They kissed only once. In the evening of Thursday 24 August, the murder weapon, a .38 revolver, was discovered under the back seat of a 36A London bus, fully loaded and wiped clean of fingerprints. The Getty Images design is a trademark of Getty Images. Hanratty claimed that his suitcase had been handed in to Lime Street Station to a 'man with a withered or turned hand'. Michael Gregston was murdered by James Hanratty 1962. This image could have imperfections as its either historical or reportage. All you have to do is to click here and type in your email address. 10:56, 04 Apr 2022 It also tells the true story of Valerie's complicated relationship with 36-year-old Michael. But then the other suspect, Peter Alphon, publicly confesses to the crime. The argument for contamination was dismissed as "fanciful" by the judges, who concluded that the "DNA evidence, standing alone, is certain proof of guilt". But in May 2002 the Court of Appeal ruled that the DNA evidence had established his guilt "beyond doubt". But for the next 40 years Valerie was slammed by campaign groups and celebrities who were convinced Hanratty was innocent, making her reluctant to speak to the media during her lifetime. Secretly, however, she was drafting the contents of a book and writing hundreds of notes. I repeat that James Hanratty was guilty of the crime for which he was hanged. [citation needed]. "The book tells the story of what happened that night and how she dealt with it in the years that followed. The report made there acknowledged his unhappy home background (he claimed he was frightened of his mother and had no filial feelings towards his father) and his mental handicaps. View 1 apartments for rent in corsicana, tx. He leaves two sons, aged seven and two. The suspect falsely identified himself as 'Frederick Durrant'; he was actually Peter Louis Alphon, a drifter surviving on an inheritance and the proceeds of gambling. The man got into the back of the car and told Gregsten to drive further into the field, then stop. Hanratty's uneducated London accent and his 'very large icy-blue eyes' enabled Valerie to identify him from a line-up and she later testified at his trial. The case for Hanratty's innocence was pursued by his family as well as by some of the opponents of capital punishment in the United Kingdom, who maintained that Hanratty was innocent and sought to draw attention to evidence that would cast doubt on the validity of his conviction. October 11th, 1961, James Hanratty was arrested for murder and rape. The murderer left the scene in Mr Gregsten's grey Morris Minor, registration number 847 BHN, which was found abandoned in Ilford, Essex, this evening. She didn't change her story one iota.'. For over thirty five years one person remained silent. The sudden intrusion did not seem real. [30], The Hanratty family acting through their solicitor, Sir Geoffrey Bindman, repeatedly called for further inquiries into the case. The man then kept them there for two hours, chattering to them incessantly. 83 Michael Gregsten Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images CREATIVE Collections Project #ShowUs Creative Insights EDITORIAL VIDEO BBC Motion Gallery NBC News Archives MUSIC BLOG BROWSE PRICING ENTERPRISE VisualGPS INSIGHTS BOARDS CART SIGN IN Images Images Creative Editorial Video Creative Editorial FILTERS CREATIVE EDITORIAL VIDEO The prosecution produced witnesses attesting that all the rooms were already occupied at the time and accused Mrs Jones of being an unreliable witness. Eventually, the jury retired. However, as Paul's book reveals, these words were a mask for her true feelings. Hanratty's initial defence was that he had been in Liverpool on the day of the murder, but then, halfway through the trial, he changed part of his story, claiming that he had in fact been in Rhyl, North Wales. It details 22 attempts made by Michael and Valerie to escape or frustrate the gunman, including hatching a plan to drive into a policeman if they came across one on the journey in order to get his attention. [8], The first policeman on the scene was handed a census form on which Kerr had written down Storie's account of what she recalled at that moment; the document was never seen again. Mr Stickler, a former Hampshire Constabulary police officer who specialised in murder investigations, compiled the book during lockdown using thousands of records and annotated documents left behind by Valerie. Author Paul Stickler said: 'This is a story that really does need to be told and it's not been told in the way that it should be before now. Bitterness continued in 1970 when the A6 Committee held a public meeting in Bedford to raise awareness of their concerns. [1] He was hanged at Bedford Jail on 4 April 1962, after being convicted of the murder of scientist Michael Gregsten, aged 36, who was shot dead in a car on the A6 at Deadman's Hill, near Clophill, Bedfordshire in August 1961. [citation needed] Storie gave another statement to the police later that morning, just before she underwent surgery in Bedford Hospital. Clear my name.". They had finished the planning for the weekends rally, Valeries maps folded away in her shopping basket. Police believe the couple, both employees of the Road Research Laboratory near Slough, were confronted by a man with a gun as they were parked on Dorney Common in Berkshire yesterday evening. Keep an eye on the newspapers, this in years to come will come out.". Gregsten at first refused, but the man became aggressive and threatened them with the gun. Just before the defence opened its case, Hanratty changed part of his alibi. The Long Silence, published in August 2021, is the first book to explain in detail the 'cat and mouse' drive and it has been heralded by many as a much overdue account. There was plenty of evidence that Hanratty had been in London all day on Monday 21 August: in the morning he had deposited a suit into a dry cleaners' in Swiss Cottage; he had been to his friend Charles France's house on the Monday afternoon, and visited the Vienna Hotel in the evening. James Hanratty denied shooting Michael Gregsten, a physicist, twice in the head last August. Forensic science and the case of James Hanratty, England and Wales Court of Appeal (Criminal Division) Decisions. Against the wishes of his parents, Hanratty's body had been exhumed and his DNA was compared to that found on Valerie's underwear and the handkerchief in which the murder weapon had been hidden. Was James Hanratty Guilty or Innocent? Justice took the precaution of making thorough notes, and recording all telephone conversations with Alphon. Alphon stuck to his confession and continued to repeat it until about 1971, when he withdrew his claims. No DNA other than Hanratty's was found on the handkerchief in which the murder weapon had been found wrapped. Hanratty was then charged with the capital murder of Michael Gregsten. You don't want it to be blown out. DNA samples from both sources exactly matched James Hanratty's DNA. Valerie and Lennon never met, but in 2001 she said: "I felt it was very ironic that he himself died by the bullet and it flashed through my mind that when the news came through that John Lennon had been shot and killed, I felt, well now John Lennon, you know what it feels like to be shot.". The Hanrattys were warm, gentle, determined people, unlikely parents of a man who had been convicted of shooting Michael Gregsten dead in a lay-by off the A6, raping his girlfriend Valerie Storie and then shooting her, leaving her for dead before driving off in the couple's car. She refused and, having managed to free her hands, tried to disarm him but was overpowered; after he threatened to shoot her, she relented. Streamline your workflow with our best-in-class digital asset management system. Ask the author: Jeremy Craddock on The Jigsaw Murders, Ask the author: Monica Weller on investigating a 50-year-old cold case. [35], James Hanratty's body was exhumed in 2001 to extract his DNA. A man threatened the couple with a gun. We'll also send you alerts about important breaking news. If you do as I tell you, you will be all right." Detectives and tracker dogs have spent the day searching the surrounding area and so far two cartridges have been found. He had the same identifying manner of speech as the killer. The couple were found by a police patrol in the lay-by on the A6 at Deadman's Hill, near Luton, at 0645 BST today. With the gun still pointing at them, the man said, I have been on the run for four months. Select from premium Janet Gregsten of the highest quality. [41], Valerie Storie was quoted as saying "I identified the guilty man. When Michael rolled down the window, Hanratty thrust a large black revolver into his face and said: 'This is a hold-up, I am a desperate man, I have been on the run for four months. It was a conclusive match. When Alphon found out, he flew into a rage. He always protested his innocence claiming he was 250-miles from the scene in a bed-and-breakfast in North Wales at the time of the attack. [8], Hanratty's capital murder trial started at Bedfordshire Assizes on 22 January 1962 before Mr Justice Gorman and a jury; it was originally to have been heard at the Old Bailey, as requested by Hanratty's defence counsel, Michael Sherrard QC, later CBE. Captions are provided by our contributors. In August 1961, 22-year-old Valerie Storie and 36-year-old Michael Gregsten were the victims of James Hanratty in the notorious 'A6 Murder'. Two civil servants employed at the Road Research Laboratory at Langley, near Slough, Michael Gregsten and Valerie Storie, drew up in a Morris Minor car outside the Old Station Inn, a public house just outside the village of Taplow. Long before his trial for the A6 murder, he had already been described as a retard, a psychopath, and a pathological liar. Following her death, author Paul Stickler was handed Valerie's extensive notes and files, allowing her story to finally be told. Next, use the -inch open-end wrench and pull out the thermistor by turning it counter-clockwise. He argued that the evidence may have been contaminated because of lax handling procedures.[34][40]. Lying next to Gregsten, semi-conscious, was Gregsten's mistress, Valerie Jean Storie (24 November 1938 26 March 2016). At about 9pm on August 22, 1961, Michael Gregsten, 36, and his girlfriend Valerie Storie, 22, were sitting in their Morris Minor 1000 car in a lay-by at Dorney Reach, Buckinghamshire, when. Professor Hobbs described Valerie as a 'bloody minded and determined' woman with a charming character. Ingrams said that Foot continued until his own death in 2004 to believe in Hanratty's alibi, despite the DNA tests of 2002. This should have been the end of the matter, but for the rest of her life Valerie was hounded by the media, campaign groups and celebrities including John Lennon and Yoko Ono, who insisted Hanratty was innocent. Storie was an assistant at the same laboratory and had been having an affair with Gregsten, although this did not become public knowledge until Storie wrote a series of articles for the popular Today magazine in June 1962, five months after the trial. They drove via London Heathrow Airport, up through the Middlesex suburbs, on to the A5 and then on to the A6 to Clophill, Bedfordshire. Despite being depicted in the media for decades as a woman who sent an innocent man to his death, Valerie kept quiet. His DNA was found on a piece of material from Valerie Stories knickers where it would be expected to be if he was guilty; it was also found on the handkerchief found with the gun. In October 2000, the Court of Appeal ordered the exhumation of Hanratty's body. The pair had been intimate for two years after meeting through work, and seemingly had spoken about marriage. Something went wrong, please try again later. Case 173: Rocio Wanninkhof & Sonia Carabantes, Tributes pour in for Sloughs brave Valerie Storie. The story of the A6 Murderer in Bedfordshire is infamous, but the story of one of his victim's has remained untold, To stay up to date with all the latest news from across Bedfordshire sign up to our free newsletter for daily updates and all the latest breaking news. On 19 March 1997, the Home Office referred the case to the new Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) where Baden Skitt chaired the investigation. He was a scientist at the laboratory and being a talented mathematician occasionally taught evening classes at St Albans Technical College, so extra money was coming in, but it nevertheless worried him. Michael wound down his window, only halfway, when a gun was thrust through the gap, its muzzle pointing directly at them. 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At the trial the prosecution called Peter Stringer, who had an artificial arm, but who denied ever having seen the suitcase or Hanratty. Shortly after his return, Gregsten left his pregnant wife, Janet, and went to live in Windsor, inviting Valerie Storie to navigate for him during car rallies organised by the de Havilland car. By August 22nd 1961 the marriage of Michael and Janet Gregsten had been in difficulties for some time.The 3 year love affair between Valerie Storie and Gregsten had intensified and on 1st August 1961 Gregsten had taken what seemed like an irrevocable step to end his marriage.He took a flat in Maidenhead and told his wife he would be moving in on [citation needed] Hanratty's defence claimed that Mrs Dinwoodie was mistaken about the date. It was not yet dark, but twilight had set in and visibility was not perfect. Initially admitted to the Royal Sussex Hospital, Brighton, he was transferred to St Francis Hospital, Haywards Heath, where he underwent a craniotomy following the erroneous diagnosis of a brain haemorrhage. They had been here on a few occasions before, to make love or simply to spend time alone together. He was found guilty for the murder of a 36 year old scientist Michael Gregsten in August 22nd 1961. All of this money was anonymously donated to Slough Mobility Transport for the purchase of two new vehicles, one of which was named 'Valerie'. [17], Late in the evening of Tuesday, 22 August 1961, Valerie Storie was sitting alongside Gregsten in his car in a cornfield at Dorney Reach, Buckinghamshire. He certainly didn't know what he alleged that Mrs Gregsten was the prime mover in commissioning the murder. RM ID: B5E30P Preview Image details Contributor: Trinity Mirror / Mirrorpix / Alamy Stock Photo File size: 30 MB (1.3 MB Compressed download) Releases: Private detectives tracked down a Mrs Grace Jones, a landlady with a guest house which had a green bath in the attic as described by Hanratty. In police line-ups, Storie did not recognise Alphon, but eventually identified Hanratty. On 29 August, Valerie Storie and another witness, Edward Blackhall, who had seen the driver of the Morris Minor, compiled an Identikit picture which was then released. Having recently re-read the late Paul Foot's excellent book "Who killed Hanratty", which he painstakingly researched for over 5 years I remain convinced (rightly or wrongly) that the original suspect, Peter Louis Alphon, is the real murderer of Michael Gregsten. ", Planned school expansion will cause 'traffic chaos', councillor claims, Councillor Victoria Harvey warned: This council is failing on travel plans. Another man obtained a gun for Alphon, whereupon he set off and hijacked the pair. Charles France was also the recipient of highly unpleasant anonymous phone calls. With some justification it seemed, since Michael had a tendency to spend willingly rather than save. My wife and i were driving a neigborhood looking for houses, and came accross a for sale sign with a phone number. Alphon was the son of a senior figure at Scotland Yard. She identified James Hanratty as her attacker during an identity parade. At about 1.30am on August 23, Hanratty told Michael to pull into a lay-by at Deadman's Hill and to hand over his duffle bag. Michael Gregsten's widow later went on to have an affair with her brother in law William Ewer, who left his wife. In 2002 Valerie was finally vindicated when DNA evidence proved beyond reasonable doubt that Hanratty was guilty. As she told food network, "i learned more about myself with every battle and i learned more how deeply talented the other warriors in this tournament are. The gunman ordered Gregsten to drive in several directions, before stopping beside the A6 at Deadman's Hill, where the offences took place. [4][5][6][7] By 1937, the family had moved to Wembley in northwest London. "However, my MP joined the rebel cause, became embroiled in a committee set up to prove a miscarriage of justice, and had the temerity to write to me asking me to join it.". The James Hanratty case is perhaps Bedfordshire's most notorious murder. ", "Hanratty's body is reburied after DNA testing", "DNA proves Hanratty guilt 'beyond doubt', "The A6 Murder (BBC2 programme transcript)", "Hanratty family in new appeal against murder conviction", "Rape victim speaks out at last about Hanratty", "Community transport service launches new bus", "Tributes pour in for Slough's brave Valerie Storie", Criminal Cases Review Commission Referral, "Hanratty's defence lawyer: "The wrong man was not hanged", Innocent.org.uk Criminal Cases Review Commission, A miscarriage of justice? The prosecution was led by Graham Swanwick QC, later a High Court judge. Boards are the best place to save images and video clips. Was Michael actually going to leave his wife and two boys? [citation needed] Police went back to Nudds, the hotel manager (who himself had a lengthy criminal record for fraud and other offences), who now said that his second statement was a lie, and his first statement, implicating 'Ryan', was in fact true. Despatched to the youth wing of Wormwood Scrubs, he slashed his wrists; placed in the prison hospital, he was declared a 'potential psychopath'. Organize, control, distribute and measure all of your digital content. You shot him. E-mail this story to a friend Watch/Listen Detectives search the murder scene Man finds A6. Neutral Citation Number (2002) Crim 1141, 'Musing about The A6 Bedfordshire murder', https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=James_Hanratty&oldid=1135732016. Gregsten was found shot dead in a car on the A6 in Deadman's Hill, Bedfordshire, and his girlfriend Valerie Storie was raped . People need to know what this poor woman went through.'. "If anyone doesn't want to be punished then they, surely, don't commit the crime. Storie and Gregsten pleaded with him not to shoot them. Mr Stickler said: 'She was absolutely measured and calm and wholly consistent from minute one to the very end. In August 1961, Michael Gregsten and Valerie Storie were sitting in their car in Dorney Reach, UK when an intruder forced his way into the backseat brandishing a gun. He attempted to escape that facility as well, and was sent to Strangeways Prison, Manchester. See the latest news in your area enter your postcode below or visit InYourArea: This story is well known and Hanratty, often referred to as the A6 Murderer, has become Bedfordshire's most notorious killer. First sergeant epr bullets june 30, 2022 | | 0 comment | 2:40 pm. Valerie criticised the journalists who campaigned to prove Hanratty's innocence in an interview with the Mail on Sunday in 2002. At about 1.30am on Wednesday 23 August, the car was on the A6, travelling south, when the man said he wanted a 'kip' (sleep). On Tuesday, 22nd August, 1961, Michael Gregsten, 36, a research physicist, called at the address of his estranged wife at Sabine House, Abbots Langley, and. The pair tracked down Peter Alphon in February 1962, and began a long friendship with him for the purposes of establishing the truth. AboutPressCopyrightContact. [citation needed], On 7 September, Meike Dalal was attacked in her home in Richmond, Surrey, by a man claiming to be the A6 murderer, whom she later identified as Alphon in an identity parade on 23 September. After driving them around the English countryside for hours, the intruder shot both Michael and Valerie, leaving them on the side of the road at a location known as Deadman's Hill. He wrote a suicide letter to Hanratty; it was full of spite and venom, but at no point actually accused him of committing the murder. After climbing into the car's back seat, he ordered Gregsten to drive. Please God, the judgement by the Lord Chief Justice sees not merely the end of yet one more chapter but the end of this book that has been part of my life for so many years. She was able to see only the body of the man between his waist and shoulders, but his smart appearance seemed at odds with his threatening behaviour. Gregsten's girlfriend, Valerie Storie, was raped, shot five times, and left paralysed. Not so much lying to avoid the death sentence, but putting the burden of clearing his name on his brother, even AFTER his death, makes him the worst type of criminal. Hanratty was sent to recuperate at an aunt's home in Bedford, a place he and his brother Michael had visited as children on holiday. Crime A6 Murder of Michael Gregsten. dr mark weiss psychologist; evaluate crossword clue 4 letters; pitt county jail bookings twitter. Hanratty would be convicted after a trial lasting almost four weeks but his execution marked the beginning of a forty-year journey of cries of a miscarriage of justice, media frenzies, legal arguments, criticism of the police, a referral to the Criminal Cases Review Commission and finally a Court of Appeal ruling in 2002 when DNA evidence would finally put an end to the furore; he was indeed guilty. On 3 July 1957, aged 20, five months after his release from Wormwood Scrubs, Hanratty was sentenced at Brighton Magistrates' Court to six months' imprisonment (he served four) for a variety of motoring offences, including theft of a motor vehicle and driving without a licence. On April 4, 1962, Hanratty was hanged by executioner Harry Allen at Bedford Prison. Michael gregsten wife / june 11, 2022 june 11, 2022 / were achilles and patroclus cousins. The Police tracked down a Mrs Dinwoodie, who served in a sweetshop in Scotland Road, and who recalled a man like Hanratty asking for directions. Despite this, she was hounded by the media and celebrities, including John Lennon and Yoko Ono, who criticised her for allegedly sending an innocent man to his grave. He started to bombard his own solicitor with threatening phone calls and letters. The comments below have not been moderated, By The other piece of evidence tested, a sample from Valerie Storie's underwear, provided two different sets of male DNA - one that corresponded to Hanratty; and one which the Court of Appeal interpreted as coming from Gregsten.[34]. He was sent to the gallows at Bedford Prison on 4 April 1962, becoming one of the last people to be hanged in Britain before capital punishment was abolished.
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