Lying next to Gregsten, semi-conscious, was Gregsten's mistress, Valerie Jean Storie (24 November 1938 26 March 2016). Still can't find what you're looking for? Look after mum and dad. After forcing them to drive 60 miles, gunman James Hanratty murdered Michael before raping Valerie and emptying a number of rounds into her body. Well push your creativity and go beyond your brief. Next, use the -inch open-end wrench and pull out the thermistor by turning it counter-clockwise. Valeries immediate instinct was that it was the farmer coming to find out what they were doing and to tell them to get off his land. 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. [citation needed], On 7 September, Meike Dalal was attacked in her home in Richmond, Surrey, by a man claiming to be the A6 murderer, whom she later identified as Alphon in an identity parade on 23 September. Valerie and Lennon never met, but in 2001 she said: "I felt it was very ironic that he himself died by the bullet and it flashed through my mind that when the news came through that John Lennon had been shot and killed, I felt, well now John Lennon, you know what it feels like to be shot.". He always protested his innocence claiming he was 250-miles from the scene in a bed-and-breakfast in North Wales at the time of the attack. Of approximately seven bullets fired, five hit Storie; she fell to the ground next to Gregsten and played dead. 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. July 3, 2022 July 3, 2022. The prosecution produced witnesses attesting that all the rooms were already occupied at the time and accused Mrs Jones of being an unreliable witness. What Is The Case Of Michael Gregsten's Suicide. 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. It also tells the true story of Valerie's complicated relationship with 36-year-old Michael. Surely we could do much better?, Man in his 70s attacked in his home by burglars in Luton. His reason for lying was that he had seen that Alphon was the police's prime suspect, and had wanted to assist their case. Copyright 04/03/2023 Alamy Ltd. All rights reserved. At the time of France's second suicide attempt in January, one of the letters he left was addressed to the coroner, in which he wrote 'I am of sound mind and body. The story of the A6 Murderer in Bedfordshire is infamous, but the story of one of his victim's has remained untold, To stay up to date with all the latest news from across Bedfordshire sign up to our free newsletter for daily updates and all the latest breaking news. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. I therefore have no fear of him. Whilst he was a professional thief, he had no convictions for violence, and apparently had never possessed a gun, although he later admitted to the police that he had attempted to obtain one after his last release from prison in March 1961. She didn't change her story one iota.'. According to this, Hanratty had gone to Rhyl to sell a stolen watch to a 'fence', arriving there in the evening of Tuesday 22 August and staying in a boarding house near the railway line. They kissed only once. In October 1955, aged 18, Hanratty appeared at the County of Middlesex Sessions, where he was sentenced to two terms of two years' imprisonment, to run concurrently, for housebreaking and theft. Valerie Storie after receiving treatment for stab wounds on the A6 where Michael Gregsten was murdered is taken to court during trial against James. On 29 August, Valerie Storie and another witness, Edward Blackhall, who had seen the driver of the Morris Minor, compiled an Identikit picture which was then released. (Photo by Central Press/Getty Images) Victim's Wife 23rd November 1961: Mrs Janet Gregsten arrives at Ampthill Court in Bedfordshire, to attend the trial of James Hanratty for the murder of her husband, Michael Gregsten. 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. "I would be terrified of every unusual sound or knock at the door. DNA samples from both sources exactly matched James Hanratty's DNA. Hanratty telephoned Scotland Yard several times, saying he had fled because he had no credible alibi for the date in question, but repeated each time that he had nothing to do with the A6 murder. Even once she had been shot and was passing in and out of consciousness, she still managed to wave her petticoat to try to attract attention. Michael was 14 years older than her and married with two children, though he was in the process of separating from his wife. He would have been wrongly identified by three witnesses at identification parades; first as the person at the scene of the crime and secondly (by two witnesses) driving a vehicle close to where the vehicle in which the murder was committed was found. Hanratty's family and their supporters have continued to contest this conclusion and to press for a further review of his conviction. 1985: West German spy chief defects to East, Man finds A6 murder weapon - broadcast 25 August 1961. michael gregsten wife. They were confronted by a man with a gun. 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. According to Storie, the couple were abducted at gunpoint in their car at Dorney Reach, Buckinghamshire, by a man with a Cockney accent and mannerisms matching Hanratty's. 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. Grow your brand authentically by sharing brand content with the internets creators. But then the other suspect, Peter Alphon, publicly confesses to the crime. 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. Despite being the victim of an unspeakable crime, Valerie found herself at the centre of a witch hunt committed to proving the innocence of the man she knew to be her attacker. Want the latest Bedfordshire news direct to your inbox? 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. I knew who he was and he knew that I recognised him. People need to know what this poor woman went through.'. Alphon resembled the Identikit pictures more than Hanratty did; Alphon never produced a convincing alibi; He provided a more credible motive than Hanratty could; He was a poor driver, as witnesses had seen the Morris Minor being driven erratically towards Redbridge Station; On 22 March 1967, Detective Superintendent Douglas Nimmo reported to, On 29 May 1996, Detective Chief Superintendent Roger Matthews reported to Home Secretary. After driving them around the English countryside for hours, the intruder shot both Michael and Valerie, leaving them on the side of the road at a location known as Deadman's Hill. After a failed escape attempt, Hanratty was transferred to Camp Hill Prison, Isle of Wight. Peter Alphon died in January 2009 after a fall at his home. She identified Hanratty from a lineup and testified at his trial. Private detectives tracked down a Mrs Grace Jones, a landlady with a guest house which had a green bath in the attic as described by Hanratty. 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. He leaves two sons, aged seven and two. On the evening of August 22, 1961, lovers Michael Gregsten and Valerie Storie were parked by a field near Slough. Against the wishes of his parents, Hanratty's body had been exhumed and his DNA was compared to that found on Valerie's underwear and the handkerchief in which the murder weapon had been hidden. We choose the most important stories of the day to include in the email, including crime, court news, long reads, traffic and travel, food and drink articles and more. Storie and Gregsten pleaded with him not to shoot them. This would be of no interest except for possibly the oddest coincidence in the case. However, there was another person called William Usher, who did have two fingers missing from one hand, which looked withered. Enter your email address below to get the latest news and exclusive content from The History Press delivered straight to your inbox. After nine hours, they returned to the court and entered a unanimous verdict of guilty. The Getty Images design is a trademark of Getty Images. But for the next 40 years Valerie was slammed by campaign groups and celebrities who were convinced Hanratty was innocent, making her reluctant to speak to the media during her lifetime. 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'. 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. The man then kept them there for two hours, chattering to them incessantly. Justice took the precaution of making thorough notes, and recording all telephone conversations with Alphon. Was Michael actually going to leave his wife and two boys? Journalists such as Paul Foot and Bob Woffinden campaigned for years to prove Hanratty's innocence, casting doubt on Valerie's evidence. Michael wound down his window, only halfway, when a gun was thrust through the gap, its muzzle pointing directly at them. None of it made sense. She was always absolutely certain that she was right, there was no question about that.'. The full text of the Court of Appeals Decision: This page was last edited on 26 January 2023, at 14:31. The unit should also be connected correctly to the power source. The argument for contamination was dismissed as "fanciful" by the judges, who concluded that the "DNA evidence, standing alone, is certain proof of guilt". She identified James Hanratty as her attacker during an identity parade. 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. Gregsten was forced to drive down the A6 until he reached Deadman's Hill near Clophill, Bedfordshire. While she died in 2016 before she wrote her book and told her story in her words, The Long Silence is a compelling read with never before heard details of what happened on that fateful night and the impact it had on Valerie's life. [45][46], This article is about the 1961 murder on the A6 road in England. If you do as I tell you, you will be alright., Extracted from The Long Silence: The True Story of James Hanratty and the A6 Murder by Valerie Storie, the Woman Who Lived to Tell the Tale by Paul Stickler. She retreated into her own world, while at the same time listening, watching and making notes of what was being said.". 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When this evidence went to court in 2002, proving Hanratty's guilt beyond any doubt, reporters once again hounded Valerie to speak. 10:56, 04 Apr 2022 On Tuesday, 22nd August, 1961, Michael Gregsten, 36, a research physicist, called at the address of his estranged wife at Sabine House, Abbots Langley, and after taking his 9-year old son, Simon, to play in Cassiobury Park, Watford, he collected his girlfriend, Valerie Storie, 22, from work, and he and Storie went in Gregsten's Morris Minor to the Old Station Inn, Taplow, near Slough. A woman who was raped and shot in a car with her lover - and was then hounded by people who were convinced her attacker was innocent, has told her story in a new book from beyond the grave. The journey continued along the A5 through St Albans, which the gunman mistakenly insisted was Watford, before joining the A6. A brown, check car rug was spread out; another small, personalised feature of the rallying Morris. AboutPressCopyrightContact. Mr Stickler said: 'She was absolutely measured and calm and wholly consistent from minute one to the very end. 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 James Hanratty was later tried, convicted and executed for the murder of Michael John Gregsten on the A6 road. [34] Modern testing of DNA from Hanratty's exhumed corpse and members of his family convinced Court of Appeal judges in 2002 that Hanratty's guilt was proved "beyond doubt". Paul's book describes the events in great detail of the night in illuminating detail, based on Valerie's accounts. His wife, Maureen Hanratty, said the family had been 'put through hell' because of the behaviour of the authorities. I looked in his eyes and he looked in mine. Even Valerie's own Member of Parliament, Joan Lestor, insisted Hanratty was innocent, and once sent a letter to Valerie inviting her to join the campaign for the A6 Committee. He was struck by how calm and measured she was throughout the whole ordeal. Mr Stickler, a former Hampshire Constabulary police officer who specialised in murder investigations, compiled the book during lockdown using thousands of records and annotated documents left behind by Valerie. 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. Transferred briefly to Durham Prison, he was returned to Strangeways where, having served his full term, he was released in March 1961, aged 24. I could not ever relax.". [citation needed] Hanratty's defence claimed that Mrs Dinwoodie was mistaken about the date. The man then said he wanted to sleep, and that he would have to tie them up. 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. She refused and, having managed to free her hands, tried to disarm him but was overpowered; after he threatened to shoot her, she relented. Twice he told Gregsten to turn off the road and then changed his mind, and the car returned to the A6. His last words to his family were "Mick, I am completely innocent. The Criminal Cases Review Commission announced yesterday that the case of. Her testimony was critical in securing a guilty verdict, but this was questioned by many who felt the supporting evidence too weak to justify conviction, and Hanratty's brother fought for decades to have the verdict overturned. In the evening of Thursday 24 August, the murder weapon, a .38 revolver, was discovered under the back seat of a 36A London bus, fully loaded and wiped clean of fingerprints. After holding them at gunpoint for two hours, Hanratty told Michael to start driving because he wanted food. The gunman knew the Bear Hotel, Maidenhead. 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. They compared his DNA to that found on Valerie's underwear and the handkerchief in which the murder weapon had been contained, and found a conclusive match. By the time of his arrest for the murder of Michael Gregsten, Hanratty had already accumulated four convictions for motoring offences and housebreaking. It was about 1954 that Hanratty became attracted to Soho, where he frequented various clubs and other haunts of the criminal underworld. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Michael Gregsten with his wife Janet 1962 OLD PHOTO at the best online prices at eBay! Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. She was taken to hospital in Bedford where she underwent surgery for her injuries. Were going to have traffic chaos. 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. Valentine's Day collision leaves moped rider with 'life-changing' injuries. She was of the opinion that it is for all of us to make the most of what we have been dealt.'. It was clear he either had not driven before, or was unfamiliar with a Morris Minor. [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. All of this money was anonymously donated to Slough Mobility Transport for the purchase of two new vehicles, one of which was named 'Valerie'. [32][33], While some of the original items of physical evidence were destroyed, the sample from Miss Storie's underwear had been discovered in 1991 and, in late-1997, the handkerchief was subsequently found in the possession of the Berkshire police. Select from premium Janet Gregsten of the highest quality. Show all articles. All rights reserved. He explained: "I felt the story had been misrepresented and needed a retelling from a fresh perspective. Michael J. Gregston [, GRO Register of Marriages: SEP 1951 5f 1655 WOOD GREEN - Michael J. Gregsten = Janet Phillips or Kinnock, GRO Register of Deaths: JAN 1995 38C 7831 24 HORSHAM - Janet Gregsten, DoB = 9 Jan 1930, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Wrongly hanged: Hanratty is found innocent", "40 years after his execution, appeal judges say DNA is certain proof of Hanratty's guilt", "Hansard (for the 2 August 1963 sitting)", "We will never know the truth about the A6 killer", "After 36 years, Hanratty is set to be cleared", "Appeal Court to review Hanratty murder case", "England and Wales Court of Appeal (Criminal Division) Decisions. 2023 Getty Images. They drove around the suburbs of North London, apparently aimlessly. When Valerie died and her papers were given to me I became determined to retell the story with her perspective at its heart. He was hanged at Bedford Jail on 4 April 1962, after being convicted of the murder of scientist Michael Gregsten, aged 36, who was shot dead in a car on the A6 at Deadman's Hill, near Clophill, Bedfordshire in August 1961. How much time had passed since they had pulled into the field is not absolutely clear since neither was paying particular attention but, Valerie would later estimate, after about thirty minutes their private conversation was disturbed. If you're looking for a way to stay up to date with the latest breaking news from around Bedfordshire, the BedfordshireLive newsletter is a good place to start. First sergeant epr bullets june 30, 2022 | | 0 comment | 2:40 pm. Valerie criticised the journalists who campaigned to prove Hanratty's innocence in an interview with the Mail on Sunday in 2002. At that time there was no conclusive forensic evidence to connect Hanratty with the car or the murder scene. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. In August 1961, Michael Gregsten and Valerie Storie were sitting in their car in Dorney Reach, UK when an intruder forced his way into the backseat brandishing a gun. Mr Gregsten's companion, Valerie Storie, was raped, shot and left for dead. They covered about 30 miles before the gunman ordered Gregsten to pull into a lay-by on the A6 at Clophill at around 01 . Despite being left paralysed and having to spend several months undergoing therapy at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, she returned to her job as a member of the on-the-spot accident team at the Road Research Laboratory just ten months after the ordeal. He then ordered her to drag Michael's body out of the car to the edge of the lay-by before ordering her to show him how to operate the vehicle. 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 day before he died he wrote a letter to his brother Michael in which he said: "I'm dying tomorrow but I'm innocent. "They then left at about 7.30pm in a grey Morris car which I understood belonged to Michael's mother. Author Paul Stickler said: 'This is a story that really does need to be told and it's not been told in the way that it should be before now. [8], The first policeman on the scene was handed a census form on which Kerr had written down Storie's account of what she recalled at that moment; the document was never seen again. This time, she did. As a result of these facts, after the A6 murder, Valerie was often unfairly characterised as a "loose woman". [citation needed] Storie gave another statement to the police later that morning, just before she underwent surgery in Bedford Hospital. The police issued an appeal to boarding-house keepers to report any unusual or suspicious guests. In 2002 DNA evidence proved beyond all doubt that Hanratty was guilty. dr mark weiss psychologist; evaluate crossword clue 4 letters; pitt county jail bookings twitter. Mr Gregsten's body was tonight identified by his wife, Janet. A brutal crime at Deadman's Hill On August 22, 1961, lovers Gregsten and Storie were parked next to a cornfield in a Morris Minor when a revolver was thrust into the car and a cockney voice let them know they were being held up. [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. 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. 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. Michael gregsten wife / june 11, 2022 june 11, 2022 / were achilles and patroclus cousins. On 19 March 1997, the Home Office referred the case to the new Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) where Baden Skitt chaired the investigation. 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 On 11 October, Hanratty was arrested by police in Blackpool, at the Stevonia cafe. Hi, It's truly a crying shame that all the postings on this fascinating forum have been lost, seemingly for ever. The following month Richard Ingrams, a close friend and colleague of Paul Foot, wrote a brief article about Alphon's part in the case in The Independent. I do this act in the knowledge that it will clear my family's character of any act or wrong'. On Tuesday, 22nd August, 1961, Michael Gregsten, 36, a research physicist, called at the address of his estranged wife at Sabine House, Abbots Langley, and after taking his 9-year old son, Simon, to play in Cassiobury Park, Watford, he collected his girlfriend, Valerie Storie, 22, from work, and he and Storie went in Gregsten's Morris Minor to the Old Station Inn, Taplow, near Slough. This should have been the end of the matter, but for the rest of her life Valerie was hounded by the media, campaign groups and celebrities including John Lennon and Yoko Ono, who insisted Hanratty was innocent. Captions are provided by our contributors. At about 1.30am on Wednesday 23 August, the car was on the A6, travelling south, when the man said he wanted a 'kip' (sleep). Michael Gregsten, was shot dead in a car on the A6 in Bedfordshire in August 1961, but Hanratty claimed to be in North Wales resort . You don't want it to be blown out. Gregsten was found shot dead in a car on the A6 in Deadman's Hill, Bedfordshire, and his girlfriend Valerie Storie was raped . I repeat that James Hanratty was guilty of the crime for which he was hanged. At the trial Nudds also stated that the man, upon leaving, had asked the way to a bus stop for a 36A bus, though his statement to police had merely mentioned the 36 bus. However, as Paul's book reveals, these words were a mask for her true feelings. The campaign got even more attention when Beatle John Lennon, and his partner, Yoko Ono, joined the campaign. Long before his trial for the A6 murder, he had already been described as a retard, a psychopath, and a pathological liar. During the 1990s, increasingly advanced DNA analysis techniques became widely available. That night, after stopping for a drink at The Station Inn at Taplow, they stopped on a countryside road to discuss their future. Michael Gregsten is a 36-year-old research scientist at the Road Research Laboratory at Langley, near Slough. . Among the prosecution team at the trial was Geoffrey Lane, who was subsequently appointed Lord Chief Justice. Michael is married and he and his wife Janet have two boys, Simon, eight, and Anthony, nearly two.But Michael is having an affair with his 22-year-old lab assistant, Valerie Storie. ", Planned school expansion will cause 'traffic chaos', councillor claims, Councillor Victoria Harvey warned: This council is failing on travel plans.