5 Episodes · Premiered September 20, 2021 · Ended September 23, 2021
The Night Stalker is the real life story of the police pursuit of a notorious serial rapist, whose 17 year reign of terror left thousands of elderly people in south east London living in fear. It is based on the diaries of Colin Sutton.
Susanna Reid interviews senior officers from Operation Minstead to tell the real story of the 17-year hunt for the serial rapist known as The Night Stalker, and the 17-day stakeout that led to his eventual arrest. Former SIOs Colin Sutton and Simon Morgan speak candidly about one of the most complex investigations the Met has ever had to face.
DCI Colin Sutton is asked to review the police investigation into a series of rapes, sexual assaults and burglaries that took place in south-east London between 1992 and 2009. Working with Det Supt Simon Morgan and the Operation Minstead team, the detective proposed a strategy he believed could catch one of Britain's most prolific rapists.
Colin presents his review findings to DCS Hamish Campbell and suggests a strategy called 'Minstead Lite", but Hamish wants Colin to stay on to see this new approach through. Meanwhile, DC Spier's informant suggests that she has found one of the pieces of jewellery that was stolen from a Minstead victim.
With absolutely no guarantee it will work, the Force Tasking Group have to come to a decision about funding Colin's high stakes gamble. Meanwhile, the news of a new and very vicious attack on an elderly lady makes the team all the more determined to catch their prey.
The surveillance is continuing, but everyone believes it's most unlikely Minstead Man will appear again after such a close call. The days turn into a couple of weeks, and not only have they seen no sign of Minstead Man on their plot, but he hasn't committed any offences anywhere else either. It seems he was well and truly spooked by the near miss.
