Alex Hanscombe was just two years old on the day his mother, Rachel Nickell, was killed in 1992, making him the sole eyewitness to the heartbreaking event.
A new Netflix documentary is set to share never-before-seen home video footage where Alex’s father, André Hanscombe, gently asks his toddler son about what he witnessed that day. In the clip, the little boy—now 36—describes seeing the attacker right in front of him. He notes that his mom likely didn’t spot the man first. “I saw him first,” Alex says, adding that the stranger carried a bag he opened before pulling out a knife.
The toddler goes on to explain how the man knocked him over and confirms watching as his mother was attacked. Pointing to a drawing of his mom, he says, “There’s his knife. I saw the knife. I saw it all.”
In the trailer for the film, André reflects, “My son saw his mother’s murder but nobody could have possibly known how long it was gonna take to find the person who did this.”
This emotional archive material appears for the first time in the Netflix documentary The Murder of Rachel Nickell, which accompanies the new drama series The Witness. Both projects drop on Netflix on June 4.
In a joint statement, André and Alex shared, “Our life has been a battle. We can never express how indebted we are to everyone that’s been a part of this… We hope that audiences will be left with a testament to the tough battle of life we all face and to the power of faith, hope, love – and never giving up.”
Directed by BAFTA-nominated Lucy Bowden, the documentary dives into the sunny June 1992 afternoon when Rachel took her young son for a walk. It also looks at the challenging police investigation that followed, including first-hand family accounts and expert insights on how forensics eventually helped bring closure.
The three-part drama The Witness focuses on André and Alex’s journey through loss, with Jordan Bolger as André and Max Fincham as teenage Alex. Both men served as consultants on the production.
THE VIDEO CONVERSATION IN FULL:
Alex: Dadda, can you help me draw Mummy on this piece of paper?
Andre: Alex, look at me. When you saw the bad man, was he in front of you like I am? Or was he on this side or was he on that side?
Alex: He was in front of me.
Andre: He was right in front of you?
Alex: Mm, hmm.
Andre: Did mummy see him?
Alex: I don’t think she did.
Andre: No? Did you see him first?
Alex: Yeah, I saw him first.
Andre: Did he have a bag?
Alex: Yeah.
Andre: And did he open it, or was it already open?
Alex: He opened it.
Andre: And what did he get out?
Alex: A knife
Andre: What did he do to you?
Alex: Knocked me over
Andre: He knocked you over?
Alex: Yeah
Andre: What was he sticking in her?
Alex: A knife. There’s his knife (indicates what he is drawing)
Andre: Did you see it?
Alex: Yeah, I saw the knife
Andre: Did you see all the times?
Alex: I saw it…yeah, I saw it all