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Even when she was vindicated at a trial in 2002, she said little more than a few words publicly. Enter your email address below to get the latest news and exclusive content from The History Press delivered straight to your inbox. He then stated that he had in fact been in the Welsh coastal town of Rhyl. During the 60 mile journey, Michael and Valerie made 22 separate attempts to escape or frustrate the driver. Although Hanratty's blood group (O) was the same as the murderer's, it was a fairly common blood type shared by 36% of the British population, including Peter Alphon and, apart from Storie's identification, there was no other evidence that Hanratty had ever been in the Maidenhead area. He then retrieved a cloth from the duffle bag, covered Gregsten's bloodied head with it, and ordered Storie to clamber into the back of the car, over Gregsten's body. circa 1962. Valerie and Lennon never met, but in 2001 she said: "I felt it was very ironic that he himself died by the bullet and it flashed through my mind that when the news came through that John Lennon had been shot and killed, I felt, well now John Lennon, you know what it feels like to be shot.". michael gregsten wife. 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. 2023 Getty Images. The other piece of evidence tested, a sample from Valerie Storie's underwear, provided two different sets of male DNA - one that corresponded to Hanratty; and one which the Court of Appeal interpreted as coming from Gregsten.[34]. Neutral Citation Number: [2002] Crim 1141", "James Hanratty: Close to a final verdict? He said: "Whenever journalists came to her asking to tell her story she said no, as they'd misrepresent her. The man tied Storie's hands behind her back with Gregsten's tie and then saw a duffle bag containing some clean clothing. Gregsten had been hit twice in the head and died instantly. 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. Well push your creativity and go beyond your brief. They drove via London Heathrow Airport, up through the Middlesex suburbs, on to the A5 and then on to the A6 to Clophill, Bedfordshire. Police believe the couple, both employees of the Road Research Laboratory near Slough, were confronted by a man with a gun as they were parked on Dorney Common in Berkshire yesterday evening. At about 9pm on August 22, 1961, Michael Gregsten, 36, and his girlfriend Valerie Storie, 22, were sitting in their Morris Minor 1000 car in a lay-by at Dorney Reach, Buckinghamshire, when there was a tap on the driver's window. On 3 July 1957, aged 20, five months after his release from Wormwood Scrubs, Hanratty was sentenced at Brighton Magistrates' Court to six months' imprisonment (he served four) for a variety of motoring offences, including theft of a motor vehicle and driving without a licence. She retreated into her own world, while at the same time listening, watching and making notes of what was being said.". The hotel manager, William Nudds, made a statement to police naming the last occupant of the room as 'James Ryan'. But when Michael reached for the bag Hanratty shot him twice in the head, killing him instantly. Despite this, she was hounded by the media and celebrities, including John Lennon and Yoko Ono, who criticised her for allegedly sending an innocent man to his grave. James Hanratty denied shooting Michael Gregsten, a physicist, twice in the head last August. Michael Gregsten is a 36-year-old research scientist at the Road Research Laboratory at Langley, near Slough. After climbing into the car's back seat, he ordered Gregsten to drive. The man got into the back of the car and told Gregsten to drive further into the field, then stop. After a five-hour ordeal, ending in a layby on the A6 in Bedfordshire, Michael was shot dead and Valerie was raped, shot and left for dead. James Hanratty was later tried, convicted and executed for the murder of Michael John Gregsten on the A6 road. The two were facing each other, their arms resting on the backs of the seats as they spoke quietly when there was a tap on the drivers window. 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. She told them: "I have never had a problem with the truth. "If anyone doesn't want to be punished then they, surely, don't commit the crime. Bedfordshire Police is appealing for witnesses and dashcam footage. She identified James Hanratty as her attacker during an identity parade. 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]. Jet tila michael voltaggio and defending champion and last seasons winner brooke williamson. October 11th, 1961, James Hanratty was arrested for murder and rape. House-to-house inquiries have also been carried out. Alphon was the son of a senior figure at Scotland Yard. Please God, the judgement by the Lord Chief Justice sees not merely the end of yet one more chapter but the end of this book that has been part of my life for so many years. The gunman got out of the car and approached her; pleading for her life, she took a pound note from her pocket, screaming, "Here, take this, take the car and go." He was then buried in the grounds of Bedford Gaol. Try to reignite the pilot light. Hanratty found a job there driving a mechanical shovel for the company of Green Brothers, which made breeze blocks, and remained with the firm for three years. Initially admitted to the Royal Sussex Hospital, Brighton, he was transferred to St Francis Hospital, Haywards Heath, where he underwent a craniotomy following the erroneous diagnosis of a brain haemorrhage. [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. Inside a parked Morris Minor was a 36-year-old scientist, Michael Gregsten, and his 22-year-old girlfriend, Valerie Storie. Paul Foot and some other campaigners argued elsewhere that the DNA evidence could have been contaminated, in view of the fact that the small DNA samples from items of clothing, kept in a police laboratory for over 40 years in conditions that, as they argue, "do not satisfy modern evidential standards", had to be subjected to amplification techniques to yield any genetic profile. [36] His DNA was compared with other DNA extracted from, firstly, mucus preserved in the handkerchief within which the murder weapon had been found wrapped and, secondly, semen preserved in the underwear worn by Storie when she was raped. Valerie wrote: "Hanratty committed a crime and was found guilty and was hanged. By Woman left with serious injuries after dog attack on residential road in Luton. "Valerie has worked at the laboratory since she left school five years ago and she has known Michael for a long time.". Professor Hobbs described Valerie as a 'bloody minded and determined' woman with a charming character. He was found guilty for the murder of a 36 year old scientist Michael Gregsten in August 22nd 1961. Storie screamed, "You bastard! 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 It's best to encompass . According to Alphon, a man had paid him a sum of 5,000 to end the affair between Gregsten and Storie. He also claimed the gun went off by accident. The police issued an appeal to boarding-house keepers to report any unusual or suspicious guests. I do this act in the knowledge that it will clear my family's character of any act or wrong'. Rachel Muir For Mailonline, Easter getaway havoc as more than 1,100 flights are cancelled with Heathrow airport blaming soaring passenger and staff rotas hit by Covid for long queues as fliers also endure chaos at Manchester and Gatwick, Oligarch who was once Russia's richest man says the nation's billionaire elites need to publicly declare Putin a war criminal to prove they do not work for the Kremlin, Covid lockdowns have left a generation of young children struggling to crawl, talk, share, make friends and use the toilet independently, Ofsted report finds. 1985: West German spy chief defects to East, Man finds A6 murder weapon - broadcast 25 August 1961. Alphon stuck to his confession and continued to repeat it until about 1971, when he withdrew his claims. Awesome. Was a married man, he and his wife Janet had two boys, Simon, eight, and Anthony, nearly two. This standard of travel plan isnt good enough in the modern age. The unit should also be connected correctly to the power source. [8], Hanratty claimed that he was staying with friends in Liverpool at the time of the murder, where he had also gone to see one of his criminal friends and former cell mate Terry McNally from Dingle to sell some jewellery. Alamy and its logo are trademarks of Alamy Ltd. and are registered in certain countries. They were confronted by a man with a gun. The author now hopes that the posthumous autobiography will be turned into a film so that more people can learn about what she endured. The James Hanratty case is perhaps Bedfordshire's most notorious murder. Results from testing in June 1999 were said to be strong evidence of a familial match - the evidential DNA was "two and a half million times more likely" to belong to James Hanratty than to anyone else. I therefore have no fear of him. She refused and, having managed to free her hands, tried to disarm him but was overpowered; after he threatened to shoot her, she relented. She said: 'They have built their case on this myth and it has grown to become pure folklore. DESCRIPTIONIn August 1961, a couple by the name of Michael Gregsten and Valerie Storie were sitting in their Morris Minor car in Dorney Reach, UK, when an in. Valerie Storie was left paralysed after James Hanratty attacked her and killed her boyfriend in August 1961. Valerie Storie survived the shooting but was left paralysed and wheelchair-bound. Michael Gregston was murdered by James Hanratty 1962. Justice attended the trial every day, being driven there by his chauffeur, and Alphon accompanied him from time to time. Peter Alphon died in January 2009 after a fall at his home. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. They were ordered to drive to Deadman's Hill, where the attack took place. Mr Gregsten's companion, Valerie Storie, was raped, shot and left for dead. Despatched to the youth wing of Wormwood Scrubs, he slashed his wrists; placed in the prison hospital, he was declared a 'potential psychopath'. In 1962, at Bedford Jail, 25-year-old Hanratty became one of the final eight people in the UK to be executed before capital punishment was abolished. Ingrams said that Alphon, in conversations with Foot and others, had spoken "obsessively about the case, frequently incriminating himself". When this evidence went to court in 2002, proving Hanratty's guilt beyond any doubt, reporters once again hounded Valerie to speak. But tonight, they were talking. Mr Stickler remains interested in pursuing the story further and is looking into another case which he believes might have inspired Hanratty. Having recently re-read the late Paul Foot's excellent book "Who killed Hanratty", which he painstakingly researched for over 5 years I remain convinced (rightly or wrongly) that the original suspect, Peter Louis Alphon, is the real murderer of Michael Gregsten. Home richfield school district michael gregsten wife. More than 300 homes approved as part of new Luton development, Improvements are set to be made to surrounding roads as part of the development. Since his death Hanratty's family and supporters have fought to prove that, although a petty crook, he was not a killer. Mr Stickler said: 'She was absolutely measured and calm and wholly consistent from minute one to the very end. ', Professor Adrian Hobbs, a close friend of Valerie who worked with her at the Road Research Laboratory in Bracknell, Berkshire, said: 'I think she was just waiting to be vindicated. The pair had been intimate for two years after meeting through work, and seemingly had spoken about marriage. A strong, disabled woman's story. A man tapped on the driver's door window; when Gregsten wound it down, a large black revolver was thrust into his face, and a cockney voice said, "This is a hold-up, I am a desperate man, I have been on the run for four months. 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. The gunman then made to leave but suddenly turned back and shot Valerie several times, with five bullets hitting her. 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. [28] However, Bob Woffinden wrote that there was only one occasion when Justice and Jeremy Fox supported Alphon financially, when Fox paid a hotel bill for him. Despite this, Michael was having an affair with his 22-year-old lab assistant, Valerie Storie. 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 book tells the story of what happened that night and how she dealt with it in the years that followed. At about 6:45am on 23 August 1961, the body of Michael John Gregsten (28 December 1924 - 23 August 1961)[10][11] was discovered in a lay-by on the A6 road at Deadman's Hill, near the Bedfordshire village of Clophill, by John Kerr, an Oxford undergraduate conducting a traffic census. 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. On April 4, 1962, Hanratty was hanged by executioner Harry Allen at Bedford Prison. Twice he told Gregsten to turn off the road and then changed his mind, and the car returned to the A6. Streamline your workflow with our best-in-class digital asset management system. ;Picture taken at home of Mrs. Janet Gregston with her two sons Anthony 3 and Simon (9) 1961. Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images "[42], Following the DNA evidence in 2002, Storie earned over 40,000 for her participation in various TV and newspaper documentaries. And when she was found the following morning she was able to give a hugely detailed description of what happened. Ask the author: Jeremy Craddock on The Jigsaw Murders, Ask the author: Monica Weller on investigating a 50-year-old cold case. This was the beginning of the crime which would see Michael murdered and Valerie raped and shot before being left at Deadman's Hill on the A6. Want the latest Bedfordshire news direct to your inbox? He was sent to the gallows at Bedford Prison on 4 April 1962, becoming one of the last people to be hanged in Britain before capital punishment was abolished. By the time of his arrest for the murder of Michael Gregsten, Hanratty had already accumulated four convictions for motoring offences and housebreaking. 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. People need to know what this poor woman went through.'. I knew who he was and he knew that I recognised him. It details 22 attempts made by Michael and Valerie to escape or frustrate the gunman, including hatching a plan to drive into a policeman if they came across one on the journey in order to get his attention. 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. Valerie Storie after receiving treatment for stab wounds on the A6 where Michael Gregsten was murdered is taken to court during trial against James. At that time there was no conclusive forensic evidence to connect Hanratty with the car or the murder scene. [37][38] However, they further went on to note, in the summary of their judgement: The DNA evidence does not stand alone and the Court refers to some of the more striking coincidences in the light of the DNA evidence if James Hanratty was not guilty. The case involved the death of a man who lived not far from Hanratty and Mr Stickler thinks he could have heard about it while he was in prison for house breaking. [citation needed]. Was this a miscarriage of justice? Crime A6 Murder of Michael Gregsten. 2022 Casefile True Crime Podcast. After leaving the school in 1951 at the age of 15, Hanratty, still illiterate, joined the Public Cleansing Department of Wembley Borough Council as a refuse sorter.
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