The case of James Hanratty who was hanged thirty-seven years ago is to be referred back to the Court of Appeal. James Hanratty was executed for killing a man on the A-6 in Bedfordshire in 1962. BBC News 1999
Three judges at the Court of Appeal have dismissed the appeal on behalf of James Hanratty, who was hanged for the A6 murder in Bedfordshire 40 years ago. The court ruled that 25-year-old Hanratty was not wrongly convicted in 1962 of murdering scientist Michael Gregsten.
Hanratty, one of the last people to be executed before the abolition of capital punishment in the UK, had always claimed he was 250 miles away from the scene – in Rhyl, north Wales.
But on Friday, the three judges ruled that DNA evidence had established his guilt ‘beyond doubt’. Lord Woolf, the Lord Chief Justice, said: ‘In our judgment ... the DNA evidence establishes beyond doubt that James Hanratty was the murderer.’ He added that the DNA evidence ‘made what was a strong case even stronger.’ BBC News 10th May 2002
Murdered Hanratty. John & Oko Lennon’s protest placard
Eleven Witnesses Swear He Was In Rhyl 200 Miles Away When The Crime Was Committed. I Demand A Public Inquiry. And Justice To Be Done. James Hanratty’s father’s protest placard
The police were lying. Tamsin Allen, Hanratty family solicitor
Two or three thousand undisclosed statements – files and files and files – we have a list of twelve thousand documents ... And there may be many more to find. Tamsin Allen
It almost looks as if they’re casting around for the next available person. Tamsin Allen
Tonight Horizon tells the extraordinary story of how breakthroughs in DNA science have transformed a bitter case of conflicting evidence of murder and justice. Horizon: The A-6 Murder, BBC 2002
Forty years ago a small-time thief called James Hanratty with no history of violent crime was hanged for a motiveless and horrific murder. But vital evidence withheld from the original trial suggested Hanratty may have been executed wrongly. ibid.
Could science now resolve the case of the A-6 killer? ibid.
Exhibit 26 and sent for analysis – hidden in the microscopic fibres was proof Valerie Storie had been raped. ibid.
A case was brought against twenty-five-year-old James Hanratty who was executed six months after the murder on the basis of other non-forensic evidence. Hanratty went to his death protesting his innocence, claiming he had been set up by the police. ibid.
Then came DNA. ibid.
In fact nothing was ever found to link Hanratty forensically to the murder. Instead, his arrest was as the result of a strange and complex sequence of discoveries. ibid.
Hanratty was charged with the murder of Michael Gregsten and put on trial for his life. ibid.
Paralysed for life by a crime of shocking violence, Valerie Storie was a powerful witness, utterly unshakeable in her conviction that James Hanratty was indeed the killer. ibid.
In 1997 DNA work began again on the Hanratty case ... Science suggesting that the person who had raped Valerie Storie had also handled the murder weapon. ibid.
The interview record has been altered. ibid.
This time Valerie Storie picked out the correct police suspect ... A suspect because he was staying in the same hotel as the man police first arrested ... Witnesses whose sighting was questionable ... The failure of Valerie Storie’s first flawed identification of an entirely innocent man. ibid.
His brother Michael and mother Mary volunteered samples of their own DNA ... The results surprised everyone. ibid.
But what else apart from Hanratty’s guilt could explain the DNA? ibid.
What scientists call contamination is a genuine and alarming outcome of PCR. ibid.
During the trial itself clothing from Hanratty and Valerie Storie was transported to and from court in the same cardboard boxes. ibid.
If James Hanratty is not the killer, then where is the DNA? ibid.
The DNA is only Hanratty’s. ibid.
On February 17th 1962 James Hanratty was anxiously awaiting his fate as the jury filed back into the main courtroom here at Bedford Assizes. Fred Dinenage s3e3: Murder Casebook: Hanratty, CI 2013
What was the evidence that sealed his fate? ibid.
It was this change of alibi and positive identification by Valerie Storie that the case was built upon. ibid.
Questions have been raised about the validity of the DNA evidence. ibid.
I’m going to ask you a small favour, and that is to clear my name of the crime. Someone, somewhere is responsible, and one day the truth will come out. James Hanratty, letter to brother
I’m innocent, my Lord, and I’ll appeal. James Hanratty
Tomorrow morning, I’ll take this like a man. James Hanratty
It is beyond reasonable doubt that the DNA we’ve discovered on the crime stains was deposited by James Hanratty during the commission of the crime. Roger Mann, forensic science service
Well, I’m convinced that Hanratty was guilty ... I don’t think we can all be wrong. Valerie Storie, interview Horizon
‘Mum, I promise you I will face it like a man.’ Hanratty: The Whole Truth, Channel 4 2002
On the morning of April 4th James Hanratty, convicted for the A6 murder, was taken from his cell for the last time. ibid.
The most notorious murder case of the twentieth century. ibid.
In the early morning of August 23 1961 the bodies of Valerie Storie and her lover Michael Gregsten were found beside the A6 near Bedford. They had both been shot and left for dead. The place where they lay was known as Dead Man’s Hill. ibid.
‘I screamed and I said, “You bastard” … There was the stench of blood.’ ibid. Valerie
‘The headlights: they were just full of his face.’ ibid.
The investigation now centred on the previous occupant of Room 24 where the cartridge cases had been found. He had given his name as J Ryan … Ryan had turned out to be James Hanratty. ibid.
‘And as the words came along … And erm it was the eyes. He looked at me and I looked at him. And he knew perfectly well that I knew who he was.’ ibid. Valerie
After nine hours they reached their decision. ibid.
After only one day of the appeal hearing the case was dismissed. ibid.
‘I want you to clear my name.’ ibid. Hanratty to father
John Justice believed there had been a cover up by police … A high profile campaign. ibid.
30 years ago this week James Hanratty was hanged for the A6 murder. His innocence has been proclaimed ever since. Now there is disturbing new evidence that he was wrongly executed. Hanratty: The Mystery of Deadman’s Hill, Channel 4 1992
‘Mum, somebody somewhere knows the truth and will come forward. No matter what happens we know that the country has made a terrible mistake.’ ibid. Hanratty
The shooting at Deadman’s Hill was the most notorious crime of its day. It led to Britain’s biggest investigation and longest murder trial. ibid.
The crucial witness is Valerie Storie who miraculously survived. ibid.
‘Five feet six, proportionate build, dark brown hair, palish face, brown eyes … believed to have an East End London accent.’ ibid. Rozzer’s initial description of killer
The next day the A6 murder weapon was found on a London bus. A .38 Enfield revolver had been hidden with sixty rounds of ammunition on the top deck under the back seat. ibid.
The police now had their first suspect – Peter Louis Alphon … In several respects he matched Valerie Storey’s description of the murderer … The police named Alphon as the wanted man. ibid.
James Hanratty – and he was the last occupant of Room 24 where the cartridge cases from the murder weapon were found. ibid.
But at another parade she had picked out a wholly innocent RAF Corporal and identified him as the A6 killer. ibid.
A full month before identifying Hanratty she told Acott: ‘I may not be able to pick him out … My memory of this man’s face if fading.’ The jury never knew of these doubts. ibid.
The 1960s were a time of real and profound reckoning in British society. Nations all over Europe were shaking off old attitudes and traditions. In British this meant a growing distrust with the legal system, and particularly the death penalty. And there was one case more than any other that would drive those feelings out into the open. The Guilty Innocent with Christopher Eccleston s1e2: James Hanratty
‘So many elements which point to innocence; so many elements which point to guilt.’ ibid. Louise Shorter, legal expert
Questions’ over James Hanratty’s Liverpool alibi will remain for the next 40 years. ibid.