Mr Gregsten's body was tonight identified by his wife, Janet. 1945: Ex-soldier buried his wife on Anglesey beach after . The gunman ordered Gregsten to drive in several directions, before stopping beside the A6 at Deadman's Hill, where the offences took place. He then stated that he had in fact been in the Welsh coastal town of Rhyl. The hotel manager, William Nudds, made a statement to police naming the last occupant of the room as 'James Ryan'. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. A brown, check car rug was spread out; another small, personalised feature of the rallying Morris. [citation needed]. Organize, control, distribute and measure all of your digital content. Was James Hanratty Guilty or Innocent? If he hand't been hanged, with life sentences meted out today, then he would be long out of prison. Find Janet Gregsten stock photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images. Jet tila michael voltaggio and defending champion and last seasons winner brooke williamson. It was about 1954 that Hanratty became attracted to Soho, where he frequented various clubs and other haunts of the criminal underworld. He started to bombard his own solicitor with threatening phone calls and letters. Were going to have traffic chaos. France also left behind several letters for his family, the contents of which have never been made public. But in May 2002 the Court of Appeal ruled that the DNA evidence had established his guilt "beyond doubt". Transferred briefly to Durham Prison, he was returned to Strangeways where, having served his full term, he was released in March 1961, aged 24. After nine hours, they returned to the court and entered a unanimous verdict of guilty. Mr Stickler said: 'She was absolutely measured and calm and wholly consistent from minute one to the very end. 1985: West German spy chief defects to East, Man finds A6 murder weapon - broadcast 25 August 1961. 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. All of this money was anonymously donated to Slough Mobility Transport for the purchase of two new vehicles, one of which was named 'Valerie'. She told them: "I have never had a problem with the truth. Bitterness continued in 1970 when the A6 Committee held a public meeting in Bedford to raise awareness of their concerns. Storie then left the car and returned to sit beside Gregsten's body. 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. It was a conclusive match. 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.'. She said: 'They have built their case on this myth and it has grown to become pure folklore. I'm thinking." 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. He believes that one of the other people was the murdered man's spurned wife, Janet Gregsten, who died recently, and at . 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. how to save a picture on laptop without mouse. 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. 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. ;Picture taken at home of Mrs. Janet Gregston with her two sons Anthony 3 and Simon (9) 1961. Hanratty said he had called into a sweetshop in Scotland Road and asked directions to 'Carleton' or 'Tarleton' Road. On 11 October, Hanratty was arrested by police in Blackpool, at the Stevonia cafe. They had been here on a few occasions before, to make love or simply to spend time alone together. 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. 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. However, she was certain that this occurred on Monday 21 August. Flatline intro and Come play with me intro and outro www.dl-sounds.com, Logo and website design Paulina Szymanska, James Hanratty: The A6 Murder Crime Files, Tributes pour in for Sloughs brave Valerie Storie Slough & South Bucks Observer, Man is charged with A6 murder The Guardian, Court told of A6 car chase The Guardian, Calls to Yard in A6 case The Guardian, Hanratty family in new appeal against murder conviction BBC News, Police denial of concealing evidence The Guardian, Lay by murder gun identified The Guardian, New search in lay by murder The Guardian, Lennon film on the A6 murder found The Observer, Fresh confession revives Hanratty doubts The Guardian, Appeal court to reveal Hanratty murder case The Guardian, DNA hampers effort to clear Hanratty The Guardian, Murder casebook: James Hanratty Crime and Investigation Network, A miscarriage of justice? Snus is a pasteurized, air-cured, smokeless and spitless tobacco, usually found in pouches. Even when she was vindicated at a trial in 2002, she said little more than a few words publicly. They were ordered to drive to Deadman's Hill, where the attack took place. Search for stock images, vectors and videos, Available for editorial use only. They kissed only once. [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 decision by the Court of Appeal included a discussion of the handling of the various items of evidence involved. 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). 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. 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. Hanratty became one of the final eight people in the UK to be executed before capital punishment was abolished, but the others that came after him were seen as 'more clear cut' cases, so the idea of Hanratty's innocence became a beacon for those opposing capital punished. Next, use the -inch open-end wrench and pull out the thermistor by turning it counter-clockwise. The following extract describes the moments leading up to the events on that fateful nightin August 1961 that turned her life upside down Valeries shopping basket rested on the back seat. 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. When this evidence went to court in 2002, proving Hanratty's guilt beyond any doubt, reporters once again hounded Valerie to speak. A BBC Panorama episode in 1966 included extracts from the Jean Justice tapes. If you do as I tell you, you will be all right." October 11th, 1961, James Hanratty was arrested for murder and rape. Journalists such as Paul Foot and Bob Woffinden campaigned for years to prove Hanratty's innocence, casting doubt on Valerie's evidence. 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". 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. His reason for lying was that he had seen that Alphon was the police's prime suspect, and had wanted to assist their case. mobile homes for rent in hammond, la / bourbon red turkey egg production / bourbon red turkey egg production At Deadman's Hill the man ordered Gregsten to pull into a lay-by. "James Hanratty killed Michael Gregsten. Bedfordshire Live spoke to Paul about the newly-released book, which is titled The Long Silence - just as Valerie had intended. After holding them at gunpoint for two hours, Hanratty told Michael to start driving because he wanted food. Michael was 14 years older than her and married with two children, though he was in the process of separating from his wife. Among the prosecution team at the trial was Geoffrey Lane, who was subsequently appointed Lord Chief Justice. 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. 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. Detectives and tracker dogs have spent the day searching the surrounding area and so far two cartridges have been found. [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. It details 22 attempts made by Michael and Valerie to escape or frustrate the gunman, including hatching a plan to drive into a policeman if they came across one on the journey in order to get his attention. Please God, the judgement by the Lord Chief Justice sees not merely the end of yet one more chapter but the end of this book that has been part of my life for so many years. One dog was subsequently put to sleep due the severity of it's injuries. After Hanratty received a unanimous verdict of guilty in court, a petition arguing his innocence was signed by 90,000 people, but an appeal was dismissed. Save up to 30% when you upgrade to an image pack. [8], Gregsten was a scientist at the Road Research Laboratory in Slough. 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. Collect, curate and comment on your files. The pair tracked down Peter Alphon in February 1962, and began a long friendship with him for the purposes of establishing the truth. Still can't find what you're looking for? 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. Storie recalled that he pronounced "things" as "fings" and "think" as "fink".[18]. This standard of travel plan isnt good enough in the modern age. I know that because I was there. 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. 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. 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. After a failed escape attempt, Hanratty was transferred to Camp Hill Prison, Isle of Wight. However, as Paul's book reveals, these words were a mask for her true feelings. She wanted to write a book to finally give her version of events but did not get round to this before her death in 2016. michael gregsten wife / June 11, 2022 June 11, 2022 / were achilles and patroclus cousins /. 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. "Im a desperate man. Case 173: Rocio Wanninkhof & Sonia Carabantes, Tributes pour in for Sloughs brave Valerie Storie. The prosecution produced witnesses attesting that all the rooms were already occupied at the time and accused Mrs Jones of being an unreliable witness. [31] Woffinden wrote that there is no evidence that the witnesses even saw the same Morris Minor. 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. Yet in spite of this, Valerie kept her silence, Paul explained. 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. At about 1.30am on August 23, Hanratty told Michael to pull into a lay-by at Deadman's Hill and to hand over his duffle bag. However, only two days later, Storie gave a different description of her assailant to the police. 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. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. It was clear he either had not driven before, or was unfamiliar with a Morris Minor. michael gregsten wife. [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. The sudden intrusion did not seem real. In August 1961, 22-year-old Valerie Storie and 36-year-old Michael Gregsten were the victims of James Hanratty in the notorious 'A6 Murder'. Storie and Gregsten pleaded with him not to shoot them. Hanratty's family and their supporters have continued to contest this conclusion and to press for a further review of his conviction. All you have to do is to click here and type in your email address. No DNA other than Hanratty's was found on the handkerchief in which the murder weapon had been found wrapped. Michael Gregsten is a 36-year-old research scientist at the Road Research Laboratory at Langley, near Slough. And when she was found the following morning she was able to give a hugely detailed description of what happened. All rights reserved. (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. Grow your brand authentically by sharing brand content with the internets creators. Mr Gregsten's body was tonight identified by his wife, Janet. On 29 August, Valerie Storie and another witness, Edward Blackhall, who had seen the driver of the Morris Minor, compiled an Identikit picture which was then released. 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. As a result of these facts, after the A6 murder, Valerie was often unfairly characterised as a "loose woman". In the 'Storie papers' is a script containing her stronger feelings on the matter. Gregsten had been hit twice in the head and died instantly. 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. Alphon claimed he gave Gregsten two chances to get away but "each time the bloody man kept coming back". (just round the corner from the authors house). The gunman then made to leave but suddenly turned back and shot Valerie several times, with five bullets hitting her. [45][46], This article is about the 1961 murder on the A6 road in England. 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. Valentine's Day collision leaves moped rider with 'life-changing' injuries. 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's early years were troubled. Lying next to Gregsten, semi-conscious, was Gregsten's mistress, Valerie Jean Storie (24 November 1938 26 March 2016). 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. In 1999 the case was referred to the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC). We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. Just before the defence opened its case, Hanratty changed part of his alibi. 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. This image could have imperfections as its either historical or reportage. On the evening of August 22, 1961, lovers Michael Gregsten and Valerie Storie were parked by a field near Slough. Paul's book describes the events in great detail of the night in illuminating detail, based on Valerie's accounts. He also wrote a letter to the coroner, in which he referred to the great harm done to the family by Hanratty. Access the best of Getty Images with our simple subscription plan. She was of the opinion that it is for all of us to make the most of what we have been dealt.'. In 1997, a police inquiry concluded he was wrongfully convicted and the case was sent to the Court of Appeal,[1] which ruled in 2002 that a DNA test conclusively proved Hanratty's guilt beyond any doubt.[2]. They dispatched a telegram to Valerie's place of work, inviting her to the Corn Exchange to "refute any allegations that may be made against you". Where was the money going to come from? During the 1990s, increasingly advanced DNA analysis techniques became widely available. None of it made sense. AboutPressCopyrightContact. Michael wound down his window, only halfway, when a gun was thrust through the gap, its muzzle pointing directly at them. 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.