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. 8 Janet Gregsten Premium High Res Photos - Getty Images Case 173: Rocio Wanninkhof & Sonia Carabantes, Tributes pour in for Sloughs brave Valerie Storie. Case 172: Michael Gregsten & Valerie Storie : r/Casefile - Reddit A strong, disabled woman's story. Access the best of Getty Images with our simple subscription plan. The A6 murder - Part 1 of 4 [Unresolved Murder] - reddit James Hanratty (4 October 1936 4 April 1962), also known as the A6 Murderer, was a British criminal who was one of the final eight people in the UK to be executed before capital punishment was effectively abolished. .. 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. BBC ON THIS DAY | 23 | 1961: Couple found shot in A6 lay-by None of it made sense. He had the same identifying manner of speech as the killer. 50-year fight to clear James Hanratty's name - BBC News At 11.30pm, the man said he wanted food, and told Gregsten to start driving. Even when she was vindicated at a trial in 2002, she said little more than a few words publicly. He was sent to Walton Prison, Liverpool, where he was again identified as a psychopath.[9]. I therefore have no fear of him. Mr Stickler remains interested in pursuing the story further and is looking into another case which he believes might have inspired Hanratty. 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. She said: 'They have built their case on this myth and it has grown to become pure folklore. Professor Hobbs said: 'She never felt sorry for herself. What Is The Case Of Michael Gregsten's Suicide | ipl.org Jamal Edwards, a music producer and entrepreneur, died suddenly in February 2022. Alphon was the son of a senior figure at Scotland Yard. Get in touch for any commercial. In March 1958, aged 21, at the County of London Sessions, Hanratty was again convicted of car theft, and of driving while disqualified, and sentenced to three years' corrective training at Wandsworth Prison, and then to Maidstone Prison. Since his death Hanratty's family and supporters have fought to prove that, although a petty crook, he was not a killer. James Hanratty - Watford Observer However, there was another person called William Usher, who did have two fingers missing from one hand, which looked withered. 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. Hanratty's family and their supporters have continued to contest this conclusion and to press for a further review of his conviction. (Known as the 'A6 Murderer' Known for Killing Scientist 'Michael Gregsten') 3 3 Birthdate: October 4, 1936 Sun Sign: Libra Birthplace: Bromley, Kent, England Died: April 4, 1962 Better known as the A6 Murderer, James Hanratty was one of the last people to be executed before capital punishment was abolished. After Hanratty received a unanimous verdict of guilty in court, a petition arguing his innocence was signed by 90,000 people, but an appeal was dismissed. 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. Leighton Buzzard residents remember 'The Fox' whose violent reign of terror shook Bedfordshire to its core, Dad remembers 'magical night' Paul McCartney debuted 'Hey Jude' in a Beds village pub, Harry Redknapp and Micah Richards to host Carabao Cup draw from Potton Bowls Club, Henlow hiker cheats death after falling from Mount Snowdon's Crib Goch, Cold weather alert issued as freezing temperatures due next week, The UKHSA has warned of snow and a risk of ice next week, First young people admitted to 'long overdue' mental health unit at Luton and Dunstable Hospital, The first two inpatients are now on site in the unit, Banged up in Beds: The names and faces of the criminals jailed in Bedfordshire in February 2023, His Majesty's Prisons have had plenty of new residents arrive this month, Luton councillors who broke lockdown rules deselected by Labour Party, The councillors included the former mayor Tahir Malik, who was forced to resign, Killer of Luton man stabbed to death at flat identified through his 1,300 designer coat, Ikem Affia, 31, was one of four people involved in a plot to drug and rob Saul Murray after seeing photos of him on Instagram wearing Rolex watches, Bedfordshire roadworks: Roadworks and road closures taking place in Beds this week, Some roads have temporary traffic lights in place, while others are closed completely, 9 things Luton has to be proud of after town named "worst place to live in England", Love Luton said: "We would very much welcome the organisers of the poll to come for a visit to see just how great Luton is", Dunstable takeaway wins big at British Kebab Awards 2023, The awards supported the Donate a Doner Campaign, providing relief after the tragic earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, The names and faces of the criminals jailed in Bedfordshire in February, First young people admitted to hospital's 'long overdue' mental health unit, Death of Jamal Edwards part of the inspiration behind new Ed Sheeran album. This image could have imperfections as its either historical or reportage. Clear my name.". The hotel manager, William Nudds, made a statement to police naming the last occupant of the room as 'James Ryan'. On 11 October, Hanratty was arrested by police in Blackpool, at the Stevonia cafe. The police then took the unusual step of publicly naming Alphon as the murder suspect. The Police tracked down a Mrs Dinwoodie, who served in a sweetshop in Scotland Road, and who recalled a man like Hanratty asking for directions. . As a result of these facts, after the A6 murder, Valerie was often unfairly characterised as a "loose woman". Michael gregsten wife / june 11, 2022 june 11, 2022 / were achilles and patroclus cousins. 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 Historical-Meal-5525 2 yr. ago. However, as Paul's book reveals, these words were a mask for her true feelings. 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. 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. "They then left at about 7.30pm in a grey Morris car which I understood belonged to Michael's mother. Surely we could do much better?, Man in his 70s attacked in his home by burglars in Luton. Michael Gregsten with his wife Janet before he was murdered in his car on the A6 by James Hanratty. [34] However, he admitted that, if contamination could be excluded, the DNA evidence demonstrated that James Hanratty had committed the murder and rape. 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. Gregsten was ordered to stop at a milk vending machine and sent into a shop to buy cigarettes, and then to stop at a petrol station for more fuel. 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 No defence on the basis of mental history was raised at Hanrattys trial. 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. Drain the heater and clean it. I had found the guilty person. 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. They had been here on a few occasions before, to make love or simply to spend time alone together. Signing up to the newsletter is simple. Gregsten had been hit twice in the head and died instantly. 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. Tournament Of Champions Food Network Winner He attempted to escape that facility as well, and was sent to Strangeways Prison, Manchester. Michael Streeter on the latest twist in a celebrated murder mystery. "The book tells the story of what happened that night and how she dealt with it in the years that followed. Was James Hanratty Guilty or - The short story writer | Facebook [12] Gregsten had been shot twice in the head with a .38 revolver at point blank range; Storie had been raped, and then shot with the same weapon, four times in the left shoulder and once in the neck, leaving her paralysed below the shoulders. [30], The Hanratty family acting through their solicitor, Sir Geoffrey Bindman, repeatedly called for further inquiries into the case. His last words to his family were "Mick, I am completely innocent. Mobile Homes For Rent Corsicana Tx - House for Rent 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. The man then kept them there for two hours, chattering to them incessantly. In 1999 the case was referred to the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC). On April 4, 1962, Hanratty was hanged by executioner Harry Allen at Bedford Prison. Alphon was recorded by PC Ian Thomson as saying "there can't have been any fingerprints in the car otherwise mine would have given me away". Despite being depicted in the media for decades as a woman who sent an innocent man to his death, Valerie kept quiet. Collect, curate and comment on your files. Storie screamed, "You bastard! When Michael rolled down the window, Hanratty thrust a large black revolver into his face and said: 'This is a hold-up, I am a desperate man, I have been on the run for four months. They drove via London Heathrow Airport, up through the Middlesex suburbs, on to the A5 and then on to the A6 to Clophill, Bedfordshire. This would be of no interest except for possibly the oddest coincidence in the case. In July of the following year he fell from his bicycle, injuring his head and remaining unconscious for 10 hours; he was admitted to Wembley Hospital, where he remained for nine days. [8], Gregsten was a scientist at the Road Research Laboratory in Slough. Hanratty's uneducated London accent and his 'very large icy-blue eyes' enabled Valerie to identify him from a line-up and she later testified at his trial. Paul Stickler's book is available on Amazon here. Miss Storie's mother, Mrs John Storie, said: "Michael came here last night and had tea with Valerie. [43][44][citation needed], Valerie Storie died on 26 March 2016 aged 77 in the Cippenham house where she had been born.