a6 murder

[Steve]

Graham

The whole family were so convinced of his innocence - they were a close family - it is completely understandable. Yes, you are right, they were a straightforward, down-to-earth, right-living family, and no-one wants to admit to their family having a black sheep.

I really don't think that JH thought it through, I believe he lived for the moment and dealt with things as they happened. Also, his Mother was thought not to have the same conviction for James Junior's innocence as the rest of the family, and possibly believed he could have been capable of the crime. James Senior, however, had no doubts whatsover. His son had told him he was innocent, and that was good enough!

I do think it telling that, well after the father's death, the family showed some reluctance to the second set of DNA tests, and that their protestations diminished once the results had been made public. In their heart-of-hearts they must have been well aware of the possibility that JH had been guilty all along.

KR
Steve

[Limehouse]

Hi everyone,

As some of you know, I have always had a degree of uncertainty about Hnaratty's guilt, even in the light of the DNA evidence but posting on here, and reading all of your insights into the crime, I am swaying more towards guilty.

I have probably mentioned this before but it's worth saying again in light of the posts above. Most, if not all of the books written about the case have set out to prove or strongly suggest Hanratty's innocence. Therefore, writers have playied up Hanratty's character to such an extent that he comes across as a good-hearted boy who went off the tracks but was essentially decent.

We don't really know how much of this is true. I know it is difficult to obtain employment after a spell in prison, especially if one has poor literacy skills, but Hnaratty didn't even try to earn an honest living, even when his father cashed in his pension to start a small business so that they could work together, Hanratty was off after a couple of months, back to his own tricks. It is said that he only robbed empty houses so that the householder was not confronted with the tauma of coming fact-to-face with an intruder - but surely this could really have been because her did not want to get caught? he was probably a coward.

We will never know what happened in that corn field that night or what the motivations were. In all possibility, if it was Hnaratty, he was embarking on a new phase in his crimal career - one that went terribly wrong because he lacked the brain power to think things through clearly. Maybe her feared capture and imprisonment so much that he was willing to kill two people once the threat of being overpowered arose.

[theodore]

PLA still alive?

H all

I'm looking for the real P.L.A.

Last I heard he was in Maida Vale.

But that was a while ago.

Does any one know if he's still alive and where he is?

tc

steven

[jimarilyn]

H all

I'm looking for the real P.L.A.

Last I heard he was in Maida Vale.

But that was a while ago.

Does any one know if he's still alive and where he is?

tc

steven

Hi steven (or is it Steve from Hampshire ?)


Alphon I had discovered ( through a very helpful person who no longer seems to post on these boards) was living in some sort of sheltered accommodation in London towards the end of 2007. I did mention the address in one of my posts on the original thread but alas when the website crashed (?) this particular post was lost and I can't for the life of me remember the street in London where Alphon was living. I'm under the strong impression that he hasn't expired over the past few months. At least one person on this thread knows where he's living.

[theodore]

Hi jimarilyn

Hi

i'm not from Hampshire never even been there.

As I said earlier I'm going down to London later this month

Been a true crime fan for decades

would like to meet Peter just to ask him the obvious questions.

Even if he didnt do it hes interesting

tc

steven

[Steve]

Hi Limehouse

This is quite right; the Woffinden and Foot books sought to portray Hanratty as something he really was not, the purpose being to illustrate their own point of view. I remember reading the line ‘the gentle fugitive’ in one of the books, Woffinden probably, and thinking that just did not sit right with my own perception of Hanratty’s character, innocent or guilty.

You are right that he didn’t want to work, there were easier ways of making money in Hanratty’s world, and after several years in prison he was an experienced criminal. (Albeit one who the police found easy to catch.) Your point about him being a coward and only robbing empty houses to avoid confrontation is an interesting one, I’m not certain I agree with that, but I suppose it comes down to defining cowardice and courage.

Yes, I agree too that he lacked the intelligence to think things through and stumbled through life dealing with events as they happened.

Kind regards,
Steve

[jimarilyn]

Hi

"Straight, well greased, dark brown, brushed straight back, slightly receding at the temples." ..................Valerie Storie's first statement to the police, describing her attacker/rapist and Michael Gregsten's murderer.

This sounds uncannily like Peter Louis Alphon and not the slightest at all like James Hanratty. No wonder her identikit picture of the murderer resembled Alphon so much. When she picked out Michael Clark by mistake on that identification parade she later commented that Alphon did resemble Clark. What on earth was going on here ? Did Alphon have some kind of unknown hold on her ?

When she picked out Hanratty on another identification parade several weeks
later his hair was a bright orange, not dark brown. Hanratty never went around with his hair slicked back. The eye colour of the murderer had mysteriously changed from their original "brown" to "icy blue". How ? Valerie Storie's description of the murderer to John Kerr a few hours after her attack was when it was very fresh in her mind (and hence at it's most reliable). Subsequently over the next week or so it had changed beyond recognition.

What, I wonder had happened during this critical period to change Valerie's Story ?

[Steve]

Hi jimarilyn

The identification process has always been a bone of contention and one of the reasons for the fascination in the A6 murder case. The blue eyes/brown eyes point, though, has been explained. Valerie's very first description, made with small stones as she lay wounded at the lay-by, included blue eyes. It was after that when the police muddled things up and included brown eyes in the description.

Remember that the notes made by Kerr, including Valerie's description as told to him, was handed to a police officer at the crime scene and then disappeared.

Kind regards,
Steve

[jimarilyn]

"For twenty days I have sat in that box, twenty days, and listened to the trial...It was quite obvious to me inside that I never committed this crime and I had nothing at all to fear. But...let me finish...as this case went along, I got so frightened with the evidence what was being brought forward, with the lies and such things as have happened in this witness-box....well, it is disgraceful to talk about them....This is the only chance I have had to explain and now you are trying to pull me to pieces"

I wonder how many prisoners in the dock have responded in such a passionate way to being charged with murder ?

[Steve]

You could argue that he genuinely believed he was not a 'murderer' and that he was not a 'rapist.'

[jimarilyn]

Valerie's very first description, made with small stones as she lay wounded at the lay-by, included blue eyes. It was after that when the police muddled things up and included brown eyes in the description.

Hi Steve,

This is a new one on me. I've never read that anywhere. Did they photograph this particular spot and if so did the words show up ? I thought she was
paralysed and had blacked out through loss of much blood.

[Graham]

Woffinden mentions the stones, but says that Valerie couldn't find enough and gave up on that idea. She evidently screamed and shoued trying to attract attention and eventually passed out. She was first found by a farm-labourer on his way to work who alerted John Kerr.

I think we need to be very realistic about Valeries i.d. of whoever was in the car with her and Gregsten. The man wore a bandana to cover his face, which was seen by Valerie for just a second or two, in the lights of a passing car, while he was in the act of raping her. If that and the murder of her lover weren't enough to traumatise her, then being shot several times most certainly did. I honestly do not think that her description of the attacker can be relied upon, ergo, Hanratty should have been acquitted. This is not to say that he wasn't guilty, of course. Until the DNA, the entire case against Hanratty revolved around Valerie's description of him,and to my mind it's little wonder that there was a massive movement to try to prove his innocence.
On the other hand, she did pick him out at the ID parade...

Cheers,

Graham

[Steve]

Graham

Hawser describes the stones, but also makes the mistake of saying the couple were found in the lay-by by the census-taker who then summoned a farm labourer.

Yes, totally agree, realism should prevail. Valerie’s description was given under the most awful circumstances. She had absolutely no reason to lie, or give a false description, or try to implicate anyone other than the guilty party. I believe she did her best in the circumstances.

Why would she do anything other than tell the truth?

The DNA vindicated her conviction totally.

Kind regards,
Steve

[theodore]

Hi

My name is Steven.

I have been intersted in true crime for over 30 years now.

I know I'm knew here but you all seem experts on this case and I would love to join in this debate.

However my request for the whereabouts of PLA seems to be being ignored.

I'm not a reporter or some stalker merely someone who is fascinated in such cases and as I'm going to the big smoke I thought I'd try one last time to locate the man who possibly holds the key to this whole case.

I have been trying to locate Peter for many years and finding this forum has brought me apparently closer than ever.

If I meet him I will provide my account on here when I get back home.

Yours hopefully


steven

[Limehouse]

Hi Theodore,

I do not think many of us know the current whereabouts of PLA. Even if you found him, do you think it's likely that he will give you a 'straight' story or answer? You will most likely get a rebuff or another tall tale. He's now an elderly man and if he is living in sheltered accommodation, he's likely to be rather frail. He possibly regrets things he did in his past life and probably wants to be left in peace.

Enjoy London, nevertheless. There are many beautiful places to see and go.