[24] The Committee attempted to assist Hanratty in his defence, and later tried to disprove his conviction. I had found the guilty person. 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 I knew who he was and he knew that I recognised him. Shortly after his return, Gregsten left his pregnant wife, Janet, and went to live in Windsor, inviting Valerie Storie to navigate for him during car rallies organised by the de Havilland car. 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. Michael Gregsten with his wife Janet before he was murdered in his She retreated into her own world, while at the same time listening, watching and making notes of what was being said.". It's best to encompass . France, who had suffered from bouts of severe depression for many years, committed suicide by gassing himself (his third attempt) about two weeks before the execution. The car Gregsten and Storie had been using at the time of the attack, a grey four-door 1956 Morris Minor registration 847BHN, was found abandoned behind Redbridge tube station in Essex later that evening. However, only two days later, Storie gave a different description of her assailant to the police. Circa 1962. Show all articles. He believes that one of the other people was the murdered man's spurned wife, Janet Gregsten, who died recently, and at . However, as Paul's book reveals, these words were a mask for her true feelings. 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. Still can't find what you're looking for? Sign up here. Alphon claimed he gave Gregsten two chances to get away but "each time the bloody man kept coming back". In 1997, a police inquiry concluded he was wrongfully convicted and the case was sent to the Court of Appeal,[1] which ruled in 2002 that a DNA test conclusively proved Hanratty's guilt beyond any doubt.[2]. In August 1961, 22-year-old Valerie Storie and 36-year-old Michael Gregsten were the victims of James Hanratty in the notorious 'A6 Murder'. He started to bombard his own solicitor with threatening phone calls and letters. Two civil servants employed at the Road Research Laboratory at Langley, near Slough, Michael Gregsten and Valerie Storie, drew up in a Morris Minor car outside the Old Station Inn, a public house just outside the village of Taplow. Among the prosecution team at the trial was Geoffrey Lane, who was subsequently appointed Lord Chief Justice. Charles France was also the recipient of highly unpleasant anonymous phone calls. 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. , updated He explained: "I felt the story had been misrepresented and needed a retelling from a fresh perspective. Collaborate with our global Enterprise Sales team. She was of the opinion that it is for all of us to make the most of what we have been dealt.'. In the 'Storie papers' is a script containing her stronger feelings on the matter. The comments below have not been moderated, By
His last words to his family were "Mick, I am completely innocent. land for sale in highgate, st mary jamaica . Hanratty's early years were troubled. He told Gregsten to pass the bag but, as Gregsten moved, there were two shots. As they sat there was a tap on the driver's window. Were they to marry? It was about 1954 that Hanratty became attracted to Soho, where he frequented various clubs and other haunts of the criminal underworld. 2023 Getty Images. In essence its her posthumous autobiography.". She was always absolutely certain that she was right, there was no question about that.'. Michael J. Gregsten, mmn = Oulet, GRO Register of Deaths: JUN 1962 4a 7 AMPTHILL. Access the best of Getty Images with our simple subscription plan. On the evening of August 22, 1961, a car containing lovers Michael Gregsten and Valerie Storie, was parked by a field near . Valerie Storie after receiving treatment for stab wounds on the A6 where Michael Gregsten was murdered is taken to court during trial against James. Appeal Court to review Hanratty murder case | UK news | The Guardian Rachel Muir For Mailonline
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. FACTFILE 22nd August 1961, Michael Gregsten and his mistress Valerie Storie, were sitting in his car in a field, they were hijacked by a man with a gun, the man made them drive around for hours, eventually ending up at Deadmans Hill on the A6 just outside Clophill, Bedfordshire. He leaves two sons, aged seven and two. The report made there acknowledged his unhappy home background (he claimed he was frightened of his mother and had no filial feelings towards his father) and his mental handicaps. 8 Janet Gregsten Premium High Res Photos - Getty Images On 7 September 1954, aged 17, Hanratty appeared before Harrow Magistrates' where he was placed on probation for taking a motor vehicle without consent, and for driving without a licence or insurance. Another man obtained a gun for Alphon, whereupon he set off and hijacked the pair. michael gregsten wife. michael gregsten wife - Optimization-world.com Michael Gregsten with his wife Janet 1962 OLD PHOTO | eBay Although Gregsten and Storie offered to give him all their money and the car, the man appeared to have no plan and seemed to want them to stay with him. Crime A6 Murder of Michael Gregsten. Gregsten was forced to drive down the A6 until he reached Deadman's Hill near Clophill, Bedfordshire.
Justice attended the trial every day, being driven there by his chauffeur, and Alphon accompanied him from time to time. A6 Murder who wrote the letter to Gregsten's boss complaining of the Valerie Storie - obituary - The Telegraph Even when she was vindicated at a trial in 2002, she said little more than a few words publicly. Valerie Storie survived the shooting but was left paralysed and wheelchair-bound. 60 years since the A6 murder in Bedfordshire - Home | Bedford Today She identified Hanratty from a lineup and testified at his trial. 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] Hanratty's defence claimed that Mrs Dinwoodie was mistaken about the date. For disappearances in France on the A6 between Paris and Lyon, see, GRO Register of Deaths SEP 1978 11 0739 BRENT - James Francis Hanratty, DoB = 3 October 1907, GRO Register of Marriages DEC 1936 2a 1724 BROMLEY - James Hanratty = Mary A. Wilson, GRO Register of Deaths JUL 1999 C81A 2421C 97 LEWISHAM - Mary Ann Hanratty, DoB = 6 April 1917, GRO Register of Births DEC 1936 2a 1038 BROMLEY - James Hanratty, mmn = Wilson, GRO Register of Births: MAR 1925 3a 660 BARNET. Jamal Edwards, a music producer and entrepreneur, died suddenly in February 2022. Historical-Meal-5525 2 yr. ago. Gregsten's girlfriend, Valerie Storie, was raped, shot five times, and left paralysed. Was this a miscarriage of justice? He wrote a suicide letter to Hanratty; it was full of spite and venom, but at no point actually accused him of committing the murder. The James Hanratty case is perhaps Bedfordshire's most notorious murder. By August 22nd 1961 the marriage of Michael and Janet Gregsten had been in difficulties for some time.The 3 year love affair between Valerie Storie and Gregsten had intensified and on 1st August 1961 Gregsten had taken what seemed like an irrevocable step to end his marriage.He took a flat in Maidenhead and told his wife he would be moving in on Hanratty's initial defence was that he had been in Liverpool on the day of the murder, but then, halfway through the trial, he changed part of his story, claiming that he had in fact been in Rhyl, North Wales. The Long Silence, published in August 2021, is the first book to explain in detail the 'cat and mouse' drive and it has been heralded by many as a much overdue account. His reason for lying was that he had seen that Alphon was the police's prime suspect, and had wanted to assist their case. She told them: "I have never had a problem with the truth. michael gregsten wife / June 11, 2022 June 11, 2022 / were achilles and patroclus cousins /. Hanratty was initially buried in the grounds of Bedford Gaol, but, on 22 February 1966, his remains were exhumed and re-interred in a grave at Watford, later shared with his aunt.[22][23]. BBC ON THIS DAY | 23 | 1961: Couple found shot in A6 lay-by Hanratty - did he rape and murder? | Watford Observer [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.