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[citation needed] Hanratty's defence claimed that Mrs Dinwoodie was mistaken about the date. 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. Bitterness continued in 1970 when the A6 Committee held a public meeting in Bedford to raise awareness of their concerns. 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. Gregsten was ordered to stop at a milk vending machine and sent into a shop to buy cigarettes, and then to stop at a petrol station for more fuel. She was always absolutely certain that she was right, there was no question about that.'. On April 4, 1962, Hanratty was hanged by executioner Harry Allen at Bedford Prison. No defence on the basis of mental history was raised at Hanrattys trial. On the evening of August 22, 1961, a car containing lovers Michael Gregsten and Valerie Storie, was parked by a field near . I do this act in the knowledge that it will clear my family's character of any act or wrong'. 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. 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. michael gregsten wife. During the incident, the victim was kicked in the back and suffered minor injuries. Free shipping for many products! 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. 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 there was a tap on the driver's window. (Photo by Central Press/Getty Images) Victim's Wife 23rd November 1961: Mrs Janet Gregsten arrives at Ampthill Court in Bedfordshire, to attend the trial of James Hanratty for the murder of her husband, Michael Gregsten. Gregsten at first refused, but the man became aggressive and threatened them with the gun. 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. He then stated that he had in fact been in the Welsh coastal town of Rhyl. For pouch chewers, reach down in the bottom of the pouch, where the tobacco is moist, and grab a small handful. What Valerie then saw surprised her. The man was immaculately dressed. During 1962, the case caught the interest of London businessman Jean Justice, the son of a Belgian diplomat and partner of barrister Jeremy Fox. 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. However, only two days later, Storie gave a different description of her assailant to the police. After vainly screaming and waving her petticoat to attract the attention of passing motorists, Storie lost consciousness. 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". Hanratty telephoned Scotland Yard several times, saying he had fled because he had no credible alibi for the date in question, but repeated each time that he had nothing to do with the A6 murder. [43][44][citation needed], Valerie Storie died on 26 March 2016 aged 77 in the Cippenham house where she had been born. People need to know what this poor woman went through.'. [citation needed]. In police line-ups, Storie did not recognise Alphon, but eventually identified Hanratty. He explained: "I felt the story had been misrepresented and needed a retelling from a fresh perspective. 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. 'What I do find distasteful is that the family's belief in their son's innocence has been boosted by campaigners who have given them false hope. I would ask you now to respect my wish to be left in piece.". [8], Hanratty claimed that he was staying with friends in Liverpool at the time of the murder, where he had also gone to see one of his criminal friends and former cell mate Terry McNally from Dingle to sell some jewellery. But if it happens, use the ignition to turn the pilot on again. Professor Hobbs said: 'She never felt sorry for herself. Mr Stickler said: 'She was absolutely measured and calm and wholly consistent from minute one to the very end. 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. 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. The man then said he wanted to sleep, and that he would have to tie them up. They were ordered to drive to Deadman's Hill, where the attack took place. 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]. Were they to marry? Alphon subsequently surrendered himself, and was subjected to an intense interrogation. Select from premium Janet Gregsten of the highest quality. Alphon claimed he gave Gregsten two chances to get away but "each time the bloody man kept coming back". But in May 2002 the Court of Appeal ruled that the DNA evidence had established his guilt "beyond doubt". With the gun still pointing at them, the man said, I have been on the run for four months. [citation needed]. 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. The police issued an appeal to boarding-house keepers to report any unusual or suspicious guests. 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. Home richfield school district michael gregsten wife. 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. Even Valerie's own Member of Parliament, Joan Lestor, insisted Hanratty was innocent. [24] The Committee attempted to assist Hanratty in his defence, and later tried to disprove his conviction. 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. 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. If you do as I tell you, you will be all right.'. [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. After climbing into the car's back seat, he ordered Gregsten to drive. 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. In some accounts of the case Janet Gregsten instigated the investigation into James Hanratty by a psychic experience. DNA samples from both sources exactly matched James Hanratty's DNA. In 1999 the case was referred to the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC). [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. 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. 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. 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. She didn't change her story one iota.'. Collaborate with our global Enterprise Sales team. He had the same identifying manner of speech as the killer. .. After nine hours, they returned to the court and entered a unanimous verdict of guilty. 341,587,075 stock photos, 360 panoramic images, vectors and videos, Share Alamy images with your team and customers. Long before his trial for the A6 murder, he had already been described as a retard, a psychopath, and a pathological liar. 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. His companion, 22-year-old laboratory assistant, Valerie Storie, from Cippenham, near Slough, had been raped and shot five times in the chest. No precise diagnoses were offered, and it has since been suggested that he suffered from either epilepsy or post-concussional syndrome, which would have had a marked effect on his personality.[8]. 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. Hi, It's truly a crying shame that all the postings on this fascinating forum have been lost, seemingly for ever. 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. 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. [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". He started to bombard his own solicitor with threatening phone calls and letters. 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. It was about 1954 that Hanratty became attracted to Soho, where he frequented various clubs and other haunts of the criminal underworld. [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. 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. But then the other suspect, Peter Alphon, publicly confesses to the crime. 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. The Criminal Cases Review Commission announced yesterday that the case of. Storie then left the car and returned to sit beside Gregsten's body. RM ID: B5E30P Preview Image details Contributor: Trinity Mirror / Mirrorpix / Alamy Stock Photo File size: 30 MB (1.3 MB Compressed download) Releases: The hotel manager, William Nudds, made a statement to police naming the last occupant of the room as 'James Ryan'. It also tells the true story of Valerie's complicated relationship with 36-year-old Michael. 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. Michael gregsten wife / june 11, 2022 june 11, 2022 / were achilles and patroclus cousins. Forensic science and the case of James Hanratty Roger Lewis, Pseudocide New Spotify exclusive podcast from Casefile Presents, ShipStation Try ShipStation FREE for 60 days with promo code CASEFILE, Best Fiends Download Best Fiends for free, Imperfect Foods Get 20% off and free shipping on your first order with offer code CASEFILE20. I'm thinking." 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. Show all articles. He argued that the evidence may have been contaminated because of lax handling procedures.[34][40]. France also left behind several letters for his family, the contents of which have never been made public. However, there was another person called William Usher, who did have two fingers missing from one hand, which looked withered. Yet in spite of this, Valerie kept her silence, Paul explained.