The man accused of the "A6 murder" has entered a plea of "not guilty" at the start of his trial at Bedfordshire Assizes in Bedford. In 2002 DNA evidence proved beyond all doubt that Hanratty was guilty. Were going to have traffic chaos. 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. But when Michael reached for the bag Hanratty shot him twice in the head, killing him instantly. The two were facing each other, their arms resting on the backs of the seats as they spoke quietly when there was a tap on the drivers window. 22:52, 05 Apr 2022. Hi, It's truly a crying shame that all the postings on this fascinating forum have been lost, seemingly for ever. He then stated that he had in fact been in the Welsh coastal town of Rhyl. During 1962, the case caught the interest of London businessman Jean Justice, the son of a Belgian diplomat and partner of barrister Jeremy Fox. "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.". 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. The Criminal Cases Review Commission announced yesterday that the case of. At that time there was no conclusive forensic evidence to connect Hanratty with the car or the murder scene. Ask the author: Jeremy Craddock on The Jigsaw Murders, Ask the author: Monica Weller on investigating a 50-year-old cold case. [24] The Committee attempted to assist Hanratty in his defence, and later tried to disprove his conviction. dr mark weiss psychologist; evaluate crossword clue 4 letters; pitt county jail bookings twitter. Following her death, author Paul Stickler was handed Valerie's extensive notes and files, allowing her story to finally be told. map Storie drank gin and Pepsi, Gregsten had Double Diamond. Transferred briefly to Durham Prison, he was returned to Strangeways where, having served his full term, he was released in March 1961, aged 24. Secretly, however, she was drafting the contents of a book and writing hundreds of notes. [12] Kerr alerted Sydney Burton, a farm labourer, who flagged down two cars and asked the drivers to call an ambulance. [8] Gregsten had separated from his wife Janet (d. 1995[13][14]) who lived with their two children at Abbots Langley. Professor Hobbs said: 'It is important that people understand that it is very easy to jump on a bandwagon and come up with a conclusion that is wrong.'. His reason for lying was that he had seen that Alphon was the police's prime suspect, and had wanted to assist their case. It is not known why the trial was moved to Bedford, just nine miles from the murder scene, although this afforded easier access for the now-paraplegic Valerie Storie, who had received treatment at nearby Stoke Mandeville Hospital. Organize, control, distribute and measure all of your digital content. [34] DNA was donated by Hanratty's mother and brother,[22] which they expected to exonerate him when compared with DNA extracted from surviving evidence. "They then left at about 7.30pm in a grey Morris car which I understood belonged to Michael's mother. However, only two days later, Storie gave a different description of her assailant to the police. Find the right content for your market. Bedfordshire Police is appealing for witnesses and dashcam footage. Police handout, showing James Hanratty in police custody, Lennon and Ono protest Hanratty's execution. The 'A6 Defence Committee' was a self-appointed group of campaigners and activists, who included the journalist Paul Foot and the Labour politicians Fenner Brockway and Joan Lestor, the former and current MPs for the Eton & Slough constituency where Valerie Storie lived. Sixty years ago today, on April 4, 1962, their attacker was one of the last eight people in the UK to be executed when he was hanged at Bedford Prison. After some investigation, 'Ryan' turned out to be James Hanratty, a 25-year-old petty criminal with four convictions for car theft, larceny and burglary. Valentine's Day collision leaves moped rider with 'life-changing' injuries. I could not ever relax.". They were confronted by a man with a gun. [citation needed]. Alphon stuck to his confession and continued to repeat it until about 1971, when he withdrew his claims. Save up to 30% when you upgrade to an image pack. The police raided the hotel, and questioned Nudds again, who then changed his story, claiming that Alphon had in fact been in the basement and 'Ryan' in Room 6 but, for reasons unknown, had swapped rooms during the night. 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. In 1962, at Bedford Jail, 25-year-old Hanratty became one of the final eight people in the UK to be executed before capital punishment was abolished. View 1 apartments for rent in corsicana, tx. After forcing them to drive 60 miles, gunman James Hanratty murdered Michael before raping Valerie and emptying a number of rounds into her body. They had finished the planning for the weekends rally, Valeries maps folded away in her shopping basket. "I would be terrified of every unusual sound or knock at the door. They had been here on a few occasions before, to make love or simply to spend time alone together. Keep an eye on the newspapers, this in years to come will come out.". Jamal Edwards, a music producer and entrepreneur, died suddenly in February 2022. He leaves two sons, aged seven and two. She identified James Hanratty as her attacker during an identity parade. The dead man, who has been identified as physicist Michael John Gregsten, 34, from Abbots Langley in Hertfordshire, had been shot twice in the head with a 38-calibre revolver. Hanratty confessed to his defence barrister that he had invented part of the Liverpool story as he was unsure he could prove where he was. Hanratty put a cloth over Michael's bloodied head before raping Valerie on the back seat of the car. Want the latest Bedfordshire news direct to your inbox? Michael Streeter on the latest twist in a celebrated murder mystery. "[42], Following the DNA evidence in 2002, Storie earned over 40,000 for her participation in various TV and newspaper documentaries. He attempted to escape that facility as well, and was sent to Strangeways Prison, Manchester. [31] Woffinden wrote that there is no evidence that the witnesses even saw the same Morris Minor. It also tells the true story of Valerie's complicated relationship with 36-year-old Michael. They kissed only once. Find Janet Gregsten stock photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images. The man then kept them there for two hours, chattering to them incessantly. The car Gregsten and Storie had been using at the time of the attack, a grey four-door 1956 Morris Minor registration 847BHN, was found abandoned behind Redbridge tube station in Essex later that evening. "If anyone doesn't want to be punished then they, surely, don't commit the crime. [35] The Court of Appeal did not have the power to order an exhumation of Hanratty's body, but Lord Chief Justice Harry Woolf decided that this was desirable "in the interests of justice". Although Gregsten and Storie offered to give him all their money and the car, the man appeared to have no plan and seemed to want them to stay with him. The case became a cause celebre, with politicians and pop stars, legal experts and writers joining the campaign to prove he was the victim of a miscarriage of justice. [citation needed]. Whilst he was a professional thief, he had no convictions for violence, and apparently had never possessed a gun, although he later admitted to the police that he had attempted to obtain one after his last release from prison in March 1961. After holding them at gunpoint for two hours, Hanratty told Michael to start driving because he wanted food. However, what isn't well known is Valerie's side of the story. ease arkansas phone number Mr Gregsten's body was tonight identified by his wife, Janet. A man threatened the couple with a gun. 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? Millions of high-quality images, video, and music options are waiting for you. How much time had passed since they had pulled into the field is not absolutely clear since neither was paying particular attention but, Valerie would later estimate, after about thirty minutes their private conversation was disturbed. Rachel Muir For Mailonline, Easter getaway havoc as more than 1,100 flights are cancelled with Heathrow airport blaming soaring passenger and staff rotas hit by Covid for long queues as fliers also endure chaos at Manchester and Gatwick, Oligarch who was once Russia's richest man says the nation's billionaire elites need to publicly declare Putin a war criminal to prove they do not work for the Kremlin, Covid lockdowns have left a generation of young children struggling to crawl, talk, share, make friends and use the toilet independently, Ofsted report finds. 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. 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. I do this act in the knowledge that it will clear my family's character of any act or wrong'. One of the final eight people in the UK to be executed before capital punishment was abolished, the petty criminal was hanged at Bedford Jail in 1962 for the murder of Michael Gregsten at Deadman's Hill, near Clophill, on the A6. Crime A6 Murder of Michael Gregsten. 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. None of it made sense. 2023 Getty Images. [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. Search above He had the same identifying manner of speech as the killer. The man tied Storie's hands behind her back with Gregsten's tie and then saw a duffle bag containing some clean clothing. Next, use the -inch open-end wrench and pull out the thermistor by turning it counter-clockwise. FBiH - Konkursi za turistike vodie i voditelje putnike agencije. Clear my name.". It was clear he either had not driven before, or was unfamiliar with a Morris Minor. The man was immaculately dressed. He argued that the evidence may have been contaminated because of lax handling procedures.[34][40]. Hanratty claimed that his suitcase had been handed in to Lime Street Station to a 'man with a withered or turned hand'. Home richfield school district michael gregsten wife. It was about 1954 that Hanratty became attracted to Soho, where he frequented various clubs and other haunts of the criminal underworld. He certainly didn't know what he alleged that Mrs Gregsten was the prime mover in commissioning the murder. AboutPressCopyrightContact. Another man obtained a gun for Alphon, whereupon he set off and hijacked the pair. When Alphon found out, he flew into a rage. [citation needed] Storie gave another statement to the police later that morning, just before she underwent surgery in Bedford Hospital. Try to reignite the pilot light. In the 'Storie papers' is a script containing her stronger feelings on the matter. The gunman knew the Bear Hotel, Maidenhead. 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On the evening of August 22, 1961, a car containing lovers Michael Gregsten and Valerie Storie, was parked by a field near . It was now approximately 3am, six hours after the ordeal had started at Dorney Reach. 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. The prosecution was led by Graham Swanwick QC, later a High Court judge. [citation needed]. I repeat that James Hanratty was guilty of the crime for which he was hanged. Within a few days, the defence had checked and assembled a new alibi for Hanratty. [12] Gregsten had been shot twice in the head with a .38 revolver at point blank range; Storie had been raped, and then shot with the same weapon, four times in the left shoulder and once in the neck, leaving her paralysed below the shoulders. Crime A6 Murder of Michael Gregsten. ", "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? libra ascendant jupiter in 7th house; kelly holt barn sanctuary married; in your presence, in your presence there is peace lyrics; how to watch deleted youtube videos reddit This was the beginning of the crime which would see Michael murdered and Valerie raped and shot before being left at Deadman's Hill on the A6. I looked in his eyes and he looked in mine. Mr Stickler said: 'She was absolutely measured and calm and wholly consistent from minute one to the very end. 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. 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. With the gun was a handkerchief which provided DNA evidence many years later. Hanratty said he had called into a sweetshop in Scotland Road and asked directions to 'Carleton' or 'Tarleton' Road. He was struck by how calm and measured she was throughout the whole ordeal. They are by no means risk free but if smoking a pack of cigs is like downing a bottle of wodka on one night, a nicotine pouch is like drinking a half pint in comparison in terms of health risk. The Long Silenceis, in essence, Valeries posthumous autobiography, explaining for the first time every explicit detail of the cat and mouse drive, as Michael and Valerie tried on over twenty occasions to deter and thwart the apparently indecisive Hanratty. "Valerie has worked at the laboratory since she left school five years ago and she has known Michael for a long time.". 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 Deadmans Hill. Valerie Storie did not recognise Alphon in an identity parade, and he was released four days later after being detained on a charge of assaulting Meike Dalal. DNA samples from both sources exactly matched James Hanratty's DNA. 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. 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. 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. Lying next to Gregsten, semi-conscious, was Gregsten's mistress, Valerie Jean Storie (24 November 1938 26 March 2016). ", Planned school expansion will cause 'traffic chaos', councillor claims, Councillor Victoria Harvey warned: This council is failing on travel plans. All of this money was anonymously donated to Slough Mobility Transport for the purchase of two new vehicles, one of which was named 'Valerie'. Her wish was honoured when The Long Silence was released with the title that Valerie had planned to give to her book. James Hanratty (4 October 1936 4 April 1962), also known as the A6 Murderer, was a British criminal who was one of the final eight people in the UK to be executed before capital punishment was effectively abolished. Was James Hanratty Guilty or Innocent? What was going to happen to them? We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. Michael Gregsten's widow later went on to have an affair with her brother in law William Ewer, who left his wife. A strong, disabled woman's story. 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. He was sent to Walton Prison, Liverpool, where he was again identified as a psychopath.[9]. Michael Gregsten with his wife Janet before he was murdered in his car on the A6 by James Hanratty. .. Justice attended the trial every day, being driven there by his chauffeur, and Alphon accompanied him from time to time. Despatched to the youth wing of Wormwood Scrubs, he slashed his wrists; placed in the prison hospital, he was declared a 'potential psychopath'. They covered about 30 miles before the gunman ordered Gregsten to pull into a lay-by on the A6 at Clophill at around 01 . A woman who was raped and shot in a car with her lover - and was then hounded by people who were convinced her attacker was innocent, has told her story in a new book from beyond the grave. Storie recalled that he pronounced "things" as "fings" and "think" as "fink".[18]. circa 1962. Even Valerie's own Member of Parliament, Joan Lestor, insisted Hanratty was innocent, and once sent a letter to Valerie inviting her to join the campaign for the A6 Committee. Copyright 04/03/2023 Alamy Ltd. All rights reserved. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. 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 after taking his 9-year old son, Simon, to play in Cassiobury Park, Watford, he collected his girlfriend, Valerie Storie, 22, from work, and he and Storie went in Gregsten's Morris Minor to the Old Station Inn, Taplow, near Slough. 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. Alphon claimed he gave Gregsten two chances to get away but "each time the bloody man kept coming back". ON Tuesday, August 22, 1961, Michael Gregsten, 36, called at the home of his estranged wife at Sabine House, Abbots Langley, and, after taking his nine-year-old son, Simon, to play in Cassiobury Park, Watford, he collected his girlfriend, Valerie Storie, 22, from work. 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. The gunman then made to leave but suddenly turned back and shot Valerie several times, with five bullets hitting her. After vainly screaming and waving her petticoat to attract the attention of passing motorists, Storie lost consciousness. [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. On 7 September 1954, aged 17, Hanratty appeared before Harrow Magistrates' where he was placed on probation for taking a motor vehicle without consent, and for driving without a licence or insurance. 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. A BBC Panorama episode in 1966 included extracts from the Jean Justice tapes. Hanratty was initially buried in the grounds of Bedford Gaol, but, on 22 February 1966, his remains were exhumed and re-interred in a grave at Watford, later shared with his aunt.[22][23]. On 19 March 1997, the Home Office referred the case to the new Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) where Baden Skitt chaired the investigation. The police then took the unusual step of publicly naming Alphon as the murder suspect. [8], Gregsten was a scientist at the Road Research Laboratory in Slough. You shot him. Case 173: Rocio Wanninkhof & Sonia Carabantes, Tributes pour in for Sloughs brave Valerie Storie. On April 4, 1962, Hanratty was hanged by executioner Harry Allen at Bedford Prison. Despite being the victim of an unspeakable crime, Valerie found herself at the centre of a witch hunt committed to proving the innocence of the man she knew to be her attacker. Nudds also now added that Alphon had left the hotel 'calm and composed'. Twice he told Gregsten to turn off the road and then changed his mind, and the car returned to the A6. 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. My evidence has never changed, neither have I ever had any doubts. Was Michael actually going to leave his wife and two boys? They drove around the suburbs of North London, apparently aimlessly. Journalists such as Paul Foot and Bob Woffinden campaigned for years to prove Hanratty's innocence, casting doubt on Valerie's evidence.