Source: www.apartments.com. The man then said he wanted to sleep, and that he would have to tie them up. His wife, Maureen Hanratty, said the family had been 'put through hell' because of the behaviour of the authorities. [27] Justice encouraged the initially reluctant Fox to help him expose what he believed to be the fabrication of the case against Hanratty. A group known as the A6 Committee was set up, with newspaper articles following and demands for an independent review in the House of Lords. The pair had been intimate for two years after meeting through work, and seemingly had spoken about marriage. 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. Within a few days, the defence had checked and assembled a new alibi for Hanratty. 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. Long before his trial for the A6 murder, he had already been described as a retard, a psychopath, and a pathological liar. Hanratty claimed that his suitcase had been handed in to Lime Street Station to a 'man with a withered or turned hand'. 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. You shot him. dr mark weiss psychologist; evaluate crossword clue 4 letters; pitt county jail bookings twitter. They had been here on a few occasions before, to make love or simply to spend time alone together. DNA samples from both sources exactly matched James Hanratty's DNA. He also claimed the gun went off by accident. Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images France also left behind several letters for his family, the contents of which have never been made public. October 11th, 1961, James Hanratty was arrested for murder and rape. The man was immaculately dressed. The A6 Committee made a list of claims which, they contended, indicated that Alphon was the murderer: Paul Foot warned "against jumping to hasty conclusions, in particular about Peter Alphon he really didn't know as much as he pretended. Tap into Getty Images' global scale, data-driven insights, and network of more than 340,000 creators to create content exclusively for your brand. He leaves two sons, aged seven and two. The police issued an appeal to boarding-house keepers to report any unusual or suspicious guests. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. Alphon subsequently surrendered himself, and was subjected to an intense interrogation. Valerie and 36-year-old Michael Gregsten were held captive in their car for five hours by a gunman who forced them to drive 60 miles from Buckinghamshire to Bedfordshire before shooting them. He said: "Whenever journalists came to her asking to tell her story she said no, as they'd misrepresent her. ", Planned school expansion will cause 'traffic chaos', councillor claims, Councillor Victoria Harvey warned: This council is failing on travel plans. [35], James Hanratty's body was exhumed in 2001 to extract his DNA. ;Picture taken at home of Mrs. Janet Gregston with her two sons Anthony 3 and Simon (9) 1961. Alphon stuck to his confession and continued to repeat it until about 1971, when he withdrew his claims. When this evidence went to court in 2002, proving Hanratty's guilt beyond any doubt, reporters once again hounded Valerie to speak. People need to know what this poor woman went through.'. When Paul was handed what he calls the 'Storie papers', made up of her own notes on that fateful night as well as police tapes, he decided her story needed to be told. 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. 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. The day before he died he wrote a letter to his brother Michael in which he said: "I'm dying tomorrow but I'm innocent. 22nd August 1961, Michael Gregsten a 36-year-old research scientist at the Road Research Laboratory at Langley, near Slough. E-mail this story to a friend Watch/Listen Detectives search the murder scene Man finds A6. No DNA other than Hanratty's was found on the handkerchief in which the murder weapon had been found wrapped. [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. This is a hold-up, a mans voice said. RM ID: B5E30P Preview Image details Contributor: Trinity Mirror / Mirrorpix / Alamy Stock Photo File size: 30 MB (1.3 MB Compressed download) Releases: 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. According to this, Hanratty had gone to Rhyl to sell a stolen watch to a 'fence', arriving there in the evening of Tuesday 22 August and staying in a boarding house near the railway line. During the 1990s, increasingly advanced DNA analysis techniques became widely available. Nudds' statement also said that Alphon had stayed in the hotel as he claimed, and had remained in his room, Room 6, all night. The car had been jointly owned by Gregsten's mother and aunt, and lent to the couple who, according to Storie, were planning to attend a car rally. 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. [citation needed]. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. By the time of his arrest for the murder of Michael Gregsten, Hanratty had already accumulated four convictions for motoring offences and housebreaking. [12] Kerr alerted Sydney Burton, a farm labourer, who flagged down two cars and asked the drivers to call an ambulance. Even once she had been shot and was passing in and out of consciousness, she still managed to wave her petticoat to try to attract attention. Circa 1962. 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). He was then buried in the grounds of Bedford Gaol. A man threatened the couple with a gun. In October 2000, the Court of Appeal ordered the exhumation of Hanratty's body. The manager of the Alexandra Court Hotel reported a man who had locked himself in his room for five days after the murder, and the police picked him up. "I would be terrified of every unusual sound or knock at the door. It was about 1954 that Hanratty became attracted to Soho, where he frequented various clubs and other haunts of the criminal underworld. 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! 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. When Alphon found out, he flew into a rage. We'll also send you alerts about important breaking news. 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. Save up to 30% when you upgrade to an image pack. They compared his DNA to that found on Valerie's underwear and the handkerchief in which the murder weapon had been contained, and found a conclusive match. One dog was subsequently put to sleep due the severity of it's injuries. 341,587,075 stock photos, 360 panoramic images, vectors and videos, Share Alamy images with your team and customers. 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. She didn't change her story one iota.'. AboutPressCopyrightContact. mobile homes for rent in hammond, la / bourbon red turkey egg production / bourbon red turkey egg production ", "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? 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. Free shipping for many products! His last words to his family were "Mick, I am completely innocent. The pair had been intimate for two years after meeting through work, and seemingly had spoken about marriage. 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. Boards are the best place to save images and video clips. Believing that he had killed her, Hanratty drove south in the direction of Luton. 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. Michael wound down his window, only halfway, when a gun was thrust through the gap, its muzzle pointing directly at them. He leaves two sons, aged seven and two. On April 4, 1962, Hanratty was hanged by executioner Harry Allen at Bedford Prison. Were they to marry? Neutral Citation Number: [2002] Crim 1141", "James Hanratty: Close to a final verdict? With the gun was a handkerchief which provided DNA evidence many years later. Hanratty also raped Gregsten's fiance, Valerie Storie, shot her five times and left her for dead. At the trial the prosecution called Peter Stringer, who had an artificial arm, but who denied ever having seen the suitcase or Hanratty. 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. The author now hopes that the posthumous autobiography will be turned into a film so that more people can learn about what she endured. He attempted to escape that facility as well, and was sent to Strangeways Prison, Manchester. The gunman ordered Gregsten to drive in several directions, before stopping beside the A6 at Deadman's Hill, where the offences took place. michael gregsten wife / June 11, 2022 June 11, 2022 / were achilles and patroclus cousins /. 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. 2022 Casefile True Crime Podcast. However, she was certain that this occurred on Monday 21 August. [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. "[42], Following the DNA evidence in 2002, Storie earned over 40,000 for her participation in various TV and newspaper documentaries. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. She said: 'They have built their case on this myth and it has grown to become pure folklore. [24] The Committee attempted to assist Hanratty in his defence, and later tried to disprove his conviction. After nine hours, they returned to the court and entered a unanimous verdict of guilty. The gunman then made to leave but suddenly turned back and shot Valerie several times, with five bullets hitting her. Historical-Meal-5525 2 yr. ago. The gunman knew the Bear Hotel, Maidenhead. 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. Twice he told Gregsten to turn off the road and then changed his mind, and the car returned to the A6. 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. 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. We choose the most important stories of the day to include in the email, including crime, court news, long reads, traffic and travel, food and drink articles and more. Hanratty found a job there driving a mechanical shovel for the company of Green Brothers, which made breeze blocks, and remained with the firm for three years. Jet tila michael voltaggio and defending champion and last seasons winner brooke williamson. Michael is married and he and his wife Janet have two boys, Simon, eight, and Anthony, nearly two.But Michael is having an affair with his 22-year-old lab assistant, Valerie Storie. [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. Michael J. Gregsten, mmn = Oulet, GRO Register of Deaths: JUN 1962 4a 7 AMPTHILL. The murder weapon was recovered from a place on a bus which he regarded as a hiding place and the bus followed a route he could well have used. He argued that the evidence may have been contaminated because of lax handling procedures.[34][40]. Make an enquiry and our team will be get in touch with you ASAP. 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. James Hanratty was later tried, convicted and executed for the murder of Michael John Gregsten on the A6 road.
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