00:00:01
Ever imagined what it would be like to
fake your own death and start all over again? You wouldn't be the first.
There's a name for it: Pseudocide.
00:00:12
Pseudocide is also the name of a new
Spotify exclusive from Casefile Presents. In this series, shadowy Russian operatives
threaten the life of a dissident, a blood-soaked
00:00:24
car is found abandoned at a curbside and
a bomb explodes in a quiet Sydney suburb.
00:00:31
A prankster clashes with conspiracy theorist,
Alex Jones, a forbidden love sparks escape to
00:00:38
the other side of the world and revenge inspires
secrets and lies. Nothing is quite as it seems.
00:00:48
All episodes of Pseudocide are available
to binge now, for free, only on Spotify.
00:00:55
That's Pseudocide spelled Pseudocide. Our episodes deal with serious and often
distressing incidents. If you feel at any
00:01:24
time you need support, please contact your local
crisis centre. For suggested phone numbers for
00:01:29
confidential support, please see the show notes
for this episode on your app, or on our website.
00:01:41
Although his family’s council flat in St Johns
Wood, North London was compact, Charles France
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always opened the door to his good friend,
Jim Ryan, whenever Jim needed a place to stay.
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Wednesday August 30 1961 was one such occasion. 24-year-old Jim slept on the sofa in the
sitting room, as he did every time he visited.
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Although the France family didn’t know much about
Jim’s background, he was an exceptional house
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guest - tidy, polite and friendly. Charles’s
wife, Charlotte, thought of Jim as a son.
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Her three daughters called him “Uncle”
and loved when he came to stay, as he spoiled them with chocolates,
flowers and pocket money.
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During his most recent stay, Jim Ryan joined
Charles and Charlotte France in the sitting
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room where the couple were watching television.
Suddenly, an alert flashed on the screen. Police
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were seeking an unidentified man for questioning
in relation to a murder that had occurred the week
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prior. The alert was accompanied by a composite
sketch, known as an Identikit, of the wanted man.
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The identikit image showed a man with a pale
face, slicked back dark hair, deep set brown eyes
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and bushy eyebrows. His right eyebrow was raised,
giving him a somewhat inquisitive expression.
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While studying the sketch, Charlotte
France remarked that it looked like her houseguest - Jim Ryan, the only
exception being that Jim had blue eyes.
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Jim heard Charlotte but said nothing,
keeping his eyes affixed to the television.
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A week earlier on August 22 1961, Michael
Gregsten and his girlfriend, Valerie Storie,
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took a seat inside their favourite pub, The Old
Station Inn. After ordering a pint for them both,
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Michael spread a map out on their tabletop. The
couple worked for the Roads Research Laboratory.
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36-year-old Michael was a research scientist
and 22-year-old Valerie was an assistant.
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That night they were organising a
car rally for their work social club. Being car fanatics, this was a task that suited
them both. Along with their love of cars,
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Michael and Valerie shared many other things in
common such as music, theatre and their work.
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Yet, the couple’s relationship
was not without controversy. Michael was married to another woman, with whom
he had two children. The Gregson marriage was
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rocky. Despite numerous attempts, Michael
was unable to patch things up with his wife.
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He met Valerie Storie at work and the two
quickly developed feelings for one another.
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As that relationship escalated, Michael moved
out of his family home to a flat in Windsor,
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just west of London. He and Valerie planned
to marry once Michael was officially divorced.
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Michael’s wife was aware of the affair
and didn’t approve, refusing to grant her
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husband a divorce to remarry. Michael was
certain she would come around eventually.
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Both he and Valerie couldn’t wait to
spend the rest of their lives together. At 9pm, Michael and Valerie left The Old
Station Inn in Michael’s grey 1956 Morris Minor.
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They drove towards Slough, a town 30
kilometres west of Central London. The summer evening was just beginning to get
dark when the couple turned down a long lane
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off the A4 Highway that led to a cornfield.
Picturesque and secluded, the cornfield
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served as a lovers lane for couples. Michael
and Valerie visited the area often. On occasion,
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they’d wander down to the adjacent River Thames.
On this night, they remained in the Morris Minor.
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Unlike previous visits, there
were no other cars in sight. Approximately half an hour later, Michael and
Valerie heard a loud tap on the driver’s side
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window. Outside was a man. He signalled
for Michael to wind down his window. He then poked the barrel of a .38
caliber revolver through the opening.
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The man was immaculately dressed in a
clean and crisp dark suit, white shirt and tie. His face was partially concealed by
a handkerchief tied over his nose and mouth.
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Valerie scoffed, thinking it was a joke.
But Michael was noticeably concerned. He did as the man asked and handed him his keys
so he could unlock the back door. Taking a seat
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inside, the hijacker told them in a thick cockney
accent, “This is a hold up. I am a desperate man.
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I have been on the run for 4 months. If
you do as I tell you, you will be alright.”
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The man told the couple that
he hadn’t shot anyone before. Animated and excited, he said he felt
like a cowboy pulling off a stunt.
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Michael and Valerie annoyed the hijacker
- they kept asking what he wanted, to which he replied in a huff, “It’s
alright. There’s no hurry.” He ordered
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Michael to drive further into the cornfield.
It was now pitch black. The air was still.
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On the man’s order, Michael killed the engine
and the lights. Every time Michael or Valerie
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attempted to glance at the stranger in the
backseat, he ordered them to look straight ahead.
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The man made small talk as the trio sat
in the car. He inquired about Michael and
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Valerie’s relationship and asked if they were
married. In return, he told them about himself.
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He revealed that he had been in institutions
or remand homes since he was eight-years-old.
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Nearly an hour later at 10.30, there was
movement at a house nearby. The trio watched
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as a man emerged from the property's back
door. They wondered whether he would spot
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the Morris Minor in the cornfield. The gunman
warned Michael and Valerie not to say anything
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if he happened to approach. Moments later, the
man walked back inside and closed the door.
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At 11.30PM, nearly two hours since the ordeal
began, the gunman’s hunger got the better of him.
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He ordered Michael out of the
car and to the vehicle’s boot. Placing a blanket down so his hostage would be
comfortable, he instructed Michael to get in.
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Michael pleaded with the man, telling him that
there was an exhaust leak that allowed fumes into
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the boot. He would surely die if confined
in the small space for a period of time.
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The hijacker agreed that this was a bad idea.
Instead, he forced Michael to drive the car
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towards London, approximately an hours drive
away. On the journey, the man told Michael to
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pull over at a milk machine. However, nobody had a
sixpence to make a purchase so they continued on.
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What should have been a 28 mile journey east, soon
became a drive all over the English countryside.
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The man spoke nearly nonstop. Eventually the fuel warning light came on and
Michael pulled the Morris Minor into a garage.
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He approached the elderly pump attendant, asking
if he could put two gallons into the tank.
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He tried to covertly alert the attendant to what
was happening in the car but failed to do so.
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The trio drove on to Stanmore,
moving away from London. There, the hijacker spotted a cigarette machine.
He didn’t usually smoke, but ordered Michael out
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and watched as he walked across the road to
purchase a pack. Instead of making a run for it,
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Michael returned to the car, presumably
so Valerie wasn’t left alone with the man.
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The traffic had thinned considerably by
the time the three drove north to St Albans
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and further north towards Luton. The Morris Minor then hit the A6 motorway,
heading towards Bedford, approximately 60 miles
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north of London. By this stage, the man was
tired and needed to rest. It was nearing 1.30AM.
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He looked out the rear window for somewhere
suitable to stop. He ordered Michael to pull
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over twice so he could, quote: “kip” - a slang
word for a nap. Both times he changed his mind.
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As they continued past the small village
of Clophill and up a hill, the man saw
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the perfect stop place. He told Michael to
pull off into a layby alongside the road.
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Michael didn’t want to, but eventually relented.
His nerves were understandable. Anyone passing by
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could see the name of the area printed on
a sign in flashing lights...Deadman’s Hill.
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The man told Michael and Valerie he would have to
tie them up while he had a kip. He took Michael
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and the pair searched the boot for a suitable
material to use as a restraint. Unable to find
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anything, they returned to the car. The man ended
up tying Valerie’s hands using Michael’s tie.
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They pleaded with him not to kill them. He reassured the couple, “If I was going to
shoot you, I would have done it before now.”
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The man then noticed a duffle bag of laundry
in the front seat. He asked Michael to pick
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it up and pass it over. As Michael reached
down, the man shot him twice at point blank
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range. One bullet entered his left ear, the
other his left cheek. Michael slumped over.
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Valerie screamed, “You shot him, you bastard!
Why did you do that?” to which the man replied,
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“He frightened me. He moved too
quick and I got frightened.” As Valerie sobbed, the man warned, “Be
quiet will you, I am trying to think.”
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They argued for nearly 20 minutes as to whether
Michael should receive medical attention.
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The man then removed the handkerchief
from his face and ordered Valerie to kiss him. When she refused, he threatened
her with his gun saying, “I will count 5.”
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As Valerie turned to kiss her attacker,
a truck drove by. For a few seconds, the man’s face was illuminated by the passing
headlights. Valerie took in his features.
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The man ordered Valerie into the back seat. He covered Michael’s face with a rag, before
raping Valerie. A few other cars passed but none
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for long enough that Valerie could get another
good look at the man’s face. When he was finished,
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Valerie asked the man to take the car and drive
away. He reassured her that he was in no hurry.
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He needed to get rid of Michael’s
body and asked Valerie to help him. Together they dragged Michael from the
car, dumping him by the side of the road.
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The man then ordered Valerie to show him how
to start the Morris Minor and change its gears.
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Twice he stalled and twice Valerie had
to show him how to restart the engine. Eventually, he hopped out of the driver’s seat,
leaving the engine running. It was 3.30AM.
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Valerie handed him a one pound note from her
raincoat and pleaded for the man to just go. He
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replied he would have to hit her over the head
or something. She begged to be left unharmed.
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The man seemingly relented. He turned
away and walked back towards the car. When he was about six feet from Valerie he
turned suddenly and fired several bullets at her.
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Valerie fell to her knees and then to the
ground, coming to rest next to Michael’s body.
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The man reloaded and shot at
Valerie another three times. He calmly took the driver’s seat of the
Morris Minor and sped off towards London.
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That morning of Wednesday August 23 1961 began
as a normal workday for engineering foreman,
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James Skillett. He picked up a friend
as usual, and the two travelled together in his car towards the town of
Stratford, heading towards London.
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As they pulled up to a set of traffic lights
in the eastern London town of Ilford, they
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noticed a car being driven erratically. It was a
grey Morris Minor. The car swerved in its lane,
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narrowingly missing James’s car as it sped past.
A crunching sound could be heard as the driver of
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the Morris Minor changed gears and dodged further
vehicles approaching from the opposite lane.
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James Skillett and his passenger caught
up to the Morris Minor at a roundabout.
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Pulling alongside it, James’s passenger wound down
his window and James leant over him. He shouted,
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“Are you f***ing mad or something? You
ought to get off the f***ing road!” The driver of the Morris Minor looked over and
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laughed before driving off. The car
haphazardly drifted out of sight. Earlier that morning at 5.20, a young man
named John Kerr had started work for the day.
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He had a job with the ministry of transport
counting the number of cars that passed by a
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specific location on the A6 motorway, near
Deadman’s Hill. At 6.45AM, he crossed over
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a grassy knoll and came across the bloodied
bodies of Michael Gregsten and Valerie Storie.
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Detective Superintendent Robert Acott of Scotland
Yard was assigned to the murder investigation.
00:18:11
With 28 years experience under his belt, he was
confident the perpetrator would soon be found.
00:18:19
Details of Michael’s Morris Minor
were circulated throughout the press and at 6 that night, Detective Acott received the
first break in the case. A man walking his dog on
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Avondale Crescent in Ilford spotted the Morris
Minor parked on the street at an odd angle.
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The front registration plate was damaged and there
was blood spatter inside and outside the vehicle.
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A local resident reported the car
having been parked there since 7.45AM. There were no foreign fibres, hair, or
fingerprints present throughout the vehicle.
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However, two empty .38 calibre
cartridge cases were found within. They matched similar cases
found at the crime scene.
00:19:13
The next morning of August 24, housewife Audrey
Willis heard a knock at the back door of her house
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in Old Knebworth, approximately 37 miles north
of where the Morris Minor was found. According
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to The Guardian, Audrey opened the door to find
a man wearing a long grey raincoat, dark trousers
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and brown shoes. He was around 30 years old, with
a pale and long, thin face and dark deep set eyes.
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The man enquired as to whether her husband
was home. When Audrey replied that he was out,
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the man presented a black revolver from
his pocket and forced his way inside. He asked Audrey for money and something to
eat. She gave him four pounds and some milk
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and cookies. After he had drunk the milk
and pocketed the biscuits, he asked Audrey
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to remove her shoes and go with him to the back
door. As she did as requested, the man took off.
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A search of the area failed to find the intruder. Detectives believed that this incident was
related to the A6 attack on Deadman’s Hill.
00:20:35
Later that evening, cleaner for London Transport,
Edwin Cooke was doing his job inspecting the buses
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at Rye Lane Garage in Peckham, South London. As
he searched the rear of the A36 bus for rubbish
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he lifted the back seat. According to author
Paul Foot, Edwin made a habit of checking this
00:20:58
seat on every bus he cleaned after once coming
across two dead rats nestled in the space.
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On this occasion, Edwin Cooke lifted up
the seat and found a dirty handkerchief.
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Underneath was a fully loaded
revolver and 5 boxes of ammunition. The gun was quickly confirmed to be
the .38 caliber used in the A6 attack.
00:21:25
The cleaner was positive the weapon and
accessories had been deposited there that day,
00:21:30
as he had cleaned the same bus the night before. The busy A36 bus travelled two routes that day
throughout London. Police offered an amnesty
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for anyone who saw anything suspicious
on the bus to come forward. Nobody did. As detectives continued to hunt for the A6 gunman,
both families of Michael Gregsten and Valerie
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Storie were coming to terms with the attack that
had forever changed their lives. Michael’s wife
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Janet was bereft at the loss of her husband.
In an attempt to take her mind off things,
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on August 31, she went to her brother
in law’s antique shop in North London. As reported in the Daily Sketch,
she was helping her brother in law,
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William, set up a picture display in the store
front window when she noticed a man walking by.
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She grabbed William's arm and pointed to the
man. He was slim, approximately 5 foot 6 inches
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and immaculately dressed in a suit with dark
hair, a pale complexion and deep set eyes.
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Janet Gregsten was certain this was the man who
had killed her husband as his face resembled
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Identikit images based on witness accounts of
the man seen driving Michael’s Morris Minor in
00:22:57
the hours following the shooting. They watched
him walk into a dry-cleaner across the road.
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William tried to calm Janet
but she couldn't be consoled. She believed she had just crossed
paths with her husband’s killer.
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A short while later, William went to the
dry-cleaner to enquire about the man. The manager told him that he had brought in a
green suit to have tailored the week earlier.
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He had given the dry cleaner an address in
St John’s Wood and a name. Although his given
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name was abbreviated to an initial, William
had something to work with. It was J. Ryan.
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According to the Daily Sketch, William did not
have to wait long before he ran into J. Ryan
00:23:51
again. The next day he was sitting at a cafe
on Finchley Road in London when a pair of
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exquisitely made leather shoes caught his eye. As
he looked up to see the man sporting the shoes,
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he realised it was the same man he
had seen yesterday from his shop. William followed the man to a florist and phoned
Scotland Yard. An officer arrived and William
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explained the situation. The florist revealed that
the man had come in to send roses to his mother,
00:24:26
Mrs Hanratty. The names of J. Ryan and Mrs
Hanratty were taken down by Scotland Yard.
00:24:34
But as there was nothing to link this man
to the A6 attack, it was not followed up.
00:24:44
The investigation into the A6 attack was slow.
Detectives admitted that they had little to go on.
00:24:53
September 11 1961 marked nearly 3 weeks after
the shooting. In Maida Vale, west London,
00:25:02
hotel manager Robert Crocker was busy
inspecting the rooms of the Vienna Hotel.
00:25:10
Robert arrived at room 24, a large basement room
with multiple beds. It was unoccupied at the time.
00:25:19
Robert gave it the once over, looking for
anything out of place or missing. On one of
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the armchairs next to a single bed were two .38
calibre cartridge cases. Robert’s first thought
00:25:33
was to simply throw them away but he decided to
call his local police and report the finding.
00:25:41
Scotland Yard confirmed that the cartridges
matched those fired from the A6 murder weapon.
00:25:50
Hotel records were checked to see who had stayed
in room 24 when Michael Gregsten and Valerie
00:25:56
Storie were abducted. Being a basement suite,
room 24 was not often used. It was mainly given to
00:26:05
travellers when the other rooms were booked out.
As such, only 3 people had stayed there recently.
00:26:14
One was a man who had given his surname as
Rapur. The second was named Frederick Durrant.
00:26:22
The third man had stayed in room 24 on August
21 - the night before the shooting. Jim Ryan.
00:26:34
In late September 1961, Charlotte France
appeared at Scotland Yard. It had been a
00:26:41
month since the A6 shooting, and Charlotte had a
growing suspicion towards someone she knew well.
00:26:49
A week after the attack, the France family
hosted a longtime family friend, Jim Ryan,
00:26:55
at their council flat in St Johns Wood. He’d slept
on their sofa and was otherwise his typical self.
00:27:04
The frantic search for the A6 gunman was well
underway and his likeness was featured on
00:27:10
televised news reports. Charlotte France had
noted the suspect bore striking similarities
00:27:18
to Jim Ryan, but he remained silent when she
mentioned it. Now Charlotte had come forward to
00:27:26
the police to formally implicate Jim in the crime.
She also revealed his full name - James Hanratty.
00:27:39
25-year-old James Hanratty
was a seasoned petty criminal. At age 15 he began dabbling in minor
crimes. By age 17, he had been put
00:27:50
on probation for a year after taking and
driving a motor vehicle without consent.
00:27:56
Two months later he underwent a medical
examination for national service but according
00:28:02
to the documentary, “Murder Casebook,” was
denied entry on the grounds of being illiterate.
00:28:09
Following this, James Hanratty started breaking
into houses and stealing property. He became adept
00:28:16
at breaking into windows without being seen and
wiping surfaces clean to remove his fingerprints.
00:28:24
James was caught and served time in prison
where he tried to take his own life.
00:28:32
On release in 1957, James Hanratty told his family
he was going to stop his criminal behaviour.
00:28:39
However, he soon returned
to prison for stealing cars. In April 1961, James, freshly out of
prison, knocked on his parent’s door.
00:28:53
This time, he assured his parents that he was
done with crime for good. All he wanted was a
00:28:59
normal and straight life. His father, overjoyed
and eager to set James on the straight and narrow,
00:29:07
quit his job he had worked for 26 years
and lost his pension in order to set up a window washing business with
James. They worked well together,
00:29:18
built up a steady clientele base and his family
remarked they had never seen James so cheerful.
00:29:25
However, James Hanratty’s life as a
law abiding citizen was short lived. Three months after the beginning of their business
endeavour, James’s parents took a long overdue
00:29:41
holiday. They were under the impression
that James would handle the work himself.
00:29:48
Instead, he bailed on his job and vanished. He stole a car and made his way to his
favourite place in the U.K - Soho, London.
00:30:01
Known for its vibrant nightlife, restaurants
and shops, James Hanratty loved Soho,
00:30:07
part of London’s West End. With nowhere to stay,
James checked himself in to cheap boarding houses
00:30:14
and hotels under the alias Jim Ryan. As luck
would have it, one day he ran into an old friend,
00:30:23
Charles France. Charles offered James a place
to stay in his council home in St John’s Wood.
00:30:32
When he wasn’t crashing on the France family
sofa, James would spend a night or two in
00:30:37
boarding houses. During this time, he stole
approximately 2000 pounds worth of jewellery.
00:30:46
Charles France helped by
valuing the stolen jewellery before James sold it to antique dealers
and willing buyers in criminal circles.
00:30:57
After Charlotte France informed detectives
that James Hanratty was the suspect they were looking for, they headed for Ireland.
00:31:05
According to Charlotte, James had travelled
there to obtain a driver’s license.
00:31:12
Detectives flew into Dublin on September
29. All air and seaports to Ireland were
00:31:18
sealed as James Hanratty’s boyish
face appeared in newspapers. Despite an extensive search, including
speaking with a man who wrote postcards on
00:31:29
behalf of James to send to his mother, detectives
returned to England on October 5 empty handed.
00:31:38
At the time, James Hanratty was living it
up in Soho, having returned from Ireland in
00:31:44
mid September. A proficient driver, James had
received his driver’s license with no problems.
00:31:52
He befriended an antique dealer
and stayed in her apartment. James spent considerable money from his
proceeds of crime to buy a car. He would
00:32:03
wine and dine women and take them to
the theatre at the London Palladium. On October 5 1961, James Hanratty’s luck
changed. He was at one of his favourite
00:32:21
local hangouts - The Rehearsal Club, when
an acquaintance told him that officers were
00:32:26
snooping around, looking for him in relation
to the A6 shooting. Pale faced and panicked,
00:32:34
James rang his good friend, Charles France.
Charles tried to calm James, telling him he
00:32:41
had nothing to worry about and to go to Scotland
Yard to clear his name. Hanratty abruptly hung up.
00:32:50
Charles France was dismayed. He hadn’t kept James
on the line long enough for his call to be traced.
00:33:00
The following day, James Hanratty phoned
Scotland Yard from a public phone booth.
00:33:06
He spoke to Detective Acott explaining that he
was innocent. However, he couldn't come forward
00:33:13
as he was wanted for housebreaking after
his fingerprints had been found at a crime
00:33:18
scene the month prior. James Hanratty told the
detective he couldn’t take another prison stint
00:33:25
but desperately wanted the matter of his
alleged involvement in the A6 attack cleared up.
00:33:32
James then called the newspaper offices of the
Daily Mirror and spoke with an assistant editor.
00:33:39
Hanratty explained his predicament
and professed his innocence, telling the editor he had a watertight
alibi for the night in question.
00:33:49
Later that night, James Hanratty
made another call to Detective Acott. Acott pleaded for Hanratty to turn
himself in for questioning but again he refused.
00:34:03
The next afternoon, Hanratty
called Detective Acott again. He elaborated on his alibi further, telling the
detective that he had spent the night of August
00:34:14
21 at the Vienna Hotel under the alias Jim Ryan.
The next day, when the A6 attack took place,
00:34:23
he had taken a train 200 miles north
to Liverpool to stay with friends. He had been there for three nights before
returning to London. Hanratty explained
00:34:36
three men could vouch for him but they would
not do so as they themselves were criminals.
00:34:44
Detectives drove to Liverpool and searched for
anyone who might admit to being Hanratty’s alibi.
00:34:51
They had no luck. On October 11, 4 days after his
last contact with Detective Acott,
00:35:03
James Hanratty entered a cafe in Blackpool,
a seaside town 50 miles north of Liverpool.
00:35:11
Confident he’d be safe from the officers searching
for him in London, Hanratty ordered a meal
00:35:17
and took a seat near the jukebox. He bowed his
head when two police officers entered the cafe.
00:35:25
Upon exiting the cafe, James Hanratty was promptly
arrested. He told the policemen his name was Peter
00:35:34
Bates. But after arriving at Blackpool police
station he confessed to being James Hanratty.
00:35:43
Detectives Acott rushed to the station, arriving
at 7 the next morning to interview his prime
00:35:49
suspect. Although the Hanratty family had a
trusted family lawyer, James was not given
00:35:56
the option of having him present. According to
author Paul Foot, Detective Acott leant over a
00:36:03
desk and spoke to Hanratty about the Vienna
Hotel, saying, “I can’t make it too clear
00:36:11
how desperate your position is. I must tell you
now. After your leaving room 24 on 22nd August...2
00:36:20
empty cartridge cases were found at the end of
the bed you tell me you slept in that night.”
00:36:28
James replied, “You’re kidding
me Mr Acott aren’t you?” In response, Detective Acott said, “I’m not
kidding you Jimmy, this is very serious business.”
00:36:44
The only other person present in the interview
room was another detective, who took notes of
00:36:49
what went on. When the interview concluded, these
notes were not signed by or read to James Hanratty
00:36:57
to ensure they were an accurate representation
of what was discussed from his perspective.
00:37:05
James then told the officers
in his heavy Cockney accent that he was off to have a good kip, explaining
he was tired and could sleep anywhere.
00:37:17
The next day, those who witnessed
the Morris Minor driving in the hours after the shooting were asked to view an
identification parade to pinpoint the driver.
00:37:29
Standing before them, amongst
several decoys, was James Hanratty. Two out of three witnesses picked James
as the car's driver. A third witness,
00:37:41
the pump attendant who fuelled the car shortly
before the shooting, pointed out someone else.
00:37:49
Still, there was one other person who could
shed light on James Hanratty’s involvement
00:37:53
in the A6 attack. Barely surviving
the ordeal that killed her partner, Valerie Storie had spent the past
seven weeks in hospital recovering.
00:38:10
After being raped and gunned down, Valerie Storie
lay in shock beside the body of her boyfriend,
00:38:17
Michael Gregston. She couldn’t move her legs.
The killer had driven away in Michael’s Morris
00:38:24
Minor. Valerie desperately tried to get the
attention of passing motorists by waving her
00:38:30
petticoat but she was concealed from the road
by a grassy knoll. Fearing she was going to die,
00:38:38
Valerie made the words
“blue eyes” and “brown hair” out of pebbles to give authorities
clues to her and Michael’s assailant.
00:38:48
After hearing Valerie’s pained groans, a farm
labourer discovered the couple and sought help.
00:38:55
Council worker John Kerr arrived and
flagged down the first car that drove past,
00:39:01
telling them to call an ambulance. It was clear to
John that Michael had been deceased for some time
00:39:09
so he focused his attention on Valerie. John
wrote down Valerie’s recollection of the attack
00:39:16
on the back of his work papers, in case she
passed away before speaking with authorities.
00:39:22
According to John, Valerie described the man
responsible as a little taller than she was,
00:39:28
with large staring eyes and light fairish
hair. John turned his notes over to the
00:39:35
first police officer who arrived
but they were eventually misplaced. Valerie Storie was taken to hospital in a serious
condition. Two bullets were lodged in her body.
00:39:50
One had struck her spinal cord, paralysing her
from the waist down. This also meant Valerie
00:39:58
couldn’t feel pain from her injuries, so she
was able to speak coherently to detectives.
00:40:05
They noted that her attacker was a man in
his thirties, 5 foot 6, with a medium build.
00:40:12
However, inconsistencies were gradually emerging
- Valerie herself had written in pebbles that her
00:40:20
attacker had blue eyes and brown hair. One of
her rescuers noted her saying that he had light
00:40:28
fairish hair. And the police, following their
initial interviews at Valerie’s bedside,
00:40:34
reported to the press that the offender had
dark brown hair and deeply set dark brown eyes.
00:40:42
These inconsistencies would
become a lingering issue throughout the investigation. No one
could accurately explain why they existed.
00:40:54
Three days later, Valerie assisted in the
creation of an Identikit of her attacker.
00:41:00
A second sketch was also made based
on the collective recollections of all those who had seen the driver of the
Morris Minor in the hours after the attack.
00:41:11
As this sketch was an amalgamation of multiple
witness accounts, it looked very different from
00:41:17
the one Valerie provided. This was a notable
flaw in the Identikit process - the human
00:41:24
expression can be very difficult to capture. If
multiple people contribute their descriptions,
00:41:31
the result is often an image vastly
different to the actual face of the subject.
00:41:39
Despite this issue, there
was one similarity between both sketches. The offender’s right
eyebrow was raised higher than his left.
00:41:49
Both images were circulated in the media, in
the hope someone would recognise the wanted man.
00:41:56
The Liverpool Echo commented that each
sketch was “dominated by dark staring eyes.”
00:42:03
This descriptor was withdrawn on August 31, for
reasons unknown. Now the offender had blue eyes.
00:42:14
Regardless of the inconsistencies, when
Charlotte France saw the sketches on television,
00:42:20
she was overcome with a sense of recognition.
The man was sitting beside he, watching the same
00:42:28
news report. When she looked at the
sketches, she saw James Hanratty. Following the arrest of James Hanratty,
00:42:41
he was brought to Valerie's hospital bedside
to participate in an identity parade.
00:42:47
The matter was urgent, as Valerie had confided to
Detective Acott, “My memory of this man’s face is
00:42:54
fading, I am so afraid that when confronted with
the man, I may not be able to pick him out.”
00:43:02
Valerie stared intently at the 12 men standing at
her bedside. For 10 minutes she scrutinised their
00:43:10
every feature and movement. She whispered
to Detective Acott who in turn instructed
00:43:17
the men to say the line, “Be quiet will you, I am
thinking.” One by one they repeated the sentence.
00:43:28
Valerie looked at them one more time and said the
number of the man she thought was her attacker.
00:43:34
This man had said “finking” instead of thinking
in his thick cockney accent - just like her
00:43:41
attacker had. As the men filed out, Detective
Acott squeezed her arm and said, “Well done.”
00:43:53
Valerie had picked James Hanratty. When James began housebreaking, he dyed his red
hair black under the impression it would hide his
00:44:04
identity. At the identity parade, James had very
noticeable regrowth. Under the hospital lights,
00:44:13
his hair looked a very unusual colour. It
was also heavily reported in newspapers
00:44:20
that police were looking for a suspect who had
natural red hair but may have dyed it black.
00:44:27
It was unclear whether Valerie had read
this description prior to the parade. James Hanratty approached Detective
Acott and asked him if it was fair to
00:44:37
be put on parade with his hair in the
condition it was. Acott’s reply was, “I did not ask you to get your hair dyed Jimmy. If
you have any complaints, you can tell the judge.”
00:44:53
Two days later, James Hanratty appeared in court
handcuffed to a detective. He vehemently denied
00:45:00
his involvement in the A6 shooting. In response
to the charges, all he had to say was “All right.”
00:45:11
Just over one month later, a magistrate sent James
for trial at the Old Bailey in London. At the
00:45:18
time, the legal system only tried someone for the
most serious of the crimes they had committed if
00:45:25
they were charged with multiple crimes. Because
of this, all charges for the attack on Valerie
00:45:32
Storie were dropped and James Hanratty only
faced trial for the murder of Michael Gregsten.
00:45:40
As detailed by author Paul Foot, a prison medical
officer assessed James Hanratty prior to trial.
00:45:48
He noted: “He is in my opinion, quite
fit to plead, he knows the difference between right and wrong, and must be
held responsible for his actions.”
00:46:02
Crime correspondents covering the case indicated
that James Hanratty would likely be acquitted
00:46:08
due to the lack of evidence against him. The main
evidence to be used by the prosecution was Valerie
00:46:15
Storie’s identification of him, the fact he used
the word kip for nap, and his cockney accent.
00:46:24
Certain himself that he would be found not
guilty, James signed a deal with the Daily
00:46:29
Express for 5000 pounds for the exclusive
to his story once the trial was over.
00:46:37
He wrote letters through a scribe to his parents,
relatives and friends professing his innocence.
00:46:44
He assured his family that they
had nothing to worry about. An excerpt of a letter taken
from the book by Paul Foot reads:
00:46:54
“Well mum, I know it must be hard for you and
dad right now, but I want you to have faith
00:47:00
in me. If I had done this terrible thing
I would have took my own life weeks ago.
00:47:07
As you know I love you and dad very much. Though I
left home I was thinking of you all the time, and
00:47:14
I am not saying that just because I am in trouble…
But I have got my faith in my defence... They are
00:47:21
both very intelligent men, and without any doubt
they know I am innocent...As I said before,
00:47:29
please have faith in me. I will soon
straighten this terrible thing out.” In order to have the case heard
sooner, on January 2 1962,
00:47:42
it was decided that the trial would be moved
from London to where the A6 murder occurred.
00:47:49
This was a huge setback for James Hanratty. It
meant the jury would be comprised of Bedford
00:47:56
locals, many of whom had thorough knowledge
of and were still outraged about the attack.
00:48:08
The trial began on January 22 1962,
near five months after the crime. On the third day, James Hanratty shocked his
defence team. He had a confession to make.
00:48:24
James admitted he had lied to detectives about
his alibi. He had not been in Liverpool with three
00:48:31
criminals, but instead by himself in the Welsh
seaside town of Rhyl, 43 miles west of Liverpool.
00:48:41
He told Detective Acott he was in Liverpool
as he thought his three criminal friends would
00:48:46
vouch for him, and he took a train there to
offer them 250 pounds to give him an alibi.
00:48:53
When his friends refused, not wanting to
become involved, James Hanratty was in a bind.
00:49:00
He didn’t want to say he was in Rhyl
because there was nobody there to verify it,
00:49:05
so he stuck with his Liverpool alibi.
Now however, he had a change of heart. Although his legal team warned him that changing
his alibi made him look guilty, James said he
00:49:20
did not want to take the stand unless he could
tell the truth. His defence barrister conceded.
00:49:28
As far as he was concerned, James was well
regarded as a good natured, likeable person.
00:49:34
He felt it was important for the jury to
meet James, regardless of his changing alibi.
00:49:42
Valerie Storie was wheeled
into court in a hospital bed. The damage to her spinal cord meant that she
would spend the rest of her life in a wheelchair.
00:49:53
Her testimony was read aloud, part
of which included the statement, “While I was facing him after he shot Mike...a
car came up from behind and lit up his face.
00:50:06
He seemed to be staring through
me with very large icy-blue eyes.” The defence team picked apart Valerie’s
recollections and the different descriptions
00:50:18
she allegedly gave of her attackers physical
appearance - specifically the colour of his
00:50:24
hair and eyes. All the written records of
her describing her assailant had since been
00:50:31
lost - so records of what she said
could not be backed up in court. The cartridge cases found in the Vienna Hotel
room where James Hanratty stayed were debated
00:50:44
in court. The prosecution argued that James
had bought the gun just prior to the A6 murder.
00:50:52
They claimed he practiced firing some shots,
leaving the casings in the hotel room.
00:50:58
His defense argued it was an unlikely scenario.
However, the courtroom was about to hear more
00:51:06
incriminating evidence against James Hanratty.
It came from his good friend, Charles France.
00:51:15
As mentioned by author Paul Foot,
three days before the trial began, Charles France attempted to take his
own life and was admitted to hospital.
00:51:26
His treating psychiatrist stated that
his depression had been brought on by Charles introducing James Hanratty to his
family. Charles allegedly told his doctor:
00:51:40
“The bastard, it could have been my dear wife
and daughter who he killed.” Charles appeared
00:51:47
in court with two mental health nurses to give
evidence against James and it was damning.
00:51:55
He testified that a few weeks before the A6
murder, he and James had been at a dog track.
00:52:02
Afterwards, they caught the bus back to London.
When they hopped on it was empty. Charles went
00:52:11
to take a seat at the front of the bus but James
motioned for him to sit toward the rear with him.
00:52:18
Pointing to the back seat, Charles told the
jury that James said words to the effect of,
00:52:25
“This is the only seat that lifts
up, and it’s a good hiding place.” Meanwhile the investigation into James
Hanratty’s Rhyl alibi received a boost
00:52:38
when the bed and breakfast he claimed to have
stayed at was identified. The landlady gave
00:52:45
evidence that he had stayed there for two
nights over the period of the A6 murder.
00:52:51
However, she was a poor record keeper and did
not have any documentation to support her claim.
00:52:59
James described in detail the room he stayed
in, including that it had a green bath.
00:53:06
The prosecution claimed that the bed and
breakfast was fully booked at the time.
00:53:12
What they were unaware of and something the
landlady reluctantly admitted at the trial
00:53:18
was that there was an extra bed
in one of the private bathrooms. It was given to guests when there were none
others available. It had a green bath inside.
00:53:32
The prosecution was without a clear
motive in the case against James Hanratty. As Valerie Storie had been raped, it was
theorised the defendant was sexually motivated.
00:53:44
However, there was never any inkling that
James behaved violently towards women. Past
00:53:51
girlfriends testified that James
behaved like a perfect gentleman. One went so far as to label him as impeccable.
Other women in his life described him similarly.
00:54:05
When James Hanratty took the stand, he answered
questions calmly and without hesitation.
00:54:12
At one stage, the prosecution compared his
features to the Identikit image saying, “Hanratty,
00:54:19
do you always hold your right eyebrow higher than
your left?” To which he replied, “I do not know
00:54:27
Sir because I can not see it.” His response
prompted the courtroom to fill with laughter.
00:54:36
James told the truth about
his criminal past saying, “The man who committed this is a maniac and a
savage...I am not a man the court can approve of,
00:54:48
but I am not a maniac of any kind. I can prove
it with my past girlfriends. I am a decent - I
00:54:57
cannot say honest - but I try to live a good and
respectable life except for my housebreakings.”
00:55:09
The trial against James Hanratty lasted
21 days. It was the longest against one
00:55:15
defendant in British history. Over 80
witnesses were called to give evidence. On February 17 1962, the jury
retired for deliberations.
00:55:31
Six hours later, they returned to ask for
clarification of the phrase “reasonable doubt.”
00:55:38
Another four hours passed before they
reappeared. For the murder of Michael Gregsten, James Hanratty was found guilty. The
verdict sent shockwaves through the courtroom.
00:55:55
The judge noticeably hesitated
before delivering the sentence. James Hanratty was sentenced to death by hanging.
00:56:06
In response, James’s mother collapsed
and fainted. James, visibly distressed, fell forward onto the dock. He was asked if
he had any final words to which he replied,
00:56:22
“I’m innocent my Lord, I will appeal.
That is all I have to say at this stage.”
00:56:32
-- Watching the chaos unfold in
court was a man harbouring a secret. He wanted to make a confession…
but would have to wait a little longer.
00:56:55
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01:03:02
March 2nd, 1962
Dear Mum, Just a few lines in answer to your kind and
welcome letter which I received the other day.
01:03:12
I was very pleased to hear that you were
all in good health and spirits at home.
01:03:17
Things are just the same here. I am over the shock
now and I am patiently waiting for my appeal,
01:03:24
which you already know is the 12th March and
I will be looking forward to seeing you then.
01:03:30
I have had one or two letters from different
people all expressing their faith in me and
01:03:35
the outcome of the appeal. All I ask is when I
go to court that I be given a fair trial and I
01:03:42
feel this time the circumstances are different.
I have great faith in [my defence], he said to me
01:03:50
“The guilty will be punished
and the innocent set free.” It is clear to thousands of people not only in
here that the jury has made a terrible mistake.
01:04:02
I can’t say at this stage that I am feeling happy, but I am keeping my spirits up
and that is what really counts…
01:04:10
Goodnight, God bless you all.
James. While James Hanratty awaited his appeal, his
legal team had been busy trying to further
01:04:22
verify his Rhyl alibi. They found an additional
four witnesses who claimed to have seen a man
01:04:29
resembling James in Rhyl at the time of the A6
murder. One recalled the strange colour of his
01:04:36
hair, thinking it must have been a wig. However,
James’s legal team chose not to introduce these
01:04:44
new witnesses at the appeal. Instead, they
argued that the judge had misdirected the jury.
01:04:52
The appeal was ultimately dismissed. As detailed
by author Paul Foot, as the judge announced the
01:05:00
dismissal, a woman in a wide-brimmed straw
hat rose from her seat in the public gallery.
01:05:06
She shouted, “It’s not true, he didn’t
do it! Ask the conductor of the 36 bus!”
01:05:15
Everyone froze and turned to look
at her. She took her seat again. The conductor of the A36 bus, where the murder
weapon was located, did not recognise the woman
01:05:28
or understand what she meant. There was another
female conductor who worked on that bus also,
01:05:34
however she was never questioned as to
what the strange comment might mean. Watching from the public gallery was
a man who had attended both the trial
01:05:46
and the verdict. His friends had noticed
a change in his behaviour that week. He became agitated with moments of hysterics. He
had something that he wanted to get off his chest
01:05:58
and ended up writing a
letter to the Daily Express. It was published two days after James Hanratty’s
appeal was denied. The letter read: “I’ve studied
01:06:12
the case very closely and I believe Hanratty was
innocent. There has been so much confusion and
01:06:18
doubt in this extraordinary case that I’m prepared
to do all in my power to seek a reprieve”.
01:06:27
He signed it with his name - Peter Alphon. The next day, the landlady of a doss house in
Acton, London called the police. In one of her
01:06:43
rooms she had discovered the body of a middle
aged man. A blue exercise book was by his body.
01:06:51
It contained written letters to each of
his family members. The letter to his wife,
01:06:57
Charlotte, apologised for him bringing someone he
thought to be a friend but was actually a monster
01:07:04
into their house. It was the body of James
Hanratty’s longtime friend - Charles France.
01:07:13
Charlotte France told the Sunday Times that the family had been pestered by calls
in the lead up to Charles death.
01:07:21
The caller had threatened, “If Hanratty dies, you
die!” An inquest ruled Charles’ death a suicide.
01:07:32
The judge refused to disclose the bulk contents of
the letters Charles had penned to his loved ones.
01:07:39
However, they were written, quote: “in great
bitterness and great feeling against Hanratty.”
01:07:49
Meanwhile, James Hanratty’s execution
date of April 4 1962 loomed nearer. In a last ditch effort to save him, James’s legal
team lodged a petition with the Home Office.
01:08:03
They sought a pardon in light of the new
witnesses that had come forward in Rhyl. On
01:08:09
March 28, James’s father handed in a petition to
the Home Office. It was filled with the names of
01:08:17
90,000 British citizens requesting James Hanratty
be pardoned due to a miscarriage of justice.
01:08:25
They were skeptical of the strength of the
prosecution's evidence implicating James
01:08:30
in the murder of Michael Gregson. Some even
questioned Valerie Storie’s ability to recall
01:08:36
the physical characteristics of her attacker,
given she had gone through serious trauma.
01:08:43
Many weren’t convinced that she could
accurately identify her rapist, as the crime
01:08:48
happened in the dark of night and only caught a
momentary glimpse of him from a passing light.
01:08:56
Four days submitting the petition, the Hanratty
family received a letter from the Home Office.
01:09:03
There were no sufficient grounds to
provide James Hanratty with a pardon. His execution would go ahead in two days’ time.
01:09:12
When James heard of the decision, he wrote
a letter to his father. It read, in part:
01:09:21
Dear Dad,
I can’t say how sorry I am that this has turned out this way, but that was not my fault, it
was the fault of others. I am writing this letter,
01:09:32
knowing this is my only chance to thank you
and Mum for all you have done for me. And
01:09:38
the only way I can pay my respect to you and the
family is to show what kind of man I really am,
01:09:45
though I am about to take the punishment for
someone else’s crime, I will face it like a man,
01:09:51
and show both courage and strength,
and try to make you proud of your son. The night before his death, James was visited
by his brother Michael. The brothers had been
01:10:07
incredibly close since childhood and James
was particularly protective of Michael.
01:10:14
He asked Michael to continue
the quest to prove his innocence after he was gone. He was certain
that the truth would come one day.
01:10:25
On the morning of April 4 1962, James
Hanratty was joined by two priests. After spending hours with the convicted killer,
both priests were convinced of his innocence.
01:10:40
They prayed together before
James was led to the gallows. As his family prayed together in a
nearby church, James Hanratty was hanged.
01:10:57
Two days prior to James Hanratty’s execution,
housewife Audrey Willis again heard knocking
01:11:04
on her back door. She opened it to find the
same man who had forced entry into her home
01:11:11
the day after the A6 murder. Yet
again, he wielded a black revolver. He asked for food and some money before fleeing
out the back door much like he did the first time.
01:11:26
Long considered to be related to the A6 murder,
the fact that this second confrontation occurred
01:11:33
while James Hanratty was in prison assured
detectives that it must be unrelated.
01:11:39
However, to those who believed
in Hanratty’s innocence it meant something else entirely. That
the A6 murderer was still on the loose.
01:11:51
Just before the forced entry
at Audrey Willis’s home, Peter Alphon left his friends in London saying he
had a “job to do.” He returned to London the night
01:12:03
before James Haratty’s execution and went out with
some friends for dinner. He was acting strangely,
01:12:10
telling his friends that he felt the floor was
going to give out underneath him. Prone to fits
01:12:17
of hysteria, Peter’s friends were concerned -
lately he seemed to be acting stranger than ever.
01:12:27
Not much is known about Peter Alphon’s
childhood. His father held a respectable
01:12:33
position as a records clerk in Scotland Yard
but he and Peter fought often and as a result
01:12:39
their relationship was strained. Peter did
however, get along very well with his mother.
01:12:47
He left school at 15 and served
in the Royal Air Force briefly, before leading a nomadic lifestyle as a door to
door salesman and occasional bartender in London.
01:13:00
An eccentric man, Peter had difficulty
keeping any job for a long period of time.
01:13:06
In 1953, he received a minor conviction
for taking and riding away a motorcycle.
01:13:14
Extremely well read, Peter Alphon studied
extensively on astrology and theosophy
01:13:20
and also had an interest in witchcraft and black
magic. He had fascist beliefs and greatly admired
01:13:27
Adolf Hitler. Although they didn’t get on,
Peter’s father gave him a small allowance,
01:13:35
which combined with his earnings, led Peter to
live a comfortable life. With no fixed address,
01:13:43
Peter often checked into boarding houses
for a few nights at a time before moving on.
01:13:52
Although it seemed an open and shut case
for those investigating the A6 murder, James
01:13:58
Hanratty was not the first or only suspect. Four
days after the attack and desperate for leads,
01:14:06
Scotland Yard reached out to hotel staff for
help. As printed in the Daily Sketch on August 27
01:14:14
1961, their appeal read: “Do you have a lodger
who has not stirred out for the past few days?”
01:14:24
Long term border, a schoolteacher named Miss
Perkins read the appeal. She spoke to her
01:14:31
landlord, Peter Sims of the Alexandra Court
Hotel in Finsbury Park, London. She was very
01:14:37
concerned by the behavior of the man who boarded
next to her in room 80 on the second floor.
01:14:45
He paced incessantly in his room, talking to
himself. He also rummaged through his wardrobe
01:14:51
all night and Miss Perkins could hear the sound
of something metallic being rattled. Annoyed
01:14:58
by the constant noise, Miss Perkins knocked on
his door once to ask him to be quiet. There was
01:15:05
no response and the strange noises continued.
She noticed that since the A6 murder, the man
01:15:13
had hardly left his room. He hadn’t been to the
communal dining room for a meal for four days.
01:15:22
The man was listed in hotel ledgers
as Frederick Durrant. However this was an alias. His real name was Peter Alphon.
01:15:34
A detective paid Alphon a visit. He gave
an alibi for the night of the A6 murder,
01:15:41
saying he visited his mother before
checking in to another hotel. The Vienna Hotel. It was the same one that
James Hanratty had stayed in. The one in which
01:15:54
the .38 callibre cartridge cases belonging
to the A6 murder weapon were found. Alphon
01:16:01
admitted to staying in the basement room where
the casings were found on the night of the murder.
01:16:10
After two hours of questioning, Peter
Alphon was released. He returned to the police station the following morning to
ask if he could be of any more assistance.
01:16:21
Alphon’s alibi was verified by his mother as
well as a hotel worker who remembered Peter
01:16:28
checking into the Vienna Hotel only hours after
James Hanratty had checked out. The hotel worker
01:16:36
recalled Alphon asking how to get to Queensway
on the morning of the A6 murder. He was told
01:16:43
the best way would be to take the A36 bus - the
same bus where the murder weapon was discovered.
01:16:53
Both James Hanratty and Peter Alphon had similar
smiles and dark coloured hair (when Hanratty’s
01:17:00
was dyed), and were of similar height. But
the similarities ended there. Alphon did not
01:17:08
have a cockney accent. He had dark eyes, not
blue. He was also of a slightly heavier build.
01:17:17
He strongly resembled the Identikit Valerie Storie
had provided of her attacker. The hotel worked who
01:17:26
interacted with the pair, said in his police
statement: “Hanratty was at all times cool,
01:17:32
calm and composed, and left our hotel like a
normal man who had had a breakfast after a full
01:17:38
night’s sleep and was leaving for work, whereas
Alphon was flurried, hurried and agitated.”
01:17:48
On September 22 1961, before James
Hanratty was even identified as a suspect, Peter Alphon’s mother was questioned. Under
interrogation, she changed her statement
01:18:02
saying she hadn’t seen her son on the night
of the A6 attack, it had been a month earlier.
01:18:11
Detectives were certain that Peter Alphon
was the man responsible for the A6 murder.
01:18:17
The problem was, they now couldn’t find him. Police put out a public appeal to locate Alphon.
01:18:27
Just before midnight on September 22, the Daily
Mail newspaper received a call. It was from
01:18:36
Alphon. He was in a phone booth outside
of Scotland Yard and was about to give himself up. He explained that he was
innocent and needed to clear his name.
01:18:50
A reporter met him there and
together they went inside. Following a detailed interrogation,
detectives felt that Peter Alphon was
01:19:00
less likely to be their man. However, to be sure,
they conducted a series of identity parades.
01:19:08
The first included witnesses who had sighted
Michael Gregsten’’s Morris Minor being driven by
01:19:14
a man in the hours following Michael’s murder.
Also present was the Vienna Hotel worker who
01:19:21
interacted with Alphon. He was the only
person to pick Alphon from the lineup. A lineup featuring Peter Alphon was
also presented to Valerie Storie
01:19:34
while she recovered in hospital. Her eyes slowly
travelled across each person several times.
01:19:43
Alphon spoke of the experience to the Daily
Express, quote: “It dawned on me that she
01:19:51
wasn’t quite sure of herself. I began to
get hot under the collar. Eventually her
01:19:57
gaze fell on me and stayed...Suddenly
she spoke. It was not my number.” Valerie pointed to another man. When she
was told that it wasn’t the person they
01:20:13
were suspecting in the A6 murder, she broke
down sobbing and said, “I made a mistake.”
01:20:21
As a result, Peter Alphon
was dropped as a suspect. From then on, detectives had their sights set
on James Hanratty. Peter Alphon was released. He
01:20:35
spent hours pouring over the case long after
the trial and execution of James Hanratty.
01:20:47
On the one year anniversary of the A6 murder,
James Hanratty’s parents heard a knock at
01:20:52
their door. They let the stranger inside
and he took a seat in their lounge room.
01:21:00
He began speaking about James and how he didn’t
believe there was enough evidence to convict him.
01:21:06
He told the Hanratty’s that he wanted
to write a book about what had happened. It was Peter Alphon. Taking out his cheque
book, Peter offered to compensate the
01:21:18
Hanratty’s for what had been done to them.
The flabbergasted Hanratty’s became irate.
01:21:25
They asked Peter to leave them
alone. He left without incident. A few months later, James Hanratty’s
family began getting hang up phone calls.
01:21:39
They were mostly filled with silence. But on
one occasion, late at night in January 1963,
01:21:47
Mrs Hanratty picked up the phone.
The voice on the line said, “I am the A6 killer Mrs Hanratty. And I am coming
to get you.” Peter Alphon continued to bother the
01:22:03
Hanratty’s over the coming years. He also chatted
to his friends about the case incessantly.
01:22:12
In 1966, there was an overhaul of a
previous law that hanged men could not be buried in a civilian cemetery.
As a result, on February 22 1966,
01:22:26
James Hanratty was exhumed from the Bedford
Prison grounds and reburied in Wembley Cemetery.
01:22:33
A plain clothed policeman watched on in case
Peter Alphon tried to interrupt proceedings.
01:22:41
Later that year, Valerie Storie appeared on
TV program Panorama to break her silence.
01:22:48
She threw her support behind
James Hanratty’s conviction, telling the interviewer: “I was there, I was
on Deadman’s Hill. And I knew it was Hanratty.”
01:23:04
On May 11 1967, just over five
years after James Hanratty’s death, reporters from all over the world crammed
into the Hotel du Louvre reception room
01:23:15
in Paris, France. Alongside them were
two representatives from Scotland Yard. Everyone waited with baited breath
as Peter Alphon entered the room.
01:23:30
Earlier in the day, he had phoned a Daily
Mirror correspondent telling him that he
01:23:35
was going to hold a very important
press conference about the A6 murder. A hush descended as Alphon began to speak.
According to the book, “Who Killed Hanratty?”
01:23:49
by Paul Foot, Alphon confessed to being the
A6 murderer. He told the stunned reporters:
01:23:59
“A man offered me a large sum of money...and
told me to end the relationship between (Michael)
01:24:04
Gregsten and (Valerie) Storie. Another man,
a mutual friend, then put a gun in my hand.
01:24:13
I was not told in so many words to murder. It
was just said - we will get you a gun...take
01:24:19
it from there. I gave the couple in the car
two chances. I spoke a lot of rubbish about
01:24:26
morality and I gave Gregsten two chances to go
away...But each time the bloody man came back.”
01:24:36
He alleged that James Hanratty had been framed
in the attack. The gun had been given to Alphon
01:24:43
by Charles France, who also disposed of it on
the back of the bus. Charles, who was a well
01:24:50
known friend of James Hanratty and implicated
James at trial, had since taken his own life.
01:24:59
British newspapers initially covered
the conference with some interest however the confession was not
taken seriously by Scotland Yard.
01:25:09
They refused to sway from the belief
they had arrested the correct man. Having previously confessed to his friends
who had even taken a written confession to
01:25:20
the Home Office, Peter Alphon was certain this
public admission would lead to his arrest.
01:25:28
The arrest however, never came. Support for James Hanratty continued to grow
following Peter Alphon’s public confession.
01:25:42
The A6 Murder Committee was founded which
included James’s close family and friends
01:25:48
as well as members of the public
who believed in his innocence. The committee travelled to Rhyl and took
an advertisement out in the local paper
01:25:57
titled, “Can you help Mr and Mrs
Hanratty clear their sons name?” They called for anyone who had seen James Hanratty
over the days of the A6 murder to come forward.
01:26:12
Eleven witnesses in total approached the
Committee to confirm their sighting of James
01:26:16
Hanratty in Rhyl, including a family who stated he
enquired about staying at their bed and breakfast.
01:26:25
Throughout 1969, the A6 Murder Committee held a
meeting in Hyde Park every Sunday. With pickets
01:26:33
proclaiming Hanratty’s innocence and naming Peter
Alphon as the real murderer, they paraded around
01:26:39
the park, outside the House of Commons and
even in front of Peter Alphon’s parents house.
01:26:47
In November 1969, Mr and Mrs Hanratty went
to stay with their nephew in Ascot. He said
01:26:55
he would put them in touch with his wealthy
neighbours who were interested in James’s case.
01:27:01
On December 9 1969, the Hanratty’s met with their
nephew’s wealthy neighbours - John Lennon and Yoko
01:27:10
Ono. The former Beatles band member was intrigued
by the case and spoke at length about it to Mr and
01:27:17
Mrs Hanratty. They wanted to make a film about the
murder and James Hanratty’s wrongful conviction.
01:27:26
Following the meeting, John Lennon and Yoko Ono
stunned onlookers as they arrived at the film
01:27:32
premier, “The Magic Christian.” The couple stepped
out of their white Rolls Royce with a banner that
01:27:39
read, “Britain Murdered Hanratty.” The interest
from the superstars renewed public interest in the
01:27:48
case. The couple met often with the Hanratty
family and a documentary film was produced,
01:27:55
however it was not made accessible to the public. Further witnesses came forward to further
implicate Peter Alphon as the A6 murderer.
01:28:07
The proprietress of The Old Station Inn
revealed that Alphon was in the pub on the night that Michael and Valerie were
having a drink before they were attacked.
01:28:18
Still, Scotland Yard declined to reopen the
case after a secret police investigation
01:28:24
failed to uncover any new compelling evidence
to prove Hanratty’s innocence. To authorities,
01:28:31
Peter Alphon was seen as a meddling individual
trying to insert himself into the case.
01:28:40
In April 1992, the Home Office was asked
to reopen the case after a fresh confession
01:28:46
from Peter Alphon. This coincided with
the release of a television documentary.
01:28:54
A review of the documentary in The
Guardian said of James Hanratty, “There cannot be many people left who think he was
guilty.” Peter Alphon interfered again, sending
01:29:07
a greeting card to Michael Gregson’s widow,
Janet, who promptly reported it to the police.
01:29:14
Even Janet came forward requesting a
posthumous pardon for James Hanratty. In April 1994, the case was reopened. An internal
inquiry was completed and new evidence gathered.
01:29:30
In January 1997, the inquiry concluded
that James Hanratty was wrongfully hanged.
01:29:42
In March 1997, the A6 murder case was handed over from the Home Office to the newly formed
Criminal Cases Review Commission - a statutory
01:29:53
body responsible for investigating
alleged misacarriages of justice. It took one year but on 11 March 1998,
the Hanratty family and supporters heard
01:30:06
news from the Commission. DNA testing had been
completed on two pieces of crime scene evidence
01:30:13
that had been kept all these years. They
were semen staining from Valerie’s underwear
01:30:19
and mucus on the handkerchief the
murder weapon was found wrapped in. Technology at the time of
the shooting was limited.
01:30:28
It was only able to ascertain that the
male source of the fluids had blood type O.
01:30:34
This was James Hanratty’s blood type but also
Peter Alphon’s and 36% of the British population.
01:30:43
Now however, technology had advanced to
the stage where DNA testing was possible.
01:30:50
James Hanratty’s mother and brother eagerly
supplied saliva and blood samples for comparison.
01:30:57
The results were inconclusive. In March 1999, the case was handed to the Court
of Criminal Appeal. It was widely reported that
01:31:09
James Hanratty would have his conviction quashed.
The Hanratty’s family solicitor told the Guardian:
01:31:18
“The amount of information not disclosed by the
prosecution at the trial is very substantial.
01:31:24
If that material had been disclosed, James
Hanratty would not have been convicted.”
01:31:32
James Hanratty’s family
were thrilled with the news. They told the media that they had been through
hell trying to get James posthumously pardoned.
01:31:43
Hanratty’s appeal was set to
be heard in December 2000. In July 2000, due to further technological
advancements, the DNA samples from the crime
01:31:54
scene were able to be examined even further.
Peter Alphon supplied his DNA for testing
01:32:03
and was officially ruled out as a suspect.
His entire confession was a charade.
01:32:13
Alphon died in 2009 in London at the
age of 79 after suffering a fall. In his later years he changed his story, coming to
vehemently deny any involvement in the A6 murder.
01:32:31
Samples provided by the Hanratty family were also retested against the specimens from the crime
scene. The tests came back as a familial match
01:32:42
showing that the semen and mucus samples came
from someone related to the Hanratty family.
01:32:49
Michael Hanratty, James’s brother, dismissed
the results. He called the DNA testing “flawed.”
01:32:57
He stated the samples from the crime scene were
stored with samples from James Hanratty, allowing
01:33:04
cross contamination to occur. The DNA result
showed the odds of Hanratty being innocent was
01:33:12
one in a billion. In 2001, James Hanratty’s body
was exhumed and reburied after a DNA sample was
01:33:22
extracted from one of his teeth. It was compared
against the specimens from the crime scene.
01:33:30
On May 10 2002, the Court of Appeal ruled that
there was evidence that showed “beyond doubt”
01:33:37
that James Hanratty was guilty of the A6 murder. The argument that the samples might have been
contaminated were called fanciful and beyond
01:33:47
belief. The judge said that DNA alone proved that
James Hanratty was guilty of the crime, however
01:33:56
when combined with all of the corroborating
evidence there was overwhelming proof of
01:34:01
the safety of the conviction. The ruling put to
rest decades of speculation. James Hanratty was
01:34:10
responsible for the murder of Michael Gregson and
the rape and attempted murder of Valerie Storie.
01:34:18
Valerie Storie told friends how pleased she
was that DNA evidence had proved her right,
01:34:24
after many attempts had been made
to discredit her by those supporting James Hanratty. She never married and continued
working as a government scientist until 1983.
01:34:38
Having been confined to a wheelchair since
age 22, Valerie didn’t wallow over what
01:34:44
James Hanratty had done to her. Instead, she
became motivated to better the life of others.
01:34:51
She became the director of the Slough Community
Transport Service advocating for the physically
01:34:57
disabled. A former colleague and friend stated of
Valerie: “Being disabled herself she understood
01:35:06
what was needed of our buses, having used them
since she was unable to drive herself any more.
01:35:13
She took on the council over the needs of disabled
people, it was her great passion in life.”
01:35:20
As for her affair with Michael Gregsten,
Valerie told her friend that she “paid a bitter price for what she
did.” Valerie died in 2016 at age 77.
01:35:37
James Hanratty’s family were unable to accept
that he had lied to them and was the perpetrator
01:35:43
of the A6 attack. They kept fighting to clear his
name, though public support greatly dissipated.
01:35:52
The family’s refusal to accept James’s guilt
consumes them and will continue to consume
01:35:58
future generations. James’s brother Michael
spoke on the documentary, Murder Casebook,
01:36:05
that when he dies, his sons will take
over trying to get justice for James. In the hours before his execution, James Hanratty
wrote a final letter to his brother Michael:
01:36:23
Dear Mike,
Well Mick I am going to do my best to face the morning with courage and strength and
I am sure God will give me the courage to do so.
01:36:33
I am going to ask you to do me a small
favour, that is I would like you to try and clear my name of this crime. Someone,
somewhere is responsible for this crime
01:36:45
and one day they will venture again and then the
truth will come out, and then Mick that will be
01:36:51
your chance to step in. I feel the police will
try to hush it all up if they get the chance.
01:36:59
So Mick I am counting on you to keep your eyes on
the papers. Well Mick, with that, time is drawing
01:37:07
near, it is almost daylight...I only wish I
could have the chance all over again...Mick
01:37:16
I don’t know what I have done to deserve
this. But Mick, that’s fate for you.