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  • Alphon's route to the Vienna Hotel

    Just re-reading a bit of Woffinden and came across this: "He [Alphon] didn’t arrive at the Vienna casually, late at night; he had pre-booked in the morning." (p. 424)

    I thought he was in Southend in the morning, and had been sent on that night from the Vienna's sister hotel, the Broadway House, Foot, for instance, says: "On Tuesday the 22nd, in the evening, he had booked in at the Vienna Hotel through the Broadway House Hotel in Dorset Square near Baker Street ..."

    Is this another case of Woffinden twisting the facts to suit his "Alphon done it" theory?

    Comment


    • It was Galves who said in her 6-Sep-61 statement that Durrant phoned in the morning and booked direct. Woffinden is ignoring his own advice to be wary of things Galves said in this statement that she did not know about personally. Later Galves clarified that Snell had claimed to have taken this phone call, and I think it is clear that Snell was mistaken.

      The police must have referred back to Alphon’s 27-Aug-61 statement and seen his version of arriving via the Broadway House. When they put this to Galves on 20-Sep-61 she was confused: “If he telephoned this hotel in the morning, there was no need for him to call at the Broadway House before coming here.”

      The following day Nudds makes his second statement which relies upon the morning phone call booking. So if Foot agrees with the Broadway House scenario, how can he believe in Nudds second statement?

      Comment


      • Thanks Nick. Foot says (p. 58) that Galves and her husband only spoke Spanish. If true (lack of English would be quite a handicap in running a London hotel, I'd have thought), this might explain some of the confusion on this issue.

        Comment


        • Did Alphon sue the police?

          I've read conflicting accounts of this - some averring that he did successfully sue for wrongful arrest, others that he didn't. Anybody got a definitive answer to this question?

          Comment


          • I saw a report somewhere that he sued the police.

            He sued a lot of people and even the media - there is a report in the Herald of him suing ITN. I expect he received out of court settlements.

            He even sued Fenner Brockway. If you look at the list of papers he left to Churchill College ...

            ... in Box 12 it says: "FB was sued for defamation."

            Comment


            • Originally posted by Alfie View Post
              I've read conflicting accounts of this - some averring that he did successfully sue for wrongful arrest, others that he didn't. Anybody got a definitive answer to this question?
              Can't find any report of any proceedings issued by Alphon against the Police for wrongful arrest.

              On 15th August 1963 there was a report in the Daily Mirror that Alphon had issued proceedings by writ for defamation against Fenner Brockway for something the latter had said in a TV broadcast of 2nd August 1963. That is the only report of any legal action by Alphon and it does not seem to have gone any further.

              Comment


              • Foot (p. 304) has Alphon taking out a writ against Acott on Nov 6, 1961 alleging defamation of character and wrongful imprisonment, but I'm sure I've read somewhere that the writ was never prosecuted. It strikes me though that if Acott did have such an action hanging over him it might go some way to explaining the circumspection with which the police seemed to treat Alphon afterwards.

                On a different tack, Woffinden makes reference to a report dated Nov 10, 1961, written by DS Acott which ran to at least 80 pages (on this page he describes Louise Anderson as "a neurotic woman, and unreliable as regards dates.")

                I'm guessing the report was written by Acott for the Committal hearing which began 12 days later. Woffinden makes just four references to it, but I'm sure it would provide a lot more good inside info than he cared to pass on. Anybody know of any secondary sources where I could find out more about it?

                Edit: The report actually ran to more than 121 pages, on which page Acott opined that Hanratty's behaviour "should be sufficient grounds for him to gain a writ on diminished responsibility."
                Last edited by Alfie; 03-06-2018, 04:23 AM.

                Comment


                • Originally posted by Spitfire View Post
                  Can't find any report of any proceedings issued by Alphon against the Police for wrongful arrest.

                  On 15th August 1963 there was a report in the Daily Mirror that Alphon had issued proceedings by writ for defamation against Fenner Brockway for something the latter had said in a TV broadcast of 2nd August 1963. That is the only report of any legal action by Alphon and it does not seem to have gone any further.
                  Thanks Spitfire. I remember reading somewhere that he didn't follow up on the Acott suit, but am unable to find it now.

                  Comment


                  • Suing Acott for defamation and false imprisonment ...


                    Suing Brockway and ITN for defamation ...


                    I thought there were more instances but the search function is not very good; I only found these knowing the dates.

                    Yes I think there is a lot that Woffinden withheld. He refers to the Sunday Times magazine article I have posted extracts from, but does not mention Charlie Jones was shown a photo of Hanratty and said emphatically that was not the man.

                    He says in the intro to the book that Swanwick gave him an interview (and lunch) but I cannot find any quotes from it, all Woffinden does is criticise him. As Swanwick did not say the 'right things' his comments were not passed on.

                    Comment


                    • Thanks Nick. Looking up the Brockway suit, I came across this in Foot: "Somehow, however, the writs against Brockway and I.T.N. have gone the same way as the writs Alphon took out against Superintendent Acott, the Daily Mirror and the Daily Mail – into obsolescence." (p. 336)

                      So it looks like Alphon never followed through on the actions, which seems a little strange given how confident his solicitor said he was that the action against Acott would succeed. I wonder why he let them lapse?

                      Comment


                      • Thanks. While you have Foot to hand, can you see how he reconciles accepting that Alphon arrived at the Vienna in the evening via the Broadway House with his belief in Nudds 2nd statement?

                        Comment


                        • Originally posted by NickB View Post
                          Thanks. While you have Foot to hand, can you see how he reconciles accepting that Alphon arrived at the Vienna in the evening via the Broadway House with his belief in Nudds 2nd statement?
                          I can't see that he even attempts to reconcile them. I can only surmise that he's forgotten what he wrote earlier about Alphon being sent on from the Broadway House, or he's hoping that readers won't notice the discrepancy - the Broadway item being mentioned on p. 44 and his commentary on Nudds' second statement coming 24 pages later (pp. 68-71).

                          Comment


                          • Another little oddity about Nudds' second statement is when he said he had a call from Broadway House that a Mr Bell had cancelled his booking for 22 August at The Vienna. Foot says that in the hotel diary the entry for Mr Bell for one night had been crossed out; but in the hotel register there was Mr Bell's signature! He had spent the night (a 'happy' night, Foot says....) in Room 9. Foot goes on to say that the cancellation by Mr Bell was false, and that if Nudds' second statement was 'essentially true' (Foot's words)it was 'embellished' to connect Alphon with the murder.

                            I think there is little doubt that Acott was under extreme pressure from the authorities as well as the media, and given the fact that Alphon never denied that he had stayed at The Vienna he was straightaway in pole position, but a few subtle little twists had to be applied to give Acott, the authorities and the public a credible suspect. I wonder if Foot genuinely accepted the meat of Nudds' second statement?

                            Can anyone tell me, as I can't find my copy (!) if Woffinden mentioned the Mr Bell booking?

                            Graham
                            We are suffering from a plethora of surmise, conjecture and hypothesis. - Sherlock Holmes, The Adventure Of Silver Blaze

                            Comment


                            • Woffinden page 259, quoting from Galves 20-Sep-61 statement:
                              “Somewhere about 9pm, Mr Pischler telephoned and informed us that Mr Bell had cancelled his booking. I crossed out the entry in the diary referring to Mr Bell’s booking and at about 10pm, just before I went to bed, I told the Glickbergs that their guest, who was expected to arrive late, could occupy Room 6.”

                              At the trial Nudds said the police phoned him that day and asked him about Alphon, which is when he started thinking they wanted him to be framed. He also claimed a woman had changed rooms, and it was on this that he based the false Alphon change of rooms.
                              Attached Files

                              Comment


                              • So how did Foot know that Mr Bell had signed the hotel register? This doesn't make much sense to me, unless of course Mrs Galves had fallen under Mr Acott's irresistible influence. I recall reading somewhere that she was, technically, working illegally in the UK which, if true, would have given Acott a very nice lever.

                                Graham
                                We are suffering from a plethora of surmise, conjecture and hypothesis. - Sherlock Holmes, The Adventure Of Silver Blaze

                                Comment

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