Or did Scotland Yard have the right man all along? This would be of no interest except for possibly the oddest coincidence in the case. [37][38] However, they further went on to note, in the summary of their judgement: The DNA evidence does not stand alone and the Court refers to some of the more striking coincidences in the light of the DNA evidence if James Hanratty was not guilty. They were, though, generally relaxed talking in their cornfield. He also wrote a letter to the coroner, in which he referred to the great harm done to the family by Hanratty. 10:56, 04 Apr 2022 ', Professor Adrian Hobbs, a close friend of Valerie who worked with her at the Road Research Laboratory in Bracknell, Berkshire, said: 'I think she was just waiting to be vindicated. In October 1955, aged 18, Hanratty appeared at the County of Middlesex Sessions, where he was sentenced to two terms of two years' imprisonment, to run concurrently, for housebreaking and theft. 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. What Is The Case Of Michael Gregsten's Suicide. The man then kept them there for two hours, chattering to them incessantly. On the evening of August 22, 1961, a car containing lovers Michael Gregsten and Valerie Storie, was parked by a field near . But when Michael reached for the bag Hanratty shot him twice in the head, killing him instantly. Mr Stickler said: 'She was absolutely measured and calm and wholly consistent from minute one to the very end. At Deadman's Hill the man ordered Gregsten to pull into a lay-by. The Criminal Cases Review Commission announced yesterday that the case of. 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. 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. "[25], The journalist and campaigner Ludovic Kennedy wrote many articles asserting Hanratty's innocence. 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. During the incident, the victim was kicked in the back and suffered minor injuries. Michael wound down his window, only halfway, when a gun was thrust through the gap, its muzzle pointing directly at them. Hanratty claimed that his suitcase had been handed in to Lime Street Station to a 'man with a withered or turned hand'. "Valerie has worked at the laboratory since she left school five years ago and she has known Michael for a long time.". She didn't change her story one iota.'. RM ID: B5E30P Preview Image details Contributor: Trinity Mirror / Mirrorpix / Alamy Stock Photo File size: 30 MB (1.3 MB Compressed download) Releases: Miss Storie's mother, Mrs John Storie, said: "Michael came here last night and had tea with Valerie. (just round the corner from the authors house). Even when she was vindicated at a trial in 2002, she said little more than a few words publicly. Snus is a pasteurized, air-cured, smokeless and spitless tobacco, usually found in pouches. 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 The James Hanratty case is perhaps Bedfordshire's most notorious murder. 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? It was about 1954 that Hanratty became attracted to Soho, where he frequented various clubs and other haunts of the criminal underworld. michael gregsten wife / June 11, 2022 June 11, 2022 / were achilles and patroclus cousins /. Circa 1962. [12] Kerr alerted Sydney Burton, a farm labourer, who flagged down two cars and asked the drivers to call an ambulance. After leaving the school in 1951 at the age of 15, Hanratty, still illiterate, joined the Public Cleansing Department of Wembley Borough Council as a refuse sorter. Surely we could do much better?, Man in his 70s attacked in his home by burglars in Luton. 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. Michael Gregsten with his wife Janet before he was murdered in his car on the A6 by James Hanratty. She was of the opinion that it is for all of us to make the most of what we have been dealt.'. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. 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. And when she was found the following morning she was able to give a hugely detailed description of what happened. Mr Gregsten's body was tonight identified by his wife, Janet. Michael Gregsten with his wife Janet before he was murdered in his car on the A6 by James Hanratty. 22:52, 05 Apr 2022. 341,587,075 stock photos, 360 panoramic images, vectors and videos, Share Alamy images with your team and customers. In 1999 the case was referred to the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC). We'll also send you alerts about important breaking news. [4][5][6][7] By 1937, the family had moved to Wembley in northwest London. [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. map Storie drank gin and Pepsi, Gregsten had Double Diamond. Gregsten had been hit twice in the head and died instantly. A brown, check car rug was spread out; another small, personalised feature of the rallying Morris. ", "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? With the gun was a handkerchief which provided DNA evidence many years later. 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. Save up to 30% when you upgrade to an image pack. Drain the heater and clean it. Neutral Citation Number: [2002] Crim 1141", "James Hanratty: Close to a final verdict? The man tied Storie's hands behind her back with Gregsten's tie and then saw a duffle bag containing some clean clothing. 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. But if it happens, use the ignition to turn the pilot on again. She refused and, having managed to free her hands, tried to disarm him but was overpowered; after he threatened to shoot her, she relented. 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. Even Valerie's own Member of Parliament, Joan Lestor, insisted Hanratty was innocent. 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. One dog was subsequently put to sleep due the severity of it's injuries. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. The hotel manager, William Nudds, made a statement to police naming the last occupant of the room as 'James Ryan'. He leaves two sons, aged seven and two. 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. Professor Hobbs described Valerie as a 'bloody minded and determined' woman with a charming character. When Valerie died and her papers were given to me I became determined to retell the story with her perspective at its heart. Within a few days, the defence had checked and assembled a new alibi for Hanratty. 1985: West German spy chief defects to East, Man finds A6 murder weapon - broadcast 25 August 1961. Their relationship started over a mutual love of car . After ignoring her pleas to shoot her as well, or let her get help for Gregsten, the gunman told her to kiss him. France, who had suffered from bouts of severe depression for many years, committed suicide by gassing himself (his third attempt) about two weeks before the execution. His reason for lying was that he had seen that Alphon was the police's prime suspect, and had wanted to assist their case. 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. My evidence has never changed, neither have I ever had any doubts. It was full of her personal effects including her handbag, a wallet and a purse, a few pound notes and coins pushed inside them. She said: 'They have built their case on this myth and it has grown to become pure folklore. It was now approximately 3am, six hours after the ordeal had started at Dorney Reach. Professor Hobbs said: 'She never felt sorry for herself. Despite this, Michael was having an affair with his 22-year-old lab assistant, Valerie Storie. First sergeant epr bullets june 30, 2022 | | 0 comment | 2:40 pm. .. October 11th, 1961, James Hanratty was arrested for murder and rape. [45][46], This article is about the 1961 murder on the A6 road in England. 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. Eight weeks later he was found semi-conscious in the street, having apparently collapsed from either hunger or exposure. Peter Alphon died in January 2009 after a fall at his home. 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. Usher admitted remembering Hanratty and the suitcase, and partly remembered the name of the man as 'Ratty'; he was located by private detectives working for the defence, but was never called as a witness. Results from testing in June 1999 were said to be strong evidence of a familial match - the evidential DNA was "two and a half million times more likely" to belong to James Hanratty than to anyone else. In March 1958, aged 21, at the County of London Sessions, Hanratty was again convicted of car theft, and of driving while disqualified, and sentenced to three years' corrective training at Wandsworth Prison, and then to Maidstone Prison. The trial lasted 21 days, the longest in English legal history up to that time.[21]. At the trial the prosecution called Peter Stringer, who had an artificial arm, but who denied ever having seen the suitcase or Hanratty. [35], James Hanratty's body was exhumed in 2001 to extract his DNA. Lying next to Gregsten, semi-conscious, was Gregsten's mistress, Valerie Jean Storie (24 November 1938 26 March 2016). 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. What Valerie then saw surprised her. On 11 September, two cartridge cases were found in the guest basement bedroom of the Vienna Hotel, which were matched with the bullets that killed Gregsten and to the ones in the gun found on the bus. Alphon subsequently surrendered himself, and was subjected to an intense interrogation. Valeries immediate instinct was that it was the farmer coming to find out what they were doing and to tell them to get off his land. 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. The initial prime suspects were Hanratty, a petty criminal, and Peter Louis Alphon, an eccentric drifter. It was a conclusive match. A man tapped on the driver's door window; when Gregsten wound it down, a large black revolver was thrust into his face, and a cockney voice said, "This is a hold-up, I am a desperate man, I have been on the run for four months. Michael Streeter on the latest twist in a celebrated murder mystery. "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.". 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. He stayed in a room the night before the crime from which bullets that had been fired from the murder weapon were recovered. Her testimony was critical in securing a guilty verdict, but this was questioned by many who felt the supporting evidence too weak to justify conviction, and Hanratty's brother fought for decades to have the verdict overturned. She then began to draft a book telling her story of what happened that night on the A6, and of the suspicions she endured for years after, but tragically she died in 2016 before she wrote it. He started to bombard his own solicitor with threatening phone calls and letters. Hi, It's truly a crying shame that all the postings on this fascinating forum have been lost, seemingly for ever. Journalists such as Paul Foot and Bob Woffinden campaigned for years to prove Hanratty's innocence, casting doubt on Valerie's evidence. His companion, 22-year-old laboratory assistant, Valerie Storie, from Cippenham, near Slough, had been raped and shot five times in the chest. The following month Richard Ingrams, a close friend and colleague of Paul Foot, wrote a brief article about Alphon's part in the case in The Independent. Jet tila michael voltaggio and defending champion and last seasons winner brooke williamson. 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. Jamal Edwards, a music producer and entrepreneur, died suddenly in February 2022. He said: "Whenever journalists came to her asking to tell her story she said no, as they'd misrepresent her. Alphon was the son of a senior figure at Scotland Yard. 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. Storie recalled what the man had said about being on the run for four months, yet he was immaculately dressed in a dark three-piece suit and with well-shined shoes. All rights reserved. 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 was 14 years older than her and married with two children, though he was in the process of separating from his wife. When she refused, the man got out and forced her out of the car at gunpoint, pushing her on to the back seat, where he ordered her to undo her brassiere and remove her underwear before raping her. Get in touch for any commercial. [34][37][39], At the appeal hearing in 2002, Michael Mansfield QC, the barrister acting for the Hanratty family, said that a vial, among surviving evidential items, had been broken which could account for contamination. [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. The police issued an appeal to boarding-house keepers to report any unusual or suspicious guests. Pre-pay for multiple images and download on demand. 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. 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. However, what isn't well known is Valerie's side of the story. Boards are the best place to save images and video clips. A man threatened the couple with a gun. The man then said he wanted to sleep, and that he would have to tie them up. [34] Modern testing of DNA from Hanratty's exhumed corpse and members of his family convinced Court of Appeal judges in 2002 that Hanratty's guilt was proved "beyond doubt". By the age of 11 he had been declared ineducable at St James Catholic High School, Burnt Oak, Barnet, although his parents steadfastly refused to accept he was in any way mentally deficient and successfully resisted attempts to have him placed in a special school. 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.". michael gregsten wife / June 11, 2022 June 11, 2022 / were achilles and patroclus cousins /. 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. The campaign got even more attention when Beatle John Lennon, and his partner, Yoko Ono, joined the campaign. If you're looking for a way to stay up to date with the latest breaking news from around Bedfordshire, the BedfordshireLive newsletter is a good place to start. Moreover, the murderer drove badly, whereas Hanratty was an experienced car thief. . 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. This turned out to be untrue, as her and her boyfriend, Michael Gregsten, were held up by a gunman and held captive in Gregsten's car for five hours. 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. However, she was certain that this occurred on Monday 21 August. [31] Woffinden wrote that there is no evidence that the witnesses even saw the same Morris Minor. He then retrieved a cloth from the duffle bag, covered Gregsten's bloodied head with it, and ordered Storie to clamber into the back of the car, over Gregsten's body. In July of the following year he fell from his bicycle, injuring his head and remaining unconscious for 10 hours; he was admitted to Wembley Hospital, where he remained for nine days. He ordered them to drive to . 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. Sign up here. Despite being pilloried by the media, Valerie Storie withdrew from the limelight and tried to live a normal life. [36] His DNA was compared with other DNA extracted from, firstly, mucus preserved in the handkerchief within which the murder weapon had been found wrapped and, secondly, semen preserved in the underwear worn by Storie when she was raped. 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.'. Ingrams said that Alphon, in conversations with Foot and others, had spoken "obsessively about the case, frequently incriminating himself". He took several steps back to the car before turning and firing four bullets at her, then reloaded and fired again. 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. During 1962, the case caught the interest of London businessman Jean Justice, the son of a Belgian diplomat and partner of barrister Jeremy Fox. Bedfordshire Live spoke to Paul about the newly-released book, which is titled The Long Silence - just as Valerie had intended. She identified James Hanratty as her attacker during an identity parade. Keep an eye on the newspapers, this in years to come will come out.". 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. 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 Getty Images design is a trademark of Getty Images. [28] However, Bob Woffinden wrote that there was only one occasion when Justice and Jeremy Fox supported Alphon financially, when Fox paid a hotel bill for him. 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. This is a hold-up, a mans voice said. 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. 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. , updated [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. The comments below have not been moderated, By When this evidence went to court in 2002, proving Hanratty's guilt beyond any doubt, reporters once again hounded Valerie to speak. 2023 Getty Images. Michael J. Gregston [, GRO Register of Marriages: SEP 1951 5f 1655 WOOD GREEN - Michael J. Gregsten = Janet Phillips or Kinnock, GRO Register of Deaths: JAN 1995 38C 7831 24 HORSHAM - Janet Gregsten, DoB = 9 Jan 1930, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Wrongly hanged: Hanratty is found innocent", "40 years after his execution, appeal judges say DNA is certain proof of Hanratty's guilt", "Hansard (for the 2 August 1963 sitting)", "We will never know the truth about the A6 killer", "After 36 years, Hanratty is set to be cleared", "Appeal Court to review Hanratty murder case", "England and Wales Court of Appeal (Criminal Division) Decisions. That's basically taking the rest of his brothers life with him, since he knew he wouldn't be cleared. 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. Hanratty put a cloth over Michael's bloodied head before raping Valerie on the back seat of the car. DESCRIPTIONIn August 1961, a couple by the name of Michael Gregsten and Valerie Storie were sitting in their Morris Minor car in Dorney Reach, UK, when an in. [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. Hanratty's early years were troubled. If he hand't been hanged, with life sentences meted out today, then he would be long out of prison. I had found the guilty person. During the 1990s, increasingly advanced DNA analysis techniques became widely available. 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. 'There's a very powerful human story in this. Valerie criticised the journalists who campaigned to prove Hanratty's innocence in an interview with the Mail on Sunday in 2002. You shot him. Collaborate with our global Enterprise Sales team. All you have to do is to click here and type in your email address. At that time there was no conclusive forensic evidence to connect Hanratty with the car or the murder scene. He was then buried in the grounds of Bedford Gaol. Millions of high-quality images, video, and music options are waiting for you. 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. 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]. Woman left with serious injuries after dog attack on residential road in Luton. It's best to encompass . 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. "I would be terrified of every unusual sound or knock at the door. The man was immaculately dressed. 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. 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. Where was the money going to come from? Justice took the precaution of making thorough notes, and recording all telephone conversations with Alphon. 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. michael gregsten wife. 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. This is a hold-up," a mans voice said. [citation needed]. 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. She was always absolutely certain that she was right, there was no question about that.'. He argued that the evidence may have been contaminated because of lax handling procedures.[34][40]. 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. By the time of his arrest for the murder of Michael Gregsten, Hanratty had already accumulated four convictions for motoring offences and housebreaking. "If anyone doesn't want to be punished then they, surely, don't commit the crime. FBiH - Konkursi za turistike vodie i voditelje putnike agencije. Streamline your workflow with our best-in-class digital asset management system. Shortly after his discharge, Hanratty left home for Brighton, where he obtained casual work with a road haulier. But then the other suspect, Peter Alphon, publicly confesses to the crime. [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. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. [citation needed] She remembered a man resembling Hanratty, and at first said he stayed there during the week of 1926 August but later said she couldnt really remember what week he did stay.