Hampshire Constabulary

 On a wet and stormy November night in 1996 Isle of Wight teenager Damien Nettles went out with a friend for the evening. But he never came back. Damien, then aged 16, had gone into a shop in East Cowes with the friend before they went their separate ways at 10.30pm. He was seen on CCTV at Yorkies fish and chip shop in West Cowes at around 11:35pm. View the CCTV footage (.wmv, 4.12MB). (*Please note, the clock on the CCTV is one hour fast. This footage is protected by copyright)

But since that night of November 2, 1996, there has been no trace of Damien, whose family then lived in Woodvale Road, Gurnard. They have since moved to Texas in the USA, but continue to actively appeal for information about their son.

"Damo", as he was known to his friends, had a great sense of humour. He had an unusual mannerism of blowing on his thumb, in the way that tennis players are often seen doing. He was also an accomplished musician, playing guitar and trombone, and was looking forward to a try-out with friends with hopes of being involved in the formation of a small band.

Damien also enjoyed computer games and sea fishing and occasionally used weights and body building equipment. Damien was developing into a deep thinker and had taken an interest in psychology, often discussing the subject with his older sister.

At the time he disappeared Damien was a tall, slim lad, about 6ft 3ins, and possibly still growing. He had had a short hair cut, but was known to favour longer hair. He had talked about growing a beard, probably favouring a goatee style. He had a small scar under his chin. 

In October 2007, the charity Missing People (then known as National Missing Persons Helpline) produced a new age-enhanced image of Damien, showing him at 27 (see image, right).

Damien had a good relationship with his family and always made a point of phoning home if he was going to stay with friends. Despite several reported sightings in various parts of the country, including Salisbury, Bath and Bristol, there has been no trace of Damien or of any of his clothing that he was wearing at the time of his disappearance.

How can you help? 

The investigation into Damien's disappearance, called Operation Ridgewood, is now being looked after by Detective Inspector Darren O’Callaghan from Hampshire Constabulary’s Major Crime Department. 

Do you know these men?

DI O’Callaghan and his team are keen to speak to anyone who may be able to help identify those seen in the CCTV footage from Yorkie’s Fish and Chip Shop.  

* Please note, the clock on the CCTV images is one hour fast.

They are also keen to hear from anyone who thinks they may know Damien’s whereabouts.

You can help raise Damien's profile by displaying the downloadable missing persons poster (.pdf, 459KB).