Damien Nettles: The facts

Before I began looking into the disappearance of Damien Nettles, I was unaware of just how much information I was going to have to sift through. It became clear pretty quickly that I wasn’t going to be able to write up my analysis in only one post, and so what follows is the first of what maybe several posts. Also, my intention had been to only examine publicly available information – which for the most part remains the case – however, discrepancies about the last confirmed sighting of Damien emerged almost immediately, and so I decided that the best way forward was to contact Damien’s mum, Valerie, for clarification. 

The following account of Damien’s last movements is, I believe, the most accurate of any that can currently be found online.

Last confirmed sighting of Damien

The last confirmed sighting of 16-year-old Damien Nettles from Gurnard, Isle of Wight, was on 3 November 1996 at two minutes past midnight in nearby Cowes. Footage from a Cowes Business Association CCTV camera located on the corner of number 92 High Street showed Damien walking alone in a northerly direction towards the junction with Sun Hill. His movements after this point remain unknown.    

1 – Arial map of the High Street showing locations of Yorkies fish and chip shop (now a Ladbrokes), Cowes Tandoori, and the CCTV camera on the corner of number 92 High Street that captured Damien’s last known movements before he disappeared from view as he approached the Sun Hill junction.

2 – The view along the High Street looking north from the CCTV camera. The red arrow marks the Sun Hill junction.

3 & 4 – Location of the CCTV camera that captured Damien’s last known movements.

Yorkies fish and chip shop CCTV footage

Previous to this final confirmed sighting of Damien, he was captured on Yorkies’ internal CCTV camera between 23:34 and 23:39 (the clock on the camera is an hour fast). He waited while other people, all young men, were being served between 23:34 and 23:38, and can be seen chatting to some of them. By 23:38, he was the only customer in the shop. The footage audio indicates that Damien was having trouble articulating what he wanted to say:

Damien: “Can I have er… one… er… please.”
Male server: “One?”
Damien: “Please…” [inaudible as he looks down, fiddling with the coins in his hand]
Male server: “Mate I can’t hear you…”
Damien: “Can I have one please!”
Male server: “One what?”
Damien: “ONE! PLEASE! One [inaudible, possibly ‘choose’] please.”
Male server: “Do you want some chips?”
Damien: “Yes.”

Damien then turns and walks (sways) slowly away from the counter, and stands in the shop doorway briefly where he looks left (north), right, then left again up the High Street. He then wanders back to the counter. The female server asks him: "Are you alright?" and Damien answers "Yes." The male server says: “That’s 75p then please.” Damien hands the male server some money and takes his chips. He puts vinegar on them, then takes his change from the server and slowly puts it in the right front pocket of his jeans. He says "Thank you" to the male server. He shakes some salt over his chips and eats one. He then turns slightly to his left and reaches his right hand across himself towards what looks to be an empty food tray on the counter that the server had placed there at 23:33, but that in fact appears to contain some chips – one of the previous customers can be seen taking a chip from it just before Damien enters the shop. He takes a chip from this tray and puts it into his mouth. He then turns to head out of the shop, raising his right hand to the servers, his fingers splayed, and says “Trah…” (something else is said at this point but it’s unclear what and by who). Damien looks right (south) as he steps through the doorway, and then walks north past the shop window.

Fact 1: Damien came into Yorkies at 23:34. He bought chips between 23.38 and 23.39. His ability to articulate himself verbally, and to a lesser degree, physically, was evidently impaired.

Fact 2: The last confirmed sighting of Damien was at 00:02 on 3 November 1996 walking alone in a northerly direction along Cowes High Street. He walked out of range of the CCTV camera that captured his last known movements as he approached the Sun Hill junction.  

The above account contains the two most important, observable facts within the half hour leading up to Damien’s disappearance at 00:02 on 3 November 1996. In addition, he was captured on street CCTV at 23:50 in the Carvel Lane/Terminus Road area. He was also known to have been drinking cider that evening with his friend, Chris Boon, having purchased three bottles plus two one litre bottles at 21:30 in Alldays on Ferry Road, East Cowes.

In the next post, I will examine the validity of the reasons why someone might vanish without a trace as they relate to Damien’s disappearance. This and subsequent posts are going to take time to put together. I have a lot of information to sift through, examine and analyse, including all eight transcripts of the BBC3 series Unsolved: The Boy Who Disappeared that was made about Damien in 2016. So, please bear with me!

Finally, although it was not my intention to turn this into an ‘investigation’, any new facts that come to light could potentially be useful in helping to progress Damien’s case. If you have any information that could help, please contact Hampshire Police on 101, quoting ‘Operation Ridgewood’, or, if you would prefer to remain anonymous, Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Sources

BBC (2016) Unsolved: Interactive map.

Nettles, V. (2024) Email to Elizabeth Angel, 2 April.

Nettles, V. (2024) Email to Elizabeth Angel, 4 April.

Unsolved – The Boy Who Disappeared: 1. The Night (2016) BBC3, 25 July. 

valnettles (2016) Missing Damien Nettles in Yorkies Chip Shop.