a6 murder

[larue]

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.

hi Graham

we certainly do. this description is central to the whole case.

is it known at exactly what point the gunman removed the bandana? assuming he did

while he was in the act of raping her

while he was in the act of raping her? i have gotten the impression she saw his face in surreptitious glances rearwards. hmmm looks like i need to go back to the books to refresh my memory

these two points are crucial

[Steve]

The Handkerchief

Hi Larue

It's my understanding that the gunman wore a handkerchief to cover the bottom half of his face when he and Gregsten got out of the car at the time the gunman planned to lock Gregsten in the boot. I don't think it was actullay a bandana. and I believe the rest of the time he relied on ordering the couple not look back to be sure he was not recognised. After the light had failed and it was night time he no longer needed his disguise, and that was why Valerie was able to catch a glimpse of his face lit by the passing headlamps.

Kind regards,
Steve

[jimarilyn]

Hi

Just bought an all-in-one printer/scanner/copier for only £29. Scanned photos from pages 54 and 55 of Louis Blom-Cooper's 1963 book "The A6 Murder - Regina v. James Hanratty, the semblance of truth". Blom-Cooper's stance was very much anti-Hanratty, yet his is the only book which contains this rarely seen photo of Peter Alphon. Compare for yourself the uncanny likeness between this photo and the identikit picture on the right which was compiled from Edward Blackhall's (and a couple of other witnesses) description of the driver of the Morris Minor.

Please excuse the graininess of the photos. They were much sharper than this but the size of the file was much more than the 293kb that's allowed on this site. I had to edit/reduce the size accordingly.

[Steve]

Yes, the resmeblance is striking, and has always been one of the puzzling factors of the case. Don't forget, though, that some of the witness statements which lead to this identikit picture being created have subsequently been discredited.

[jimarilyn]

Hi,

Blom-Cooper doesn't mention in his book where he obtained this rare photo of Alphon (nor when the photo was taken). It's usually the other photos that are published in books (where his hair is brushed and slicked back, probably with Brylcreem which was very popular in those days). These are the photos which resemble Valerie Storie's compiled identikit picture, so it's truly amazing (considering that the two identikit pictures are so different to each other!) that Peter Alphon should resemble both identikit pictures. Absolutely amazing !

I wonder what way Alphon had his hair on the 22nd/23rd of August.

[theodore]

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.

There are several who know of his whereabouts on this forum.

If as a lot of people seemt to think he got away with murder.

Does he deserve not to be bothered by a couple of questions?

Even if he does regret it.

There is a reason I cannot say why I want to talk to him.

tc

steven

[jimarilyn]

Hi

Here's the Valerie Storie identikit picture to compare with the photos of Alphon in Paul Foot's book.

[jimarilyn]

Hi Larue,

Once again many thanks for rescuing so many of the posts from the original thread. Browsing through some of them I noticed that posts 471 to 480 are missing, did you by any chance save these particular posts ?

regards

Jimarilyn

[P.L.A]

Hidden Pressures on the Jury?

Greetings one and all.

The verdict at Bedford Assizes was no great surprise.

Then, as now, it’s extremely rare for a jury to acquit in a high profile case.

Maybe this is due to the quantity and quality of resource thrown at the investigation and subsequent prosecution in such crimes.

Maybe not.

Peter.

[jimarilyn]

Greetings one and all.

The verdict at Bedford Assizes was no great surprise.

Then, as now, it’s extremely rare for a jury to acquit in a high profile case.

Maybe this is due to the quantity and quality of resource thrown at the investigation and subsequent prosecution in such crimes.

Maybe not.

Peter.

Hi Peter,

You are probably spot on here. The State seems to have unlimited resources and power with which to prosecute a case compared to the relatively meagre resources of the Defence team. Seems very much to me that truth and justice often fly out the window at the expense of obtaining a conviction. No wonder capital punishment was abolished in this country in 1965. I wonder if the ghost of James Hanratty is crying out for justice to be served and if that is why the case still fascinates so many people.

[Steve]

Greetings one and all.

The verdict at Bedford Assizes was no great surprise.

Then, as now, it’s extremely rare for a jury to acquit in a high profile case.

Maybe this is due to the quantity and quality of resource thrown at the investigation and subsequent prosecution in such crimes.

Maybe not.

Peter.

I cannot say I agree that the verdict was no great surprise. Most people expected a not guilty verdict, including the judge who appeared visibly shocked when the verdict was announced.

[Steve]

Hi,

Blom-Cooper doesn't mention in his book where he obtained this rare photo of Alphon (nor when the photo was taken). It's usually the other photos that are published in books (where his hair is brushed and slicked back, probably with Brylcreem which was very popular in those days). These are the photos which resemble Valerie Storie's compiled identikit picture, so it's truly amazing (considering that the two identikit pictures are so different to each other!) that Peter Alphon should resemble both identikit pictures. Absolutely amazing !

I wonder what way Alphon had his hair on the 22nd/23rd of August.

These identikit pictures really just proved to a red herring. They were compiled from evidence subsequently discredited, and could well have been responsible for wasting a lot of police time. Without them the real killer might have been caught sooner.

[Steve]

I wonder if the ghost of James Hanratty is crying out for justice to be served and if that is why the case still fascinates so many people.

Justice was served. The DNA evidence proves that conclusively. Time has proven the jury's decision to be the correct one, and it seems they reached the correct decision despite the lack of proper evidence against Hanratty.

[Steve]

I wonder what way Alphon had his hair on the 22nd/23rd of August.

Alphon could have had his hair in a Ena Sharples hairnet for all it mattered, he was fast asleep in bed in the Vienna Hotel .....

[jimarilyn]

Alphon could have had his hair in a Ena Sharples hairnet for all it mattered, he was fast asleep in bed in the Vienna Hotel .....

I think he was itching for a "kip" in the back of a Morris Minor. The only question is what time did he get back to the Vienna, he must have been knackered with all that accumulated mental strain in the back seat of that car for nigh on 6 hours. He had to return to the Vienna to plant those two cartridge cases in room 24. He couldn't get away from that Hotel quick enough after he'd fulfilled his agenda, so he scarpered to the Alexandra Court Hotel for 5 days to wait for the heat to die down. He couldn't reckon on his nervousness and agitation giving him away to the other hotel guests staying there though......Mrs Mary Perkins for example......