Mr Stickler said: 'She was absolutely measured and calm and wholly consistent from minute one to the very end. The suspect falsely identified himself as 'Frederick Durrant'; he was actually Peter Louis Alphon, a drifter surviving on an inheritance and the proceeds of gambling. [citation needed] Storie gave another statement to the police later that morning, just before she underwent surgery in Bedford Hospital. After climbing into the car's back seat, he ordered Gregsten to drive. Moreover, the murderer drove badly, whereas Hanratty was an experienced car thief. Valerie Storie survived the shooting but was left paralysed and wheelchair-bound. Ingrams said that Foot continued until his own death in 2004 to believe in Hanratty's alibi, despite the DNA tests of 2002. People need to know what this poor woman went through.'. 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. Look after mum and dad. 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. Something went wrong, please try again later. Valerie Storie was left paralysed after James Hanratty attacked her and killed her boyfriend in August 1961. ", "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? Yet in spite of this, Valerie kept her silence, Paul explained. 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. 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. He was then buried in the grounds of Bedford Gaol. Long before his trial for the A6 murder, he had already been described as a retard, a psychopath, and a pathological liar. 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.". He was a scientist at the laboratory and being a talented mathematician occasionally taught evening classes at St Albans Technical College, so extra money was coming in, but it nevertheless worried him. "I would be terrified of every unusual sound or knock at the door. 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. 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. 1985: West German spy chief defects to East, Man finds A6 murder weapon - broadcast 25 August 1961. Inside a parked Morris Minor was a 36-year-old scientist, Michael Gregsten, and his 22-year-old girlfriend, Valerie Storie. [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. Hanratty was then charged with the capital murder of Michael Gregsten. James Hanratty was later tried, convicted and executed for the murder of Michael John Gregsten on the A6 road. Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images 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. A BBC Panorama episode in 1966 included extracts from the Jean Justice tapes. July 3, 2022 July 3, 2022. RM ID: B5E30P Preview Image details Contributor: Trinity Mirror / Mirrorpix / Alamy Stock Photo File size: 30 MB (1.3 MB Compressed download) Releases: I had found the guilty person. [29] Fox split from Jean Justice in the 1970s, but continued the fight to clear Hanratty until his death in 1999, three years before the Court of Appeal upheld the conviction on the basis of the DNA evidence retrieved from Hanratty's corpse. Valentine's Day collision leaves moped rider with 'life-changing' injuries. 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. ', 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. Was this a miscarriage of justice? [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 trial lasted 21 days, the longest in English legal history up to that time.[21]. He stayed in a room the night before the crime from which bullets that had been fired from the murder weapon were recovered. [citation needed]. I looked in his eyes and he looked in mine. ;Picture taken at home of Mrs. Janet Gregston with her two sons Anthony 3 and Simon (9) 1961. On April 4, 1962, Hanratty was hanged by executioner Harry Allen at Bedford Prison. She identified James Hanratty as her attacker during an identity parade. 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. Neutral Citation Number (2002) Crim 1141, 'Musing about The A6 Bedfordshire murder', https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=James_Hanratty&oldid=1135732016. The gunman ordered Gregsten to drive in several directions, before stopping beside the A6 at Deadman's Hill, where the offences took place. (Known as the 'A6 Murderer' Known for Killing Scientist 'Michael Gregsten') 3 3 Birthdate: October 4, 1936 Sun Sign: Libra Birthplace: Bromley, Kent, England Died: April 4, 1962 Better known as the A6 Murderer, James Hanratty was one of the last people to be executed before capital punishment was abolished. Mr Gregsten's companion, Valerie Storie, was raped, shot and left for dead. 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. The prosecution was led by Graham Swanwick QC, later a High Court judge. On 19 March 1997, the Home Office referred the case to the new Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) where Baden Skitt chaired the investigation. As a result of these facts, after the A6 murder, Valerie was often unfairly characterised as a "loose woman". 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 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. They were, though, generally relaxed talking in their cornfield. 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. 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". For over thirty five years one person remained silent. The James Hanratty case is perhaps Bedfordshire's most notorious murder. "James Hanratty killed Michael Gregsten. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. Was James Hanratty Guilty or Innocent? Michael Gregsten, was shot dead in a car on the A6 in Bedfordshire in August 1961, but Hanratty claimed to be in North Wales resort . As always you can unsubscribe at any time. 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. The circumstances of Hanratty's introduction to France's family, and the reasons for the crippling sense of guilt harboured by France for the harm he felt Hanratty had inflicted on them, so great that it could only be expiated by suicide, remain a mystery.[8]. Want the latest Bedfordshire news direct to your inbox? The pair tracked down Peter Alphon in February 1962, and began a long friendship with him for the purposes of establishing the truth. 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. Secretly, however, she was drafting the contents of a book and writing hundreds of notes. Circa 1962. His companion, 22-year-old laboratory assistant, Valerie Storie, from Cippenham, near Slough, had been raped and shot five times in the chest. 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. However, she was certain that this occurred on Monday 21 August. Michael Gregsten's widow later went on to have an affair with her brother in law William Ewer, who left his wife. As she told food network, "i learned more about myself with every battle and i learned more how deeply talented the other warriors in this tournament are. 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. France also left behind several letters for his family, the contents of which have never been made public. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. 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. 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 gunman got out of the car and approached her; pleading for her life, she took a pound note from her pocket, screaming, "Here, take this, take the car and go." However, what isn't well known is Valerie's side of the story. They kissed only once. The man was immaculately dressed. Select from premium Janet Gregsten of the highest quality. [30], The Hanratty family acting through their solicitor, Sir Geoffrey Bindman, repeatedly called for further inquiries into the case. He said: "Whenever journalists came to her asking to tell her story she said no, as they'd misrepresent her. Gregsten was found shot dead in a car on the A6 in Deadman's Hill, Bedfordshire, and his girlfriend Valerie Storie was raped . Miraculously, Valerie survived, but was left paralysed from the chest down for the rest of her life. Nudds' statement also said that Alphon had stayed in the hotel as he claimed, and had remained in his room, Room 6, all night. He argued that the evidence may have been contaminated because of lax handling procedures.[34][40]. [19] Alphon claimed he had spent the evening of 22 August with his mother, and the following night at the Vienna Hotel, Maida Vale; the police quickly confirmed this and Alphon was released. 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. The case for Hanratty's innocence was pursued by his family as well as by some of the opponents of capital punishment in the United Kingdom, who maintained that Hanratty was innocent and sought to draw attention to evidence that would cast doubt on the validity of his conviction. This image could have imperfections as its either historical or reportage. Mr Gregsten's body was tonight identified by his wife, Janet. Signing up to the newsletter is simple. 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! 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. Their relationship started over a mutual love of car . He attempted to escape that facility as well, and was sent to Strangeways Prison, Manchester. When Valerie died and her papers were given to me I became determined to retell the story with her perspective at its heart. [31] Woffinden wrote that there is no evidence that the witnesses even saw the same Morris Minor. 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. It also tells the true story of Valerie's complicated relationship with 36-year-old Michael. It was about 1954 that Hanratty became attracted to Soho, where he frequented various clubs and other haunts of the criminal underworld.