pleaded not guilty to Nickell's murder and the trial started on 11 November 2008. On 18 December 2008, at the Old Bailey , Napper pleaded guilty to
1672-492: Was dismissed due to the time delay in bringing proceedings. André Hanscombe later wrote a book titled The Last Thursday in July about his life with Nickell, coping with the homicide, and life with their son afterwards. In 1996, he moved with their child to France, driven abroad, according to notes in his book, by media intrusion. He was strongly critical of some of the reporters who tracked him and his son down to his "sanctuary" in
1716-432: Was dropped by Hodder during a slump in publishing. At that same time, he courted controversy by co-writing a book about the murder of Rachel Nickell called Who Really Killed Rachel? with Colin Stagg the man who had been falsely accused of the murder and who at the time was still perceived by some to have been a guilty man who got away with the crime. The book—which was published in 1999 by small publisher Greenzone, after
1760-419: Was guilty. He told an ITV Real Crime documentary in 2001: Colin Stagg has been through a version of justice, albeit truncated, and he has been found not guilty. But I wonder whether he can actually say hand on heart that he believes people will meet him in the street and believe that. I do not believe the system served anybody that particular day. After Stagg's acquittal, Pedder took early retirement from
1804-504: Was later criticised by the media and the trial judge as effectively a " honeytrap ". An undercover policewoman from the Metropolitan Police Special Operations Group ( SO10 ) contacted Stagg, posing as a friend of a woman with whom he used to be in contact via a lonely hearts' column. Over five months, she attempted to obtain information from him by feigning a romantic interest, meeting him, speaking to him on
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1848-453: Was nevertheless arrested and charged on the basis of claims that he had described aspects of the murder scene that only the killer would have known. When the case reached the Old Bailey in September 1994, Mr Justice Ognall ruled that the police had shown "excessive zeal" and had tried to incriminate Stagg by "deceptive conduct of the grossest kind". He excluded all the entrapment evidence on
1892-453: Was over 6 feet tall. Without these errors, Robert Napper could have been off the streets before he killed Rachel Nickell and the Bissets, and before numerous women suffered violent sexual attacks at his hands". Detectives had decided to exclude anyone over 6 feet based on the description of a 5' 7" rapist; however, there were conflicting witness reports of the rapist's height, and Napper walked with
1936-576: Was widely criticised by various sources, particularly as Nickell's son had been granted £22,000 (less than a fifth of the amount paid to the undercover detective) from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority . The criminal psychologist involved with the investigation was charged with professional misconduct by the British Psychological Society , but in 2002, in lieu of any substantive hearings, further action
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