As a result of these facts, after the A6 murder, Valerie was often unfairly characterised as a "loose woman". Their relationship started over a mutual love of car . 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. "[25], The journalist and campaigner Ludovic Kennedy wrote many articles asserting Hanratty's innocence. 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. Peter Alphon died in January 2009 after a fall at his home. On the evening of August 22, 1961, a car containing lovers Michael Gregsten and Valerie Storie, was parked by a field near . List Of Most Dreaded Murderers In British History He explained: "I felt the story had been misrepresented and needed a retelling from a fresh perspective. It was a conclusive match. I'm thinking." The Court concludes that this number of alleged coincidences mean that they are not coincidences but provide overwhelming proof of the safety of the conviction from an evidential perspective. [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. 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. 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. Secretly, however, she was drafting the contents of a book and writing hundreds of notes. michael gregsten wife - Synergyarabia.ae (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. James Hanratty was later tried, convicted and executed for the murder of Michael John Gregsten on the A6 road. Michael was 14 years older than her and married with two children, though he was in the process of separating from his wife. BBC ON THIS DAY | 23 | 1961: Couple found shot in A6 lay-by After vainly screaming and waving her petticoat to attract the attention of passing motorists, Storie lost consciousness. What Is The Case Of Michael Gregsten's Suicide | ipl.org Drain the heater and clean it. 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? I had found the guilty person. The gunman knew the Bear Hotel, Maidenhead. Case 173: Rocio Wanninkhof & Sonia Carabantes, Tributes pour in for Sloughs brave Valerie Storie. 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 then stated that he had in fact been in the Welsh coastal town of Rhyl. This is a hold-up, a mans voice said. They covered about 30 miles before the gunman ordered Gregsten to pull into a lay-by on the A6 at Clophill at around 01 . Want the latest Bedfordshire news direct to your inbox? Collaborate with our global Enterprise Sales team. Michael Gregsten is a 36-year-old research scientist at the Road Research Laboratory at Langley, near Slough. Streamline your workflow with our best-in-class digital asset management system. He certainly didn't know what he alleged that Mrs Gregsten was the prime mover in commissioning the murder. 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Police handout, showing James Hanratty in police custody, Lennon and Ono protest Hanratty's execution. It was not yet dark, but twilight had set in and visibility was not perfect. They drove around the suburbs of North London, apparently aimlessly. 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. However, there was another person called William Usher, who did have two fingers missing from one hand, which looked withered. Michael Gregsten with his wife Janet before he was murdered in his But when Michael reached for the bag Hanratty shot him twice in the head, killing him instantly. She retreated into her own world, while at the same time listening, watching and making notes of what was being said.". [citation needed]. 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. "Im a desperate man. In October 2000, the Court of Appeal ordered the exhumation of Hanratty's body. Or did Scotland Yard have the right man all along? circa 1962. Sign up here. 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. He was then buried in the grounds of Bedford Gaol. Mr Stickler remains interested in pursuing the story further and is looking into another case which he believes might have inspired Hanratty. 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). The Long Silenceis, in essence, Valeries posthumous autobiography, explaining for the first time every explicit detail of the cat and mouse drive, as Michael and Valerie tried on over twenty occasions to deter and thwart the apparently indecisive Hanratty. He then ordered Storie to drag Gregsten's body out of the car to the edge of the lay-by 2 or 3 metres away, before ordering her back into the car to start it for him and demonstrate the operation of the gears and switches. The man was immaculately dressed. Neutral Citation Number: [2002] Crim 1141", "James Hanratty: Close to a final verdict? [citation needed]. Gregsten had been hit twice in the head and died instantly. Make an enquiry and our team will be get in touch with you ASAP. That night, after stopping for a drink at The Station Inn at Taplow, they stopped on a countryside road to discuss their future. He ordered them to drive to . Michael Gregsten with his wife Janet before he was murdered in his car on the A6 by James Hanratty. As a result of these facts, after the A6 murder, Valerie was often unfairly characterised as a "loose woman". Gregsten was forced to drive down the A6 until he reached Deadman's Hill near Clophill, Bedfordshire. [citation needed] Police went back to Nudds, the hotel manager (who himself had a lengthy criminal record for fraud and other offences), who now said that his second statement was a lie, and his first statement, implicating 'Ryan', was in fact true. 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. Michael Gregsten's widow later went on to have an affair with her brother in law William Ewer, who left his wife. Bitterness continued in 1970 when the A6 Committee held a public meeting in Bedford to raise awareness of their concerns. He told Gregsten to pass the bag but, as Gregsten moved, there were two shots. [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. 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. 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. Pre-pay for multiple images and download on demand. michael gregsten wife / June 11, 2022 June 11, 2022 / were achilles and patroclus cousins /. He argued that the evidence may have been contaminated because of lax handling procedures.[34][40]. [citation needed] Hanratty's defence claimed that Mrs Dinwoodie was mistaken about the date. What Valerie then saw surprised her. michael gregsten wife - Agenciap10.com The police issued an appeal to boarding-house keepers to report any unusual or suspicious guests. Why did you shoot him?" michael gregsten wife. James HANRATTY - Murderpedia, the encyclopedia of murderers 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. However, what isn't well known is Valerie's side of the story. They had been here on a few occasions before, to make love or simply to spend time alone together. Storie and Gregsten pleaded with him not to shoot them. A6 Murder who wrote the letter to Gregsten's boss complaining of the 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. [1] 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. 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.
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