a6 murder

[larue]

this case does make you think. i guess that's why i keep coming back to it.

Hanratty either commited the crime, or he did not. the answer has to be one of those. one would hope that he did, for then the right man was hung. but, 'what if' keeps rearing it's ugly head. seems to me, all police investigation ceased upon JH's arrest, so what would have happened, had the jury voted t'other way??? Alphon was out of the frame. both prime suspects had been handed to the police on a plate as it were, so where would the investigation have gone next???

[Steve]

Hi Larue

I do believe that Hanratty was the A6 murderer, yes, and for a variety of reasons, not just because of the DNA evidence. So this means that I also believe the right man was hanged for the crime.

If the jury voted t’other way? It would seem that they very nearly did acquit Hanratty, judging by the length of time it took them to reach their conclusion and the additional guidance they sought from the judge. I think the investigation could well have ground to a halt if Hanratty had been acquitted. The police could have brought a case against him for the rape and attempted murder of Valerie Storie, but it would have been difficult to prove the case if a jury had already decided that Hanratty had not been the gunman at Deadman’s Hill.

I suppose if Hanratty had walked free from the court in Bedford he would have gone out at some point in the future, and having got away with it once already, committed a similar crime.

Kind regards,
Steve

[jimarilyn]

Yes Larue this case more than gets you thinking. In fact the more I ponder on this case and the more I discover about it the more convinced I become of Hanratty's innocence.

In his last letter from prison to his brother Michael, he says that the police will ..."try to hush it all up if they get the chance". James Hanratty always felt that Acott was out for promotion. I wonder just how brassed off Acott was when he and Oxford left for Ireland on the 29th of September looking for somebody who had returned from there a full 18 days earlier. Acott and Oxford were made to look ridiculous as a result of this wild goose chase.......


PS. I too thought Steve was 100% convinced of Hanratty's guilt.

[jimarilyn]

Roy Langdale, criminal/police informer

A photo of Langdale who should have been locked up for years with all the offences he committed (12 by the age of only 24). However he received unbelievably preferential treatment from the courts. I know looks can be deceiving but he certainly looks a sly and nasty piece of work and from all that I've learned about him this would definitely be the case.

[jimarilyn]

Louise Anderson (with fag)

Louise, who paid Jimmy Hanratty hundreds of pounds for stolen items of jewellery etc, over a very short period of time, owned an antiques shop (Juna Antiques in Greek Street) just like her friend Billy Ewer. She'd first met Hanratty sometime in the July and they became good friends, so much so that he would often stay at her house. When Hanratty told Acott that his suitcases (containing his clothing) could be found at Louise's home, Acott went around to her place at Sussex Gardens. Besides his favourite Hepworths suit (waistcoat and trousers) they also came across at least 50 pieces of stolen goods from Hanratty's burgling activities. She must have been well and truly miffed with Hanratty over this and over the following months her feelings and attitude towards James Hanratty changed beyond belief.......

[jimarilyn]

Witnesses to murder car in Redbridge around 7 am. (morning of murder)

From left to right John Skillett, James Trower and Edward Blackhall. I wouldn't fancy bumping into Trower on a dark night if this photo is anything to go by. He wouldn't seem out of place methinks in a Vincent Price/Peter Cushing film.

Trower alleged that it was Hanratty he saw for a fleeting 2 or 3 seconds as the Morris Minor drove past his friend Paddy Hogan's flat. His own car was between the Morris Minor and himself. He didn't even remember the incident when questioned by police the day after. He had earlier picked out 3 faces from a portfolio of photographs remarking that they all looked like the driver of the Morris Minor. In addition his friend Paddy Hogan testified that Trower hadn't even arrived outside his home until after the Morris Minor had gone past. Some witness eh ? Oh and it was a full 7 weeks later (51 days in fact) that he picked out Hanratty from an identification parade. And Hanratty's hair (vivid orange) on that parade was a completely different colour to 7 weeks earlier (dark brown/blackish). Methinks something is afoot here my dear Watson (and not 12 inches !).

[jimarilyn]

From left to right John Skillett, James Trower and Edward Blackhall. I wouldn't fancy bumping into Trower on a dark night if this photo is anything to go by. He wouldn't seem out of place methinks in a Vincent Price/Peter Cushing film.

Trower alleged that it was Hanratty he saw for a fleeting 2 or 3 seconds as the Morris Minor drove past his friend Paddy Hogan's flat. His own car was between the Morris Minor and himself. He didn't even remember the incident when questioned by police the day after. He had earlier picked out 3 faces from a portfolio of photographs remarking that they all looked like the driver of the Morris Minor. In addition his friend Paddy Hogan testified that Trower hadn't even arrived outside his home until after the Morris Minor had gone past. Some witness eh ? Oh and it was a full 7 weeks later (51 days in fact) that he picked out Hanratty from an identification parade. And Hanratty's hair (vivid orange) on that parade was a completely different colour to 7 weeks earlier (dark brown/blackish). Methinks something is afoot here my dear Watson (and not 12 inches !).

Here's that forgotten photo

[jimarilyn]

If the Morris Minor was abandoned around 7'ish that morning in Avondale Crescent it's very puzzling that it was not discovered until 6.45 that evening by a Mr. Madwar (that name probably describes the Iraq conflict). Had it been somewhere else during these almost 12 hours ? Makes you wonder.

[P.L.A]

The Entrance

I have just visited Marsh Lane for the umpteenth time in the last quarter century or so, and remain totally convinced that the entrance in question was about a hundred and ten yards south of number 5 Marsh Lane. I started to have doubts when pictures of the field about four hundred and fifty yards south of this spot started to appear on the thread, but they have been dispelled.

I photographed the scene from south of number 5 and compared the pictures with the footage shown right at the beginning of the A6 case in the Great Crimes of the 20th Century Channel 5 series. Needed to do a lot of freezing.

Even now, the western and northern boundary hedges of the field are very recognisable. The real clincher is that the nearby dwelling to the north is obviously the small terraced house that is number 5 and not the detached bungalow that is number 1.

The size, shape, chimney, slope of the back of roof, etc. etc. makes it quite clearly number 5.

The footage starts at the entrance and swings right (north) to show the overall scene. It is totally recognisable, even now, over four decades on..

It is easy to determine where the entrance was by orientating ones self with the north-west corner of the field in relation to the contemporary pictures of that point . The old kerbstones that have very recently been replaced gave the perfect clue.

If the entrance was to the south of number 1, then the northern hedge in the contemporary photos would have been just to the north of number 3. It is rather a large hedge to disappear. If the field had been split by such a hedge, it would not really be that big – as legend suggests it was, and still is.

Peter.

[Steve]

Marsh Lane

Peter, can you post your new photographs, please?

[P.L.A]

Calm down, calm down.

Remember that a discussion turns into an argument as soon as one person uses the word "you"

It's a good word to avoid saying (or writing).

Peter

[Steve]

Pardon? Don't understand ....

[jimarilyn]

Hi Peter,

Interesting post. Any chance of downloading your photos on this thread. I know it would be much appreciated.

[jimarilyn]

Or should that be uploading. I always confuse the two.

[Graham]

It really will be interesting if PLA can download his photos. I've always thought that 'the' entrance to the corn-field is quite close to the cottages rather than further down Marsh Lane.

Hi Jimarilyn,

Regarding the time the Morris Minor was found, Bob Woffinden refers to some finds by the CCRC in 1997. The Commission says that 'probably' the car was not left in Avondale Crescent until early evening, when Alan Madwar saw it and reported it to the police. The CCRC refer to a siting of the car in Bedford at 5.25am that morning. There was also a statement to the fact that a local woman routinely parked grey Morris Minor on Avondale Crescent during the day. Finally, there is the mileage recorded on the car and noted by Acott - comparing the car's odometer reading when found it is a lot higher than it should have been, if the routes from the cornfield to Deadman's Hill and from Deadman's Hill to Avondale Crescent are taken into account. This would obviously suggest that the car had been driven around during the day - but to where? I don't think sufficient emphasis was placed upon this 'missing mileage' at the trial, which would tend to weaken the evidence of Trower, Skillett, and Blackhall.

Cheers,

Graham