a6 murder

[Steve]

Graham

Not a problem - sorry about your memory, though. It's always seemed razor sharp to me when I've read your postings!

KR
Steve

[Graham]

Graham

Not a problem - sorry about your memory, though. It's always seemed razor sharp to me when I've read your postings!

KR
Steve

Steve,

Well, many thanks for that. Let's just say that my memory is going a little bit blunt around the edges...

Cheers,

Graham

[richardnunweek]

Hello everyone.
I would say it is clear that we are all intrested in the A6 murder, and we all have are own opinions on Guilty-not Guilty regarding Hanratty.
Summing it all up, what is the verdict, taking all the facts into consideration, was the said gentleman hanged lawfully knowing what we know in 2008, or was he a victim of false identity like his family have always claimed.?
My opinion is he was guilty, and the only reason for doubt, was in his desperate attempt to save himself, he convinced his family that he was innocent of the offence, which had a pronounced effect on the media.
Regards Richard.

[Steve]

Hi Graham

Have you speculated at all about the real identities of this thread's posters? Take 'Theodore' for instance. He (or she) specifically registers as a new member just to post the question about Alphon, is he alive, his address, etc.

Interesting too that this post occurs inbetween others relating to Alphon, etc. Also interesting are the spelling mistakes, most people would be careful with their first post, do you think? ('knwo', 'ina couple')

What do you think? Perhaps this is worth discussing further in London in a couple of weeks?

KR
Steve

(Do you know what, you'll think it's silly, but those 'knwo' and 'ina couple' bits sound just right with a West Midlands accent.)

[Steve]

Hello everyone.
I would say it is clear that we are all intrested in the A6 murder, and we all have are own opinions on Guilty-not Guilty regarding Hanratty.
Summing it all up, what is the verdict, taking all the facts into consideration, was the said gentleman hanged lawfully knowing what we know in 2008, or was he a victim of false identity like his family have always claimed.?
My opinion is he was guilty, and the only reason for doubt, was in his desperate attempt to save himself, he convinced his family that he was innocent of the offence, which had a pronounced effect on the media.
Regards Richard.

Hi Richard

Guilty? Yes!

Verdict? Incomprehensible! (Given the evidence presented.)

Desperate attempt to save himself? Also 'in denial!'

Also, the Justice/Fox campaign has responsibility for many of the doubts, reinforced by the Foot book and later the Woffinden book.

KR
Steve

[Graham]

Hi Nunners,

I think the short answer to your question is: given the nature of the prosecution evidence at his trial, i.e., identification, then in the opinion of myself and many others there really was a 'reasonable doubt' about JH's guilt, and therefore he should have been acquitted. My own feeling is that had not Valerie Storey been raped, shot and paralysed for life, the jury would have returned a verdict of 'not guilty'.

However, the DNA shows that beyond any 'reasonable' doubt, he was guilty.

It's been said that Hanratty went into some kind of denial about what he'd done, that somehow he convinced himself that he didn't commit the A6 crime.
I believe that there is a good deal of truth in that, but it's obviously a very, very complex subject and I am not qualified to make any judgement.

Cheers,

Graham

[Steve]

My own feeling is that had not Valerie Storey been raped, shot and paralysed for life, the jury would have returned a verdict of 'not guilty'.

Hi Teddy

Sorry to be picky, but it's Valerie Storie

Yes, I agree, and also if Miss Storie had not survived there is every chance that Hanratty would have walked free in Bedford.

KR
Steve

[Steve]

Sorry, Graham

I don't why I called you Teddy in that last post. Must be my memory starting to go!

Kind regards,
Steve

[Graham]

Hi Graham

Have you speculated at all about the real identities of this thread's posters? Take 'Theodore' for instance. He (or she) specifically registers as a new member just to post the question about Alphon, is he alive, his address, etc.

Interesting too that this post occurs inbetween others relating to Alphon, etc. Also interesting are the spelling mistakes, most people would be careful with their first post, do you think? ('knwo', 'ina couple')

What do you think? Perhaps this is worth discussing further in London in a couple of weeks?

KR
Steve

(Do you know what, you'll think it's silly, but those 'knwo' and 'ina couple' bits sound just right with a West Midlands accent.)

Hi Steve.

Hm, well. Haven't given any thought to it, actually. Are you suggesting that there are posters on this thread who (a) may be the same person and/or (b) have the interests of a particular person in mind? I live in the West Midlands and have a West Midlands accent and - God, it isn't ME, is it?

What's happening in London in a couple of weeks?

I remain, sir,

Slightly Confused.

[Steve]

Hi Graham

As I said earlier, nothing wrong with having a bit of fun!

Kind regards,
Steve

[richardnunweek]

Good evening Graham.
Going in denial... if a man was guilty such as Hanratty was convicted as being, it would have been the condemmed mans only chance of a possible reprieve if he attempted to convince all around him which included his nearest, and dearest, that he was innocent of the crime.
I would suggest that such a mans morals, would have had him protesting right up to 'No Hope'
Regards Richard.

[Steve]

Richard

It does seem to be a sad fact of this case that Hanratty died having left his family wrongly convinced of his innocence. However, in his defence, he could not possibly have contemplated the kind of campaign that followed.

KR
Steve

[Graham]

Good evening Graham.
Going in denial... if a man was guilty such as Hanratty was convicted as being, it would have been the condemmed mans only chance of a possible reprieve if he attempted to convince all around him which included his nearest, and dearest, that he was innocent of the crime.
I would suggest that such a mans morals, would have had him protesting right up to 'No Hope'
Regards Richard.

Absoloutely correct, Richard.

Hanratty's appeal had failed (inevitably) and his only hope was in the unlikely intervention of the Home Secretary. So yes, it would have been in his best interests to continue to protest his innocence by any means available to him, including letters to his family. You and I would probably react just the same if we were placed in a similar unimaginable, God-awful situation as in awaiting our death at a predetermined time. But even his very last letter, when surely even he would have known he had no hope, was explicit in stating his innocence, which really does suggest to me that some kind of denial-mechanism had taken over. Reminds me of when I was very young and accused of something naughty, that I'd just simply deny it and stand my ground until any suspicion just kind of faded away. Human nature is very unfathomable.

Cheers,

Graham

[Steve]

Hanratty's appeal had failed (inevitably) and his only hope was in the unlikely intervention of the Home Secretary. So yes, it would have been in his best interests to continue to protest his innocence by any means available to him, including letters to his family. But even his very last letter, when surely even he would have known he had no hope, was explicit in stating his innocence, which really does suggest to me that some kind of denial-mechanism had taken over.

Hi Graham

Sorry about that Teddy business, really don't know what came over me!

Please bear in mind that Hanratty wrote his last letters from Bedford in the full knowledge that they would be read by the authorities, and so there was no way he would have done anything other than protest his innocence. Private conversations with family member are, of course, a different thing, though they were certainly overheard to some degree by prison officers, and later by the priests who were with him until the end.

I do, however, agree that he went into denial and truly believed he was innocent of 'murder' and of 'rape.'

Kind regards,
Steve

[Graham]

Steve,

Teddy, Schteddy. No prob.

In his filmed interviews, Michael Hanratty is so obviously totally and completely convinced of his brother's innocence that it really does suggest to me that it wasn't just in his letters that JH denied any guilt. Michael comes across as a straight, down-to-earth kind of person. Perhaps JH thought that if he did actually confess his guilt to his family then he'd be condemning them all to a terrible angst for the rest of their lives. I just don't know. And equally I just don't know how I'd react under similar circumstances.

Cheers,

Graham