UK UK - Damien Nettles, 16, Isle of Wight England, 2 Nov 1996

[Atoz]

This was my gateway case. First read about it definitely last decade.. possibly as far back as '05 or '06. Nice to see more people care now.

First thing, the chance of him actually having gone in the water and died accidentally are minute I believe.. so minute that if that is what happened it might be somewhat of a miracle. Not only do numerous people with knowledge on the matter say his body would've washed up, the vast majority of people who fall in from Isle of Wight do have something turn up (even if a severed foot as in one case). Furthermore I read on a reddit thread from a person from Cowes, that if he had fallen in there would not have been any deep water for him to fall into because of the way that path goes, where he would've fallen in and that it is not a deep water area. People do not fall in off that path and drown. If Damien did go in.. something would almost certainly have had to turn up. Even if just his camera or a part of it, or his fleece.

Personally I have bounced between it being Nicky Mac's crew, and it being corrupt police.. with the possibility that this is all serving as a distraction, the reported witness sighting of Damien getting into a car on Baring road being him getting a lift from a stranger who was a predator or trafficker (this was a different witness to Shirley Barrett who said that was Nicky Mac's car).

By the way Danny Spencer worked in construction at the time, and I have read in a comment somewhere before now that he was working on a construction site at that time, so there was a suggestion that Damien was buried in the foundations of that building (Danny being part of Nicky Mac's crew, reportedly the one seen with Mac in the Bars Hill sighting).

A while back I paid a small fee to have access to IoW news archives for a week, read everything on Mac and his crew in the archives and there was a lot, you can literally chart Mac's descent into depravity and crime. Stealing from shops, stopped by cops and running off wearing a stupid wig, found hiding in an allotment with a shotgun discovered in the boot of his car, numerous court appointments, at least one of which where his lawyer said he was trying to turn his life around and be better. Oh and a long-term feud between Bunny Iles and the owners of an Indian restaurant, seemed to be a racist thing, the restaurant hired a guy who knew fighting styles who beat down on Iles. Interestingly Danny Spencer, much younger than Bobby Mac and the others (although drugs have aged him as we saw when Bronagh Munro confronted him), only early 20s in '96 I think, in the '80s Spencer and his brother were considered budding young talents in long distance running and football. That were in the news a bit. Sad how drugs destroyed him by the next decade. Also there was a Katy McNamara who appeared to have been a sister or cousin of Nicky's, and she was doing well in dancing, in the archives in the '80s a couple times, by the 21st century there was something about the "Katy McNamara Cup" dancing competition in IoW. So it appeared as though his relative was quite opposite to him in that she was very successful. Oh yeah and Nicky Mac's son served in Iraq or Afghanistan, 2003 I believe.. since then has worked as a chef, and more recently has sadly followed in his father's footsteps being named in the news in relation to cocaine and robbery charges. So yeah, quite a lot of interesting information in the archives, which sort of helps to build a picture of what these suspects were like and the kinds of lives they lead. I also managed to find his son or daughter's Facebook a while back and found a picture of Nicky Mac with the baby when he was a new dad, and he looked different. Healthier, he had hair and a moustache. So that again showed how drugs destroyed him.

Anyway I digress. The actual last ever sighting of Damien, the infamous missing CCTV, well that went missing because someone taped over it. It's gone and never coming back sadly. The thing about the police in this case.. they were either corrupt, or horrifyingly dysfunctional. They look corrupt, with the disappearing footage, sighting of a police car stopped outside Yorkies, talking to the carer after Damien left his car having just leaned all over it drunkenly, there have been reports that the car that stopped outside Yorkies dropped off a couple ladies, the disappearance of the camera, not even tracking down and interviewing the others on the Yorkies CCTV for years, ACTUAL YEARS. Danny Spencer getting confidential witness statements, reports that there may be people in the police force associated with Mac's crew (I read someone somewhere say Spencer has family in the police there, or did. Possibly his brother he was in the paper with as a youth for achievement in athletics? Is there any way to find out the names of people who've been in the police in Cowes?). So yeah, they look corrupt but I believe it's possible they were actually so dysfunctional, just operating so poorly, that they look corrupt. And some of the other things could be innocent events such as the ladies reportedly dropped off by the police.. some suggested they may have been sex workers, informants, mistresses.. maybe they were just two ladies getting a lift from the police. Maybe the car outside Yorkies all in all was just a coincidence.

Another thing is, going back to the notion of Damien having gone in the water.. well if the police were corrupt you'd think they's enthusiastically roll with that. "Great! We'll take that, yeah he drowned". In actuality they did have kind of this attitude ininitally, however by now they have admitted they are looking at it as a suspicious disappearance and a possible murder enquiry, bringing in suspects n' all. So the police are on-board with the foul play theory, and not trying to suppress it.. unless.. they had little choice because of how hard the Nettles family pursued from the off.. after a few years they had to concede and play like they were doing the right thing. That said even if it was police corruption I think that was then and while some from then are probably still in the police.. much of the individuals are different and if anything the police now might be more inclined to investigate their own predecessors.

I think it's a possible angle.. but I do primarily believe it was Nicky Mac's crew. His death is suspicious as well. As you can see in comments on his eulogy Nicolas John McNamara people said he was starting to recover, get back to his old self.. the needle was in his back, possible but difficult.. maybe someone was worried he was going to talk. One of the guys in the house when Mac died has since committed suicide. I'm not sure but suspect aside from Mac and that guy it was just Shirley in the house; the last survivor. I don't suspect she was involved in Damien's death firsthand though, so don't see why she'd kill Mac if he were gonna' talk.

Again Mac's crew could all be a red herring though. Easy to blame local drug gang, maybe they use Damien as a threat to others, implying they did it for street cred but actually not involved.. Spencer getting the witness statements could be because witnesses were telling lies, not because they were telling the truth. Nicky Mac agitated by mentions of Damien because people thought it was him, not because it was him.

And I do think that the guys in the Yorkies CCTV are a little suspicious. They were military guys on training. I doubt they'd do that on purpose, however if it happened, I think they'd be the guys who could cover it up efficiently, especially if they had access to boats which I believe they did (could've weighted and dumped that night). They would be gone soon, and if they were questioned they'd be tough to crack... which they weren't even questioned until the next decade, so by that time they can all just play "it's been too long I don't remember that". They could've buried him not weighted and dumped, and again being military guys could do a good job of it.

Here is the full available video of the Yorkies CCTV

In the next post I will share my thoughts on this video. By the way it's been a while since I've gotten into this case so I realise I'm saying a lot of things without backing them up at this time, if I come across where I've read these things again I will post them here. If anyone wants to know where I found anything specifically I will see if I can find it again.

Really interesting post and has piqued my interest again.

What's your take on Nettles seemingly losing his grasp of language in the CCTV? It really struck me that he was on something other than alcohol.

 

[FredtheNettles]

Really interesting post and has piqued my interest again.

What's your take on Nettles seemingly losing his grasp of language in the CCTV? It really struck me that he was on something other than alcohol.

Well I have an interest in drugs but do not take drugs and never have. I am aware that generally people on drugs don't get hungry so much, that's alcohol and pot gives people munchies (I have had both of them). In my opinion he was drunk, possibly had smoked pot, hence why he was hungry, and clearly inebriated. I think he's just very drunk, possibly with cannabis making it worse. Obviously some people react badly do cannabis, and some perhaps to cannabis mixed with alcohol. I once drank alcohol after smoking pot and was seeing things that weren't there. I kept seeing a ginger cat whizz across the road reight fast, I was paranoid that a Scooby-Doo esque creepy groundskeeper was stalking me and my friend, and I also took a shine to a lamppost which I thought was an attractive brunette. Very weird. I think mostly this was due to paranoia.. the brunette though don't see how that'd be paranoia. Anyway it was making me disoriented and act weird. More recently I've reacted really bad to cannabis and have had anxiety attacks and severe paranoia so I don't do that anymore. Someone suggested I may have smoked laced weed.

And so, maybe Damien was having a bad reaction to cannabis as well as being drunk, hence seeming to smirk, grin and laugh at points in the video, and at other times seeming very anxious or paranoid, especially when he enters Yorkies. Especially if he smoked something laced, I would think that could make him so disoriented yet still hungry, as might just being drunk and on a harder drug actually.. I don't know how that works maybe he was on something like acid and it was being drunk and maybe having smoked pot that made him hungry.

 

[FredtheNettles]

Right so, I put the video into final cut pro, did some bass and noise reduction.. tried to clear up the dialogue as much as I could but it's very difficult AND I'm no pro I'm not really a sound guy. This is my interpretation...

I've given names to everyone in the video, Damien is Damien obviously.

The kinda' chubby guy is Big.

The guy who leans on the wall not at the start but for most of it after Damien enters is Wall.

There's a blonde guy with a light sweater who barely says or does anything. Blondie.

There's this kinda' tall guy who seem quite chipper, grins a lot, so Grin.

The extremely tall guy is Slim.

Male clerk is MClerk.

Female clerks is FClerk.

when I've put a slash it's either/or, as I'm not sure what is said.


Anything I've skipped is generally unintelligible.

0:36

MClerk: Some chips yeah?

Wall: Just a small one

MClerk: 2/3 pound 50/60


0:42

FClerk (to Big): A bap?

Big nods

FClerk: Different

Big makes a gesture, possibly says something

FClerk laughs


0:49

Big: Look I’m not being lech (?) but you didn’t half dunk/donk it so…

FClerk laughs, Big smiles

(Don't really know what to make of this, doesn't make much sense).

1:02

Wall (to Grin): You in the hospital/Osman?

Grin: I’ll spend (?) that later

(Again doesn't really make sense. I am pretty sure Grin says "I'll spend that later" though).


1:06

FClerk (to MClerk): Just you watch he’s gonna’ go n’ get me somethin’ (?)

(Again not sure however I'm quite sure she says "Just you watch he's gonna' go n'....")


1:29

Damien enters. Straight away he looks at Wall, and is not smiling, almost looks like he’s grimacing or "beefing".

Wall looks right back at Damien, acknowledges Damien looking at him.


1:30

Blondie looks behind him at Damien, who is still looking at Wall.

Damien stops looking at wall, his eyes meet Blondie’s.


1:33-1:46

Blondie steps aside and leaves Yorkies.

Damien looks back at Wall and now it looks like he’s grinning, almost like he’s amused.

Wall scoffs.

Grin looks at Wall.

Grin: What?

Wall points at Damien behind Grin.

Wall: The guy in the fleece.

Grin moves towards Wall, grinning.

Damien raises his hand.

Damien: Y’all right mate?

Grin looks behind him at Damien. Big looks at Damien.

Wall: Yeah I’m all right yeah.

Big leaves Yorkies as Blondie re-enters.

Wall: Who are you?

Damien mutters something.. hard to understand. Possibly “some guy in a fleece”, or maybe his name.

Wall scoffs again, Grin looks at Damien strangely and leans back.

Damien: Just trying to chill/got time to kill (?)

Wall: Yeah right/Yeah all right, suppose yeah


0:46 - Elderly man enters


1:52 - Slim enters, Wall acknowledges, scoffs or laughs again


2:08

Damien looks at Slim on his right, appears to mumble something.

Slim looks at Damien

Slim: Huh?

Slim leans in to hear DamienWall points at Damien

Wall (to Grin): Hey

Wall points at Damien

Wall: Look

Grin glances briefly, looks back

Grin: Yeah/Nice.

Grin takes a chip.

Slim leans back away seemingly uninterested in trying to understand Damien.

Slim: Got to fish/God the fish (?)

(This last bit seems to be Slim admiring the smell)


2:18

Car pulls up outside Yorkies (Apparently it's a police car)


2:19

Someone, maybe Slim, says something.. “Any good comments for the police/drunk driver?”/“Anythin’ comin’ for a good/drunk driver?”

Damien looks at Slim, then looks forward, appears to exhale and close his eyes.


Grin and Wall banter (unintelligible)


2:34

Big enters Yorkies.

Big: See the police car? Let’s see if we can get a lift to the nightclub.

Grin and Wall laugh.

Big: No ‘cause we can get to ___________ through there.

(Again.. dunno..)


2:40

Damien looks at Slim, possibly mumbles something.

Slim leans in again.

Slim: I’m from Yorkshire

Damien: Ah.

Damien appears to continue trying to talk to Slim. Slim walks by him and takes one of Grin’s chips.

Damien turns around to face Slim and Grin.


2:57

Damien seems to bend his knees briefly. maybe taking an awkward step forward?


3:02

Wall talks to Damien.

Wall: Now just askin’ mate/Damien, what’s it ________ like to live here?/What is life like livin’ here?/What is it like to live here?/What is nightlife like over here?/What are the clubs/pubs like over here?/why are you ____________ in here?/why do you look like this in here?

(So many possibilities that this could be. The more I listened to it the more it seemed like one of the earlier ones.. quite probably asking about the nightclubs or something).

Damien turns and looks at Wall.

Damien: Well uhhh.. *advertiser censored*/It’s kinda’.. *advertiser censored*. and errr… (mumbling) not in a good way.

(He seems to say something like this I think)

Wall looks at Big.

Wall: Yeah.

Big says something to Damien “Is it jazzy like or pop?”/“It’s either jazzified or pop” (?)

Damien chuckles and looks down.

Damien: I’m more of a________________ (grunge guy/kush head) (?)

(Very difficult to work out what's being said)


3:19

Wall looks at Big as Damien approaches him, Blondie exits Yorkies.

Wall: He’s good/he’s gay/keep goin’.

Wall points at Damien.

As Damien approaches Wall, Wall looks at Big and laughs. Damien seems like he’s bantering with Wall.


3:22

Slim: Cod and chips

MClerk: Can’t do chips/No cod and chips (?)

Slim: What’ve you got?

MClerk: Fish cake then.

Slim: Fish cake? Right, can’t eat it/can’t eat then.


3:38

As Slim exits Yorkies, Damien faces the counter.

Wall mutters something to Big “Look at him/this” (?). Big laughs.


3:50

Big: We’re moored in for six days (?)


3:55

Wall: I do, I do. I’d love to get… well, the misses said “she’s cheaper/cheese is cheaper”.

(sure about "the misses said" and "cheaper".. not really the rest)


4:05

Bell rings.

Wall: Mate, come on then.

Wall points to the staff.

Wall: She has to get home (?)

Damien awkwardly laughs, points at Wall then puts his hands together.

Wall seasons his food. Lifts the fish.

Wall: Ahhh, that’s hot.

Wall drops the fish back onto the chips.

Damien is staring at Wall’s food, moving closer to it. Seems in a trance. He turns around, scratching his palm.

Damien turns back to Wall, returns attention to the food.

Damien: Looks nice though ‘ey?/It’s nice though ‘ey?

Wall: What’s nice?

Damien points at the food.

Damien: Your cod.

Wall points to the fish.

Wall: That’s cod. Yeah you like talkin’ cheeky but that’s actually nice cod (?)

Damien grins, points.. says something.

Wall points at the camera.

Wall: Camera.

(Maybe Wall is pointing at the signs, and saying "haddock".. and actually before he was saying something about it actually not being cod as Damien had said)

Damien looks at the camera.

Damien: Oh *advertiser censored* man.

Wall: You err, brush up on your (fish?) identification skills.

Damien laughs.

(Last time I listened to this I thought he was telling Damien he needs to brush up on his communication skills, which would make more sense. However after trying to improve the sound I feel pretty sure he's saying identification not communication).

4:55

Damien: Can I have err.. one, err.. please.

MClerk: One?

Damien: Please.

MClerk: Do you have money for them? (?)

Damien: Erm…identification skills.

MClerk: I can’t hear ya’

Damien: Can I have one please.

MClerk: One what?

Damien: One please.

MClerk: Fish?

Damien: One .. (chips?) please.

MClerk: Do you want some chips?

Damien: Yes.

Damien: That’s what I’ve been *advertiser censored*’ sayin’ man (?)

(not sure about the last bit, and I don't mean to portray Damien in a bad way or anything just saying what I think it sounds like he's saying)


5:31

Damien goes to the door, looks outside left and right, perhaps looking for the military guys.


5:45

Damien can’t seem to physically pay. MClerk takes the money from his hand.

And then he leaves... and it's the last anyone can see of him now, and shouldn't be. There should've been more. It's so frustrating because the deleted CCTV would show much more, where he is outside. Considering the police corruption theory, maybe when they got the tape back from Valerie and watched it again they saw something they hadn't seen before.. related or unrelated to Damien, that was on the CCTV. Police doing something, or an informant doing something, or someone not in the police but with people in the police looking out for them. I dunno'..

Anyway there doesn't seem to be much useful in the Yorkies CCTV, and while theoretically the military guys could be good candidates to have done this and hidden it and avoided being suspected, the CCTV doesn't really seem to present many hints towards that idea. There's not really anything dodgy said. It's a shame the sound is so bad, because of the music and basically the more people in the shop the more difficult it is to understand as well. I think with regards to the military guys the CCTV perhaps presents more visually than aurally, specifically how the guys behave around Damien. To be fair when Damien first enters the guys seem a bit suspicious, as they are pointing and laughing at him, aware he's inebriated. Damien seems to make Grin and Slim both feel quite awkward.. and Wall is ambiguous. You don't know if he's just having a nice chat with him or if Damien is eyeing his food, he's aware of it, if maybe Damien asks for some (he says something at that time that I cannot understand at all), and when Wall says something then points at the camera he's telling Damien not to be cheeky because he's on camera. Even so, I don't see how any of this would make them suspect really. People laugh at drunk people. It's normal.

I think people in Damien's state are vulnerable and predators or criminals will opportunistically prey on them. I was in a similar state to Damien (from alcohol and pot and nothing else) one night eight years ago, was put in a cab by a guy who only knew the suburb I lived in, so I was dropped off in the centre of the suburb in early hours by myself, and I have vague memories of guys (that I knew by name) crowding around me and bantering with me, some of them looking awkward and anxious as they sensed what the more dominant ones were doing, they put my arm around me and dragged me into an alley across the road, brutally beat and glassed me, mugged me and extorted my pin number. These guys were <modsnip> toe rag hoody gang bangers though. Those are the people who will do that. These military guys, it doesn't really make sense that they'd do that. Only scenario I can think of is that Damien followed them and pestered them, maybe space invaded or got in their food, and something happened from there. Thing is though there were numerous sightings of him after leaving Yorkies, by himself. So only way this could've happened is if he saw the military guys again.

Furthermore, the lost CCTV showed him walking alone, in the direction of the route to his home.. possibly up Baring road although I don't recall for sure. And with at least a couple possible sightings/claims of him having been picked up by a car on Baring road , the only way it could really have been the military guys was if it was them in the car and they recognised him, offered him a lift, and something happened. More likely I think it was a creepy predator acting alone (I've seen some cases where a long ago unsolved case has years later been found to have been done by a prolific serial killer), or the car was someone in Nicky Mac's crew.

So that's that. One thing I find interesting about the Danny Spencer confrontation (end of this

), is how, well obviously at first he seems confused, like "What? What's goin' on what's all this about then? Why've they got cameras?" As soon as she says "Damien Nettles" he blinks and his head moves back slightly, and his posture becomes slightly more rigid. Perhaps over-analysing and I am no body language reading professional (wish I knew one.. or multiple), but yeah he seems startled and anxious when she says that name. Of course that could be because, as he said himself, that case has ruined his life. He's innocent but it's followed him everywhere, and hearing the name would make him react that way. However, to me it does kinda' look like he's had an "Oh *advertiser censored*. No. Deny" sort of moment of panic.

 

[FredtheNettles]

All right I'm looking around seeing if I can find where I had read certain bits of information I shared in my long post here, so I'm just going to put any key information or anything I find interesting in this post...

This thread on reddit Damien Nettles

- One thing I had forgotten is this "Crucial records and logs went missing and even the names of the officers on duty that night were lost." I knew this but reading this reddit reminded me. It adds suspicion to the behaviour, attitude and conduct of the police.. the fact that logs were gone, and the names of those on duty.

Older reddit thread It's been a few years since this was last posted, but does anyone have any new theories about Damien Nettles Disappearance?

- A bit of interesting information on this one, particularly from a user called seraphin (see attached thumbnail).

Older reddit thread Damien Nettles: The boy who disappeared

- Okay this is the one where I read useful information from some locals who know the area well. Quietuus mentions that it's even "very difficult to deliberately keep bodies in the Solent", and that there is actually a recurring problem of burials at sea washing ashore (The Solent is the strait between the north coast of Isle of Wight and the south coast of mainland UK).

Quietuus and treasurebum had a healthy debate on the likelihood of Damien actually going into the sea there and completely disappearing (see thumbnails). I think Quietuus, a local, makes such a good argument and the case treasurebum suggests as a counter-argument really does not work as a counter-argument as it's an entirely different scenario, a different part of the island where the lad fell into deep water, into a current.

- Another local, Propergravy, demonstrates not only that walking along the sea front to Gurnard is terrible, but that going into the sea from there would pretty much have to be a decision not an accident. No thumbnail for this as there is a profanity and it just occurred to me that profanity is bleeped here however the thumbnail will not bleep the word of course.

Another older reddit thread Damien Nettles: The boy who disappeared.

- This one has this one post where StevenM67 quotes local sailors and fishermen demonstrating how they absolutely do not believe that Damien fell into the sea, given he has never been found. Again attached a thumbnail.

This reddit Damien Nettles: The boy who disappeared. Fascinating 20 year old mystery, from the Isle of Wight

- Another local, AprilGotwood, shares interesting opinion of the Cowes police force, that they are terrible. Again no thumbnail for profanity.


There are many threads on this case on reddit. That's a lot of those that I have found useful information on anyway.

 

[FredtheNettles]

Oh wow I just found something on one of my hard drives. I had forgotten that when I had paid access for the IoW county press archives I was taking print screens. I had saved some print screens on my hard drive. They don't have much useful information to the case as such, more just interesting information about some of the suspects.. which could potentially be useful for all we know..

I certainly did find it useful to look at and do intend on paying to get access to them again at some point so I can look for other things in the archives. Was going to now but the website is down at the moment.

Is it okay/worth posting some of my screenshots from the archives here?

 

[CrackerC119]

This is (unconfirmed) information I am aware of about the case.

Damien was a 16 year old boy, who had come to the Isle Of Wight from America, where his father was a native. He was a playful and fun loving child, making his friends laugh but was also loyal and it is said that he had previously stuck up for a friend. He had recently moved schools and attended a party, where he was said to have been bullied and even had his jacket set fire to. Damien was distressed by this when his mother tried to ask him about this. He was friends with Chris Boon, who lived on the same road as a rumoured drug dealer, in such a close knit town, a rumoured drug dealer on the same road as you is highly likely to have been common knowledge.

Shortly before Damien's disappearance, Damien stayed with his sister, who was at university in Portsmouth, but after staying for a while, Damien is said to have been encouraged to return home, despite wanting to stay.

On the 2nd of November 1996, the Nettles family, including Damien had a day out to shopping in Newport. That night, Damien went to a party, having said to have agreed to be back by a certain time with his parents.

Damien is said to have attended a party in East Cowes and having bought Special Red cider from Alldays store in East Cowes. A female friend is said to have spoken to Damien on the chain ferry that night and reported that he was (seemingly in good spirits) encouraging her on new goals in her life.

Damien and Chris are said to have returned to the western part of Cowes and parted ways by the steps to the park, just west of the town centre. They had been said to have been trying to get in to pubs, unsuccessfully and it was cold and wet. Chris said he was sure he saw Damien head home. However, Damien was later seen in Yorkie's Chip Shop.

He first appeared picking up a salt cellar and placing it back down. He then returned and appeared on camera. Several men are in the chip shop, some seem at ease, one leaning against the wall. Damien waves to them, it is unclear if this is a nervous or a friendly wave and if he knows these men or not. A tall man, with black hair enters the chip shop and looks around, standing close to Damien. The tall man makes a query with a member of staff, as I remember, I think he asks for "really small chips". He seems to change his mind and leaves. An old man walks in to the chip shop and then leaves. It is suggested that many years later, a man (possibly the same old man) approached a friend of the Nettles family in The Hogg's Head pub and said that he was in the chip shop that night and it was a "shame" they never found him. His brother later alleged that the man now allegedly suffers mental health issues and does not understand what he is saying. It is suggested that a police car may have appeared on the tape and been spliced, could this be to cover something up or a simple mistake? Then Damien begins to speak to one of the young men, saying what I think sounds like "it's nice though innit?", I think in reference to the man's fish. It looks lile the man then replies, with what I think sounds like "this is the best cod". He then make Damien aware of something ahead, possibly the camera, and Damien says what sounds like "oh *advertiser censored*". The men then leave but Damien stays, he asks for "one, please". Rob, the chip shop worker says "do you want chips?" and serves Damien some chips. Damien seems to have good hand eye co-ordination when pouring salt and vinegar on his chips and receiving his change, can anyone who knows about alcohol and drugs say if this suggests anything about alleged potential substances? Alcohol tends to inhibit coordination. I know that people have been wondering what "one please" meant, Stock Photo - Fish and chip shop window Cowes Isle of Wight England this picture of Yorkie's, which I think is from around that time, shows a menu board with what I think could look like numbered items. The men in the chip shop were later identified, from 1997 onwards and were in the forces, from Aldershot/Matchwood.

There was a reported sighting of Nicky McNamara allegedly holding a young man against a wall on (I think Bars Hill), which I think would be a potential way home to Damien's house in Gurnard, which makes me think that this may have been Damien and ties in with suggestions about Nicky McNamara being violent.

Also, Damien was said to have been seen near to the Co-Op in Cowes, saying "they are watching us", could this have been weed paranoia or could someone have been following Damien?

There was an alleged possible sighting of Damien on Baring Road, however there is another boy who also looked like Damien at the time, could it have been him or Damien? It is also suggested that Damien might have been put in a red van in the area, it's not mentioned who suggested this but it could tie in with claims that Shirley Barrett said Nicky McNamara picked Damien up on that road. A red van would be particularly noticeable in the area.

Damien was seen on CCTV heading along the high street, towards the northern edge of the town, could he have turned up Bars Hill?

I think, if I remember correctly that a woman in a pub called the Harbour Lights denied seeing Damien before he went missing, then later claimed she did see him, why would she do that, could she have been covering something up?

There was a football match on in the town that night, so a police presence would have been high, but apparently police later told Mrs Nettles (Damien's mother) that there were no records of who was on duty that night, this seems very weird.

What stands out to me is that a young man, troubled - Harry Corbett was in hospital and alleged to have been talking about Damien, saying things about him which a nurse told Damien's mother about. Why would the young man be thinking about Damien when in hospital and seemingly unwell? Why would a nurse find what he was saying so important to tell Damien's family?

With regards to the suggestion that Damien went in to the water - it seems unlikely but Damien seems like quite an adventurous young man and it sounds plausible that if he had taken drugs or a high amount of alcohol, that could have spurred his curiosity in to going in to the sea, as Damian was said to be interested in marine biology. However I don't know how likely it is that Damien would have taken the coastal path home, as Damian's mother seems doubtful of that and the weather was poor and uninviting that night. The harbour master seemed doubtful that Damien would not have re-appeared, had he drowned in the water. I think that given he had thick winter clothing and a camera, it seems unlikely that not a single trace was washed up or noticed by those on passing ships.

There are said to be many alleged burial spots of Damien's body - the copse in Gurnard, under Grantham Court flats (which someone seemed to allude that Daniel Spencer was working on the construction of at the time of Damien's disappearance) and the Newport cycle trail.

It has been a while since I read the book but I think there was allegedly some suspicious behaviour from an older, bad influence of Damien's, who he worked with at the Gurnard Pines camp and Damian's mother went to visit him after his disappearance.

The suggestion that Damian was punched by a drug dealer in anger seems plausible, especially with so many people suggesting Nicky McNamara - however the aftermath of Damien's alleged death seems to differ, some say he was burned, some say he was buried. Damian was alleged to have shouted up to a flat of a known drug dealer around the time of his disappearance. Why would the person who suggested this 'stick their neck on the line' by saying this, it seems they had nothing to gain from making this comment other than helping Damien's family find him. They could have put their self at risk by saying this.

In the documentary, Shirley, seemingly upset said something like "I'm supposed to know what field he's buried in". Why would she say a field?

It is really hard to find a strong answer to this case, there are so many different possibilities and many of them seem unrelated. What I do find stands out is what people like the suggested Baring Road witness and the Weatherman are alleged to say. They don't seem to have anything to gain by saying those things - I think that makes what they say seem more truthful than someone like Bunny Isles who is rumoured to have been involved in drugs at the time, which makes him seem like he had a key involvement.

 

[CrackerC119]

What I also want to mention is that I read a newspaper article suggesting that the park where Damian and Chris are said to have parted, was apparently frequented by predatory paedophiles from nearby Parkhurst prison. Does anyone have any further information about the situation around the park back then?

 

[CrackerC119]

Damien was quite a tall young man, would he have looked too old to gain the attention of a paedophile, however he was only 16 and his facial features are not as developed as an adult's would be.

 

[dotr]

Twitter

Sept. 2019
The Boy Who Disappeared: Mother Of Damien Nettles Releases Book - Isle Of Wight Radio News


A new book, which details the heartbreaking true story of Damien Nettles’ disappearance, has been released by his mother.
Valerie Nettles’ The Boy Who Disappeared is available to buy on Amazon, here.

Dubbed “the true story of every mother’s worst nightmare”, it takes readers back to the very beginning.

Damien was just 16 when he went missing in Cowes on 2 November 1996, following a night out.

In the years since then, five men and a woman were arrested but were later released without charge. In 2016, a BBC Three documentary profiled his case.

It is hoped The Boy Who Disappeared will lead to information about what happened to him.

 

[dotr]

Damien Nettles | Locate International
''There have been a number of reviews of investigations related to Damien’s disappearance. Hampshire Police have stated that they “continue to take action to keep the case open for any new leads. A decision was made in 2013 for the files on Damien Nettles to remain with the force’s Major Crime Team for ongoing regular checks. This move followed an extensive review of all information gathered by police during enquiries into Damien’s disappearance in November 1996.”

In 2016 BBC reporters Bronagh Munroe and Alys Harte investigated the disappearance and their findings on BBC Three Unsolved: The Boy Who Disappeared.

''Val Nettles has recently published her own moving and compelling account, that tells the full, perplexing story of her son’s disappearance ‘The Boy Who Disappeared.’
News & Updates
Missing People Investigation Clinics (MPIC) are a free independent review and advocacy service for families of missing people where an investigation remains unsolved. We bring specialists from different disciplines together to review unsolved missing people cases to help ensure all that can reasonably be done, is being done at no cost to families or the police service.

On Wednesday 20th November 2019 at the University of South Wales Locate Centre for Missing People Investigation, a review of the Damien Nettles case started. The team will work directly with Damien’s family and will last for several months.

Valerie Nettles hopes the review will contribute to improving how long term missing people investigations are managed and makes a difference for families in the future.

I have information''

 

[CrackerC119]

Upon re-reading the book, the possibility of Damien meeting his sister was discussed prior to that night but nothing was set in stone.

If someone was under the influence of something and they had a loose arrangement to meet someone, how likely are they to become fixated on meeting someone and what drugs would have what effect on that fixation? When a person is drunk for example, they may lose short term memory and revert to their original plan. If Damien had planned to meet his sister and was drunk, he could keep forgetting that he'd looked for her and keep looking, could that be an explanation as to why Damien went back in to the town after he parted company with Chris Boon?

Also, what drugs would make someone become obsessed with a loosely arranged engagement - I am thinking about the suggestion that Damien tried to swim to Portsmouth.

 

[CrackerC119]

Some other interesting reading; Damien was reported being seen in the Duke Of York with other lads. Could these be the army lads from the chip shop video? It would explain the familiarity in the video.

One of the members of staff at The Harbour Lights apparently saw Damien heading along the SEA FRONT - in the direction of Gurnard, where Damien lived. It seems to be doubted that Damien would have taken the sea front home, yet not long before the final CCTV footage, he was reportedly seen on there. The weather is likely to have been just as bad then as after midnight.

Later Damien was said to beseen eating chips but they were not from Yorkie's, there was another chip shop in town; possibly called Tottie's.

Apparently, there were other reported sightings that didn't realistically fit in to the timeline, which suggests some were false, although there was a boy around at the time who looked similar to Damien. But one has to wonder why someone might make a false sighting report.

A bus driver reported someone who could match Damien's description getting on the bus and asking to go to Cowes, when ALREADY in Cowes. What could influence such confusion in a person?

I'm not sure where I read this, could have been in the book but might not have been, there was a suggestion that Damien was seen trying to open the door of a Ford Fiesta, yet little more information about this. If true, could this have annoyed someone?

After Damien's disappearance, the manageress in Yorkie's approached Damien's mother and told her that she saw Damien that night. She said he did not smell of alcohol but I struggle to understand how she would be able to smell that, being divided by a thick frying appliance and with the probable smell of chip fat around. She suggested he could be on something.

Why would she be so adamant that he was not under the influence of alcohol and seemingly keen to suggest something else? Was she just trying to help or did she have another motive?

 

[dotr]

Would there be any reason to think that Damien was confused because he had something fall on, or he was hit in the head that night or in the days preceding his disappearance ? speculation.

''Missing People charity has been a lifeline to Mrs Nettles over the years and she is an advocate for them, helping with fundraising events and raising awareness of long-term missing children and young adults. They have an appeal poster available on their website.
Damien Nettles - Missing since 1996

 

[ekardh]

It was laughed off in the documentary when the private investigator said the police believed Damien had swam to his death, but I'm beginning to think there might more truth to that than meets the eye. Personally, I think the drug dealer angle could be a massive red herring. I saw nothing to convince me that Damien was murdered that night.

 

[CrackerC119]

Would there be any reason to think that Damien was confused because he had something fall on, or he was hit in the head that night or in the days preceding his disappearance ? speculation.


Damien Nettles - Missing since 1996

Funnily enough, someone mentioned on Facebook that an expert had watched the CCTV and suggested his behaviour was similar to that of someone with a bleed on the brain! This made me wonder about the Bars Hill 'nipper against a wall' suggested sighting. The BBC timeframe doesn't say if the reported sighting was BEFORE or AFTER the chip shop CCTV. I would have to watch the documentary again to remind myself (it's been a while since I watched it, so some details aren't fresh in my mind).

 

[CrackerC119]

It was laughed off in the documentary when the private investigator said the police believed Damien had swam to his death, but I'm beginning to think there might more truth to that than meets the eye. Personally, I think the drug dealer angle could be a massive red herring. I saw nothing to convince me that Damien was murdered that night.

It was laughed off because it seems so absurd, yet I don't think it should be ruled out. A witness claimed to have seen Damien by the water front before the final sighting.


I am not sure what to think about the well known drug dealer theory. I get the feeling his family believe foul play was involved but that the key man linked to the case was not the person who did it and that one of the persons who featured in the documentary, seen riding a bike is more involved.

I get the feeling there were more people in the drugs fraternity that could have been involved in Damien's disappearance than is mentioned in the public media.

However, if true, the documentary source saying he saw the key suspect just after Damien's disappearance and claimed he said "I'm a condemned man", that brings me back to wondering about the key suspect being involved.

However, what does seem to be suggestive is the bicyclist man in the documentary's behaviour. If I remember correctly, it's suggested that this man was at the Bars Hill sighting with the key suspect. The bicyclist man is reported to regularly talk about Damien when drunk, and has said "no body, no crime". It would seem like this person has thought through how to dispose of responsibility of Damien's disappearance, why?

 

[CrackerC119]

I've just realised something. Damien is said to have gone out that night with just a few pounds (presumably £2). Damien's mother wondered where he got the money to buy the cider. I'm guessing but I'd guess a strong bottle of 2 litre cider back then would have cost around £1.10 and a portion of chips 65p. If he bought 2 portions of chips at 65p each and a bottle of cider, that would have cost an estimated £2.40. In the chip shop video, Damien appears to give the chip shop worker too much money initially, as he is given some money back and then he is ALSO given change from that. Where would he have got the money from?

 

[CrackerC119]

Ignore my last post, I've just read that some of the children at the party gave Damien the money for the cider. Although I am wondering about how Damien would have paid for the boat over to East Cowes and back to Cowes. Perhaps it was free back then...a sort of community thing?? Even in 1996, £2 wouldn't get you two portions of chips and a return boat fare.

 

[CrackerC119]

Interestingly, a recent documentary on another missing British teen (Luke Durbin) mentioned the link between missing people and water.

 

[dotr]

Interestingly, a recent documentary on another missing British teen (Luke Durbin) mentioned the link between missing people and water.

Will take a look at Luke D's thread here, one thing that i and others cannot help but notice after being on Ws for sometime now, is that there certainly seems to be a correlation between young men who are missing who are ultimately located in a body of water, imo, speculation.
Ws thread..
UK - UK - Luke Durbin, 19, Ipswich, 12 May 2006