2022 Casefile True Crime Podcast. 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. Save up to 30% when you upgrade to an image pack. Alphon stuck to his confession and continued to repeat it until about 1971, when he withdrew his claims. Bedfordshire Police is appealing for witnesses and dashcam footage. James Hanratty was born on 4 October 1936 in Farnborough, Kent,[3] the eldest of four sons of James Francis Hanratty (19071978) and his wife Mary Ann Hanratty (19171999). 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. In 2002 Valerie was finally vindicated when DNA evidence proved beyond reasonable doubt that Hanratty was guilty. James Hanratty denied shooting Michael Gregsten, a physicist, twice in the head last August. how to save a picture on laptop without mouse. At the time of France's second suicide attempt in January, one of the letters he left was addressed to the coroner, in which he wrote 'I am of sound mind and body. The author now hopes that the posthumous autobiography will be turned into a film so that more people can learn about what she endured. In essence its her posthumous autobiography.". During 1962, the case caught the interest of London businessman Jean Justice, the son of a Belgian diplomat and partner of barrister Jeremy Fox. Forensic science and the case of James Hanratty, England and Wales Court of Appeal (Criminal Division) Decisions. Search above Alamy and its logo are trademarks of Alamy Ltd. and are registered in certain countries. [4][5][6][7] By 1937, the family had moved to Wembley in northwest London. In 1999 the case was referred to the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC). "If anyone doesn't want to be punished then they, surely, don't commit the crime. If you do as I tell you, you will be alright., Extracted from The Long Silence: The True Story of James Hanratty and the A6 Murder by Valerie Storie, the Woman Who Lived to Tell the Tale by Paul Stickler. ", Planned school expansion will cause 'traffic chaos', councillor claims, Councillor Victoria Harvey warned: This council is failing on travel plans. 1985: West German spy chief defects to East, Man finds A6 murder weapon - broadcast 25 August 1961. In police line-ups, Storie did not recognise Alphon, but eventually identified Hanratty. She identified James Hanratty as her attacker during an identity parade. Storie screamed, "You bastard! Alphon resembled the Identikit pictures more than Hanratty did; Alphon never produced a convincing alibi; He provided a more credible motive than Hanratty could; He was a poor driver, as witnesses had seen the Morris Minor being driven erratically towards Redbridge Station; On 22 March 1967, Detective Superintendent Douglas Nimmo reported to, On 29 May 1996, Detective Chief Superintendent Roger Matthews reported to Home Secretary. October 11th, 1961, James Hanratty was arrested for murder and rape. Storie recalled that he pronounced "things" as "fings" and "think" as "fink".[18]. With the gun was a handkerchief which provided DNA evidence many years later. As executor of Valerie's will, Professor Hobbs was the first to come across the documents and notes she left behind and he worked with Mr Stickler to ensure that the 'posthumous autobiography' was an honest and truthful account. The man then said he wanted to sleep, and that he would have to tie them up. Jamal Edwards, a music producer and entrepreneur, died suddenly in February 2022. Michael Gregston was murdered by James Hanratty 1962. Within a few days, the defence had checked and assembled a new alibi for Hanratty. Hanratty's appeal was dismissed on 13 March, and despite a petition signed by more than 90,000 people, Hanratty was hanged by executioner Harry Allen at Bedford on 4 April 1962, still protesting his innocence. Through the window of the car and despite the fading light, she could clearly see that he was wearing a suit and tie with a white shirt. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. But then the other suspect, Peter Alphon, publicly confesses to the crime. Source: www.apartments.com. The gunman ordered Gregsten to drive in several directions, before stopping beside the A6 at Deadman's Hill, where the offences took place. At Deadman's Hill the man ordered Gregsten to pull into a lay-by. After her retirement she remained an active member of her community, giving presentations on family history and helping to establish a minibus service in her hometown of Slough. Use in a presentation/talk (eg,Powerpoint and Keynote) or in an editorial newsletter. Even Valerie's own Member of Parliament, Joan Lestor, insisted Hanratty was innocent. However, there was another person called William Usher, who did have two fingers missing from one hand, which looked withered. Hanratty's family and their supporters have continued to contest this conclusion and to press for a further review of his conviction. cid exam previous question papers. Valerie later wrote of it: "In times of trouble one could always go to one's MP and ask for, and possibly receive help and understanding. What Valerie then saw surprised her. 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. 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. This time, she did. However, in a new edition of his book, 36 Murders and Two Immoral Earnings, printed immediately after the publication of the Hanratty DNA evidence, he retracted his assertions of Hanratty's innocence.[26]. House-to-house inquiries have also been carried out. He said: "Whenever journalists came to her asking to tell her story she said no, as they'd misrepresent her. At about 6:45am on 23 August 1961, the body of Michael John Gregsten (28 December 1924 - 23 August 1961)[10][11] was discovered in a lay-by on the A6 road at Deadman's Hill, near the Bedfordshire village of Clophill, by John Kerr, an Oxford undergraduate conducting a traffic census. People need to know what this poor woman went through.'. [32][33], While some of the original items of physical evidence were destroyed, the sample from Miss Storie's underwear had been discovered in 1991 and, in late-1997, the handkerchief was subsequently found in the possession of the Berkshire police. As 22-year-old Valerie Storie stepped out of her home on August 22, 1961, she shouted to her parents "Goodbye, I shan't be late". Why did you shoot him?" I'm thinking." While at Maidstone, Hanratty came to the attention of a researcher who lived and worked alongside the inmates; he was later to remark upon Hanrattys "gross social and emotional immaturity". On 14 October, Valerie Storie identified Hanratty in an identity parade, after each of the men in the parade had repeated the phrase used by the murderer: "Be quiet, will you? While she died in 2016 before she wrote her book and told her story in her words, The Long Silence is a compelling read with never before heard details of what happened on that fateful night and the impact it had on Valerie's life. Well push your creativity and go beyond your brief. Case 173: Rocio Wanninkhof & Sonia Carabantes, Tributes pour in for Sloughs brave Valerie Storie. Lying next to Gregsten, semi-conscious, was Gregsten's mistress, Valerie Jean Storie (24 November 1938 26 March 2016). During the 1990s, increasingly advanced DNA analysis techniques became widely available. A strong, disabled woman's story. 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. Nudds also now added that Alphon had left the hotel 'calm and composed'. The hotel manager, William Nudds, made a statement to police naming the last occupant of the room as 'James Ryan'. After climbing into the car's back seat, he ordered Gregsten to drive. 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. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. 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. Moreover, the murderer drove badly, whereas Hanratty was an experienced car thief. He was struck by how calm and measured she was throughout the whole ordeal. After forcing them to drive 60 miles, gunman James Hanratty murdered Michael before raping Valerie and emptying a number of rounds into her body. He would have been wrongly identified by three witnesses at identification parades; first as the person at the scene of the crime and secondly (by two witnesses) driving a vehicle close to where the vehicle in which the murder was committed was found. The Long Silence: The Story of James Hanratty and the A6 Murder by Valerie Storie, the Woman Who Lived to Tell the Tale eBook : Stickler, Paul: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store. More than 300 homes approved as part of new Luton development, Improvements are set to be made to surrounding roads as part of the development. The decision by the Court of Appeal included a discussion of the handling of the various items of evidence involved. Although Hanratty's blood group (O) was the same as the murderer's, it was a fairly common blood type shared by 36% of the British population, including Peter Alphon and, apart from Storie's identification, there was no other evidence that Hanratty had ever been in the Maidenhead area. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Michael Gregsten with his wife Janet 1962 OLD PHOTO at the best online prices at eBay! 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. Leighton Buzzard residents remember 'The Fox' whose violent reign of terror shook Bedfordshire to its core, Dad remembers 'magical night' Paul McCartney debuted 'Hey Jude' in a Beds village pub, Harry Redknapp and Micah Richards to host Carabao Cup draw from Potton Bowls Club, Henlow hiker cheats death after falling from Mount Snowdon's Crib Goch, Cold weather alert issued as freezing temperatures due next week, The UKHSA has warned of snow and a risk of ice next week, First young people admitted to 'long overdue' mental health unit at Luton and Dunstable Hospital, The first two inpatients are now on site in the unit, Banged up in Beds: The names and faces of the criminals jailed in Bedfordshire in February 2023, His Majesty's Prisons have had plenty of new residents arrive this month, Luton councillors who broke lockdown rules deselected by Labour Party, The councillors included the former mayor Tahir Malik, who was forced to resign, Killer of Luton man stabbed to death at flat identified through his 1,300 designer coat, Ikem Affia, 31, was one of four people involved in a plot to drug and rob Saul Murray after seeing photos of him on Instagram wearing Rolex watches, Bedfordshire roadworks: Roadworks and road closures taking place in Beds this week, Some roads have temporary traffic lights in place, while others are closed completely, 9 things Luton has to be proud of after town named "worst place to live in England", Love Luton said: "We would very much welcome the organisers of the poll to come for a visit to see just how great Luton is", Dunstable takeaway wins big at British Kebab Awards 2023, The awards supported the Donate a Doner Campaign, providing relief after the tragic earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, The names and faces of the criminals jailed in Bedfordshire in February, First young people admitted to hospital's 'long overdue' mental health unit, Death of Jamal Edwards part of the inspiration behind new Ed Sheeran album. The unit should also be connected correctly to the power source. She was of the opinion that it is for all of us to make the most of what we have been dealt.'. At the trial Nudds also stated that the man, upon leaving, had asked the way to a bus stop for a 36A bus, though his statement to police had merely mentioned the 36 bus. Mr Stickler remains interested in pursuing the story further and is looking into another case which he believes might have inspired Hanratty. A brown, check car rug was spread out; another small, personalised feature of the rallying Morris. Alphon claimed he gave Gregsten two chances to get away but "each time the bloody man kept coming back". After six hours they returned to ask the judge for the definition of 'reasonable doubt'. Despite being left paralysed and having to spend several months undergoing therapy at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, she returned to her job as a member of the on-the-spot accident team at the Road Research Laboratory just ten months after the ordeal. The gunman then made to leave but suddenly turned back and shot Valerie several times, with five bullets hitting her. He explained: "I felt the story had been misrepresented and needed a retelling from a fresh perspective.