Alphon--The A6 "hit man"?

[Natalie Severn]

Alphon was the first man to have been sought out by police and arrested for the A6 murder of Michael Gregsten and the rape and attempted murder of Valerie Storie on night of 22nd/23rd August . He was released mainly because Valerie Storie "identified" a different man,who Valerie agreed in court that she had said she thought "looked like Alphon".
He was the first man to be suspected seriously by several people in the ALexandra Hotel who on on 25th August were so upset by his wild and strange behaviour they went to the manager to say a man in the hotel was acting in a way that disturbed them.
Alphon had just left the Vienna Hotel where later the spent cartridges to the gun were found [19 days later] and next to the bus stop for the 36A bus which was where the gun was found two days after the murder [24th August].
The deputy manager Nudds was a Soho gangster who was a principal witness for the police and prosecution and had stated in two of his contradicted statements to police at Scotland Yard that the gun cartridges were found in Room 24 where, Nudds said , Alphon had initially been placed at midday on 22nd August . Juliana Galves , the manager stated she had had to disturb
Alphon at 11.45 on 23rd as he had not to come down to B reakfast-added to which she noticed as she opened the bedroom door a pair of Black nylon gloves ---the gunman had worn a pair of "black nylon gloves throughout the attackaccording to Valerie Storie.
Alphon confessed to the murder and "hold up' 6 years after the crimeon Frech TV claiming he had not confessed to the police out of a sense of "self preservation".
He stated he had been hired by relatives of Michael Gregsten to "frighten" the couple off" as Gregsten was a married man with a baby of two and another child of seven .Alphon was discoved to have had £5,000 paid into his bank account in the Autumn of 1961, following the A6 murder.[+another £2,700 from newspaper stories following his arrest].He claimed he had not intended to shoot Gregsten--it happened because Gregsten threw his duffle bag at him.He said what followed was inevitable.
He claimed also that Hanratty had been "set up" with the help of the ex Soho night club bouncer and small time gangster,Charles "Dixie" France, who had informed police,by all accounts, of mattersconnected with the finding of the gun on the 36A bus.He committed suicide a few days after Hanratty had been sentenced to death for the crime.
So was it Alphon as Nudds had originally impllcated through his first statement to the police ?

[Limehouse]

Hi Norma

I think thee are problems with the idea of Alphon being the attacker - but there are also compelling points in favour. For me these are:

1. He was the first police suspect and seemed to fit the ORIGINAL description of the attacker issued by the police shortly after the crime.
2. He was reported to have been 'behaving oddly' foloowing the crime. Of course - it is not a crime to be a bit odd - but his behaviour was suspicious because he did not appear for breakfast on the morning following the crime - he appeared aggitated and he susequently moved to another hotel and behaved in a disturbing way. Is there any previous hisotry of this type of behaviour by Alphon when staying at hotels and bed/breakfasts? If not -his behaviour does give cause for concern.
3. He stayed in the hotel where cartirdges connected to the crime were found. Whether or not he entered the room where the cartridges were found depends on which of Nudd's statements - if any - you believe.
4. Although he had no convictions for violence that we know of - he clearly displayed a potential for violence given his attack on Mrs Hanratty and his possible involvement in the attack on the lady who identified him as her attacker but for which he appeared to have an alibi.
5. He was familiar with the area in which the crime happened.
6. He confessed to the crime.

The main problem with Alphon as chief suspect is his absence of DNA at the scene (for which you have previously provided an explanation) and the issue of the gun and the hanky having more of a connection to Hanratty than Alphon (ie it ws Hanratty's hanky and Hanratty had admitted saying that under the back seat of a bus was a good place to hide things). However - if a connection could be found between Alphon - the hanky - the gun - and Hanratty - then a plausible case can be establsihed. I believe the most likely connection is Nudds and France and i will explain myself further ion a subsequent post as we have just received a visitor.

More soon!

Julie

[Natalie Severn]

Thanks Julie,
I agree with your points and would add that Alphon did not have any alibi for the night of the murder once his father intervened and said his mother had not met him or seen him ,on the night of the murder.
I don"t know whether there is any history of actual physical violence but his political enthusiasm for the ideology of Nazism and his huge admiration for Hitler and the Nazi Party ,suggest an interest in using "methods of extermination" such as were used by the Nazi Party to exterminate "undesirables" "The Jewish " race ,and those perceived by fascists as" immoral" people.
Alphon in fact gave the reason for his "mission" as being concerned with immorality.But any actual physical violence apart from what you have cited is not on record.
However, his dishevelled appearance at lunch time in the Vienna Hotel and his disturbing behaviour and appearance in the Alexandra Hotel a day or so later are corroborated by two separate lots of people---Juliana Galves at the Vienna and several people from neighbouring rooms at the Alexandra Hotel.
This suggests to me that he was in a very weird mental condition after the murder-which may have triggered a psychotic episode.Even when interviewed by police he presents as not quite right---giving inapprpriate answers to the Acott and Oxford interview and refusing [ever] to hand over his clothing to them for inspection of fibres or blood .He never allowed them to to see his clothing and said they wouldn"t find it as it was under lock and key at one of the London Station's left luggage dept.

Valerie stated the gunman talked about having been "locked up in a cellar" and given bread and water to eat when he was young.Its a fairly common preoccupation this ,from paranoid schizophrenics, "being locked up" by people [persecuted as a child] -given bread and water etc---we see it in Kosminski eventually taking the form of an 'aversion" to bread and water except from specific sources.Also the weird Morris Minor car journey fits--going nowhere except to Deadman"s Hill and a lot of way out talk on the way--- all rather" rambling" stuff,if you think about it.

I have always found that first account by Nudds quite plausible--when he told the police that Alphon went into Room 24 at The Vienna Hotel "just a few hours" after Hanratty had vacated it on 22nd August.
Finally--just a thought---but I wonder was Hanratty"s role---if ofcourse he played any part in it,simply to get hold of a gun for him from France ?After all France, with all his Soho connections at the Rehearsal Club could have easily obtained the gun and been the middle man!
If so did Hanratty leave it ,by prior arrangement , in room 24 to be picked up---not having any idea that it was for or even wanting to know ?

[Limehouse]

Thanks Julie,
I agree with your points and would add that Alphon did not have any alibi for the night of the murder once his father intervened and said his mother had not met him or seen him ,on the night of the murder.
I don"t know whether there is any history of actual physical violence but his political enthusiasm for the ideology of Nazism and his huge admiration for Hitler and the Nazi Party ,suggest an interest in using "methods of extermination" such as were used by the Nazi Party to exterminate "undesirables" "The Jewish " race ,and those perceived by fascists as" immoral" people.
Alphon in fact gave the reason for his "mission" as being concerned with immorality.But any actual physical violence apart from what you have cited is not on record.
However, his dishevelled appearance at lunch time in the Vienna Hotel and his disturbing behaviour and appearance in the Alexandra Hotel a day or so later are corroborated by two separate lots of people---Juliana Galves at the Vienna and several people from neighbouring rooms at the Alexandra Hotel.
This suggests to me that he was in a very weird mental condition after the murder-which may have triggered a psychotic episode.Even when interviewed by police he presents as not quite right---giving inapprpriate answers to the Acott and Oxford interview and refusing [ever] to hand over his clothing to them for inspection of fibres or blood .He never allowed them to to see his clothing and said they wouldn"t find it as it was under lock and key at one of the London Station's left luggage dept.

Valerie stated the gunman talked about having been "locked up in a cellar" and given bread and water to eat when he was young.Its a fairly common preoccupation this ,from paranoid schizophrenics, "being locked up" by people [persecuted as a child] -given bread and water etc---we see it in Kosminski eventually taking the form of an 'aversion" to bread and water except from specific sources.Also the weird Morris Minor car journey fits--going nowhere except to Deadman"s Hill and a lot of way out talk on the way--- all rather" rambling" stuff,if you think about it.

I have always found that first account by Nudds quite plausible--when he told the police that Alphon went into Room 24 at The Vienna Hotel "just a few hours" after Hanratty had vacated it on 22nd August.
Finally--just a thought---but I wonder was Hanratty"s role---if ofcourse he played any part in it,simply to get hold of a gun for him from France ?After all France, with all his Soho connections at the Rehearsal Club could have easily obtained the gun and been the middle man!
If so did Hanratty leave it ,by prior arrangement , in room 24 to be picked up---not having any idea that it was for or even wanting to know ?

Hi Norma

I agree with all of the above. If Hanratty's alibi was questionable - Alhpon's was a non-starter. But of course - once he had been cleared following the identity parade - his alibi was irrelevant. Also - a 'mission' such as that you describe is as good a motive for the crime as any 'stick-up theory'.

Alphon did not actually plan to stay at the Vienna hotel that night. He had tried to book in to another hotel in the chain and was directed to the Vienna by the manager at the first hotel and actually driven to the Vienna by a hotel employee.

Is it possible that there was an association between Nudds and France? If so - how did Alphon fit in? If he committed the murder - how did the framing of Hanratty work between the Nudds - France and Alphon? I agree that the Vienna hotel holds the key to the mystery of how J Ryan was identified as Hanratty and how the cartridges got in to room 24 that night. I don't believe Hanratty left the cartridges there and I don't believe he left the gun on the bus. However - I have to know how Alphon involved France and possibly Nudds in the frame-up.

Julie

[Natalie Severn]

Thanks Julie,
How can anyone be sure how both Alphon and Hanratty arrived at the Vienna Hotel via an "unforseen" redirection? Was the transfer story ever gone into in any depth?
When Ryan [Hanratty] and Durrant[ [Alphon] each arrived at the Broadway Hotel in Dorset Square on consecutive days were they expecting to meet each other there or if not actually planning to "meet up" at least plan to pass amunition [Gun and cartridges] ,one from the other? Were they really both transferred to The Vienna by chance ,as claimed---or was it by design? Was Nudds,himself behind their transfer? Nudds was after all a kind of master criminal ,still on remand so someone from the Soho Rehearsal Club could easily have asked a favour of Nudds to ensure the gun was handed over to Alphon.
You ask about France---I think France may have been the man who got the gun for Hanratty---he must have had more contacts in the Rehearsal Club than Hanratty did, having worked there for several years.
Cheers
Norma

[Limehouse]

Norma -I think France was much more involved in thes events - and in other events - than has been revealed by the investigation and trial. I am going to think a little more about France and report back.

[caz]

Hi Both,

Criminals use guns to threaten; loaded guns to wound or kill. The fact that you are even considering the possibility that Hanratty was in some way involved with the gun that was used to commit the A6 crime, I regard as a giant leap forward from arguing for his total innocence.

I do think you'd have an easier task ahead of you if you could produce a workable scenario which involves both early suspects having dirty hands, rather than just Alphon. But there is some way to go yet, because of the holes in any scenario that has someone attempting to frame Hanratty as a lone killer if he had indeed been in Liverpool or Rhyl when the real gunman struck.

The framed man would have had 101 unknowable opportunities for a solid alibi; he could have been the almost equally common blood group A, instead of the rapist's O; and Valerie would have been expected to recognise Alphon (assuming he was the "hit man") rather than Hanratty (assuming she'd never had the 'pleasure').

In short, how could a 'plan' that looks on paper like it would be doomed from the start (especially factoring in a loose cannon like Alphon, who seems to have done his level best to scupper it at every turn) have worked like an absolute dream? I suggest the only way anything like this could have worked out so perfectly is if Hanratty was the gunman, and things were 'helped' along to get him in the frame, and only him, and to keep him there.

Love,

Caz
X

[Natalie Severn]

You know Caz, its was not up to the defence to prove Hanratty was innocent---as the judge tried to get the " Bedford jury" to comprehend !For example when Hanratty told Sherrard he had gone to Rhyl , the judge worked extremely hard to reduce the consequences for Hanratty . He said,[Judge Justice Gormon] " He does not have to prove his alibi.The failure or otherwise of the alibi does not make him guilty .You do not have to rely on it."
It is for the prosecution to prove guilt not the defence to prove innocence .And certainly by today"s standards anyway ,they did not prove their case .That is what a lot of the fuss has actually been about.That they executed a man on the absence of firm "evidence".That they believed the word of a shady bunch of criminals giving " evidence "than that of Mrs Dinwoody in the Liverpool sweetshop and Mrs Jones,the Rhyl landlady.
Valerie I accept is another matter entirely but her evidence too had flaws .
The real mystery is how on earth the all male,white ,middle class, property owning gentry who comprised the Bedford jury came to its conclusions.
Best
Norma

[Natalie Severn]

In short, how could a 'plan' that looks on paper like it would be doomed from the start (especially factoring in a loose cannon like Alphon, who seems to have done his level best to scupper it at every turn) have worked like an absolute dream? I suggest the only way anything like this could have worked out so perfectly is if Hanratty was the gunman, and things were 'helped' along to get him in the frame, and only him, and to keep him there.

Caz,
As I have said,I do think Alphon was shown to have been in a very distracted and wild frame of mind when he frightened the life out of several guests in the Alexandra Hotel in the days after the murder--so much so that a group of them went and complained about him to the manager--who in turn rang the police .Additionally he seems to have had a series of less significant breakdowns and consequent "run ins" with the police subsequent to the oddball stuff that Juliana Galves spoke of as well as the Alexandra Hotel people,in the wake of the A6 atrocity,I am thinking now of the series of "silent" ---and not so silent ---phone calls he made to various people such as Lord Russell of Liverpool,the visit to Mr and Mrs Hanratty ending up in his assault on Mrs Hanratty and so on.
However, Alphon was not so ill all the time that he could not stay clear of re-arrest over the A6. For example when asked,"What stopped you going to the police rather to than a Paris news conference with your confession " the ITN interviewer asked him."Self preservation" was Alphon"s perfectly understandable reply. I think its a mistake to think of him as being out to lunch the entire time---he clearly wasnt.In fact,its my view that he was by far the smartest cookie in the entire case.BUT,he didnt bargain for Gregsten having a go at him with the duffle bag---that was when he lost it and bungled the entire "plan".And ofcourse when the **** hit the fan ,and Gregsten was killed and Valerie shot at and paralised for life as a result, the "middlemen" like France panicked like mad---France actually topped himself over it. I am quite unsure currently whether Hanratty was in anyway involved but I think it a possibility he may have passed that gun on to Alphon, to do France a favour .

[jimornot?]

Norma -I think France was much more involved in thes events - and in other events - than has been revealed by the investigation and trial. I am going to think a little more about France and report back.

hi Julie

I did post on the other threadwithin past week a link to suicide note from France . it was an old link but i could find no more but it indicated there was info to bring the whole thing into focus again (at that time)

atb

viv

[jimornot?]

Caz,
As I have said,I do think Alphon was shown to have been in a very distracted and wild frame of mind when he frightened the life out of several guests in the Alexandra Hotel in the days after the murder--so much so that a group of them went and complained about him to the manager--who in turn rang the police .Additionally he seems to have had a series of less significant breakdowns and consequent "run ins" with the police subsequent to the oddball stuff that Juliana Galves spoke of as well as the Alexandra Hotel people,in the wake of the A6 atrocity,I am thinking now of the series of "silent" ---and not so silent ---phone calls he made to various people such as Lord Russell of Liverpool,the visit to Mr and Mrs Hanratty ending up in his assault on Mrs Hanratty and so on.
However, Alphon was not so ill all the time that he could not stay clear of re-arrest over the A6. For example when asked,"What stopped you going to the police rather to than a Paris news conference with your confession " the ITN interviewer asked him."Self preservation" was Alphon"s perfectly understandable reply. I think its a mistake to think of him as being out to lunch the entire time---he clearly wasnt.In fact,its my view that he was by far the smartest cookie in the entire case.BUT,he didnt bargain for Gregsten having a go at him with the duffle bag---that was when he lost it and bungled the entire "plan".And ofcourse when the **** hit the fan ,and Gregsten was killed and Valerie shot at and paralised for life as a result, the "middlemen" like France panicked like mad---France actually topped himself over it. I am quite unsure currently whether Hanratty was in anyway involved but I think it a possibility he may have passed that gun on to Alphon, to do France a favour .

Hi norma

I agree that Alphon is a lot more shrewd than 'out to lunch' but re hanratty handing overr the gun - 2 points 1) why didn't France just get it 2) wouldn't Hanratty on trial for his life have mentioned it at the end?

I go along with caz's points that surely id of the innocent hanratty could not have been foreseen and would be highly unlikely (an ironic coincidencei n a case 'dripping with them'); hanratty would surely have secured a more sound alibi if only to ensure distancing himself

that said, it is an interesting twist and worth greater debate

atb

viv

[Natalie Severn]

Hi norma

I agree that Alphon is a lot more shrewd than 'out to lunch' but re hanratty handing overr the gun - 2 points 1) why didn't France just get it 2) wouldn't Hanratty on trial for his life have mentioned it at the end?

I go along with caz's points that surely id of the innocent hanratty could not have been foreseen and would be highly unlikely (an ironic coincidencei n a case 'dripping with them'); hanratty would surely have secured a more sound alibi if only to ensure distancing himself

that said, it is an interesting twist and worth greater debate

atb

viv

Thanks viv,
I am not sure I follow you over the id point you make here but regarding the Liverpool alibi.
It has to be remembered that Hanratty,since leaving school had been spending a fair bit of time in prison .On leaving prison only a few months before [ March] , he apparently had a row with his family and became quite itinerant,hitching lifts,getting together with a chap named Terry and stealing a car, staying on people"s couches coming and going etc.He had made a number of friends in jail,and one or two were from Liverpool.
But it was the France family who provided him with the most support and Hanratty stated that it was France who,when he was 18 years old had introduced him to the Soho scene of petty crooks and gangsters that hung around the Rehearsal Club and it was France who taught him a lot of the tricks of the trade.In fact the France family took him in almost like a son of their own---while Mr and Mrs Hanratty,incredibly supportive and loving though they were of James Hanratty when it was a matter of his life or death , appear to have been pretty fed up with his repetitive housebreaking activities.
Hanratty was at a loose end when he came out of prison.He had no job and no prospects -in short nothing except continuing to break into houses , steal expensive trinkets from them and hope to sell them on through "fences" and--- he hoped--- the proceeds would bring him the life style he wanted.So when he was going up to Liverpool and Rhyl it was mainly to build up his contacts---people who would "sell stuff on" for him that he had obtained from his burglaries.
So if you can put yourself in his position---as someone whose mates are ex prisoners and small time crooks dealing in stolen goods like France did and Louise Anderson, you can immediately see the problems are manifold for him in terms of establishing an "alibi" who the police would immediately want to interview.Most of these friends would run a mile at the thought of having to stand up in court and say that a man wanted for murder and rape, stayed in their flat and had gone to see them to discuss selling stolen goods!
Thats what the judge who presided over his trial must have immediately understood and why he had intervened on hanratty"s behalf and told the jury,"He does not have to prove his alibi.The failure or otherwise of the alibi does not make him guilty .You do not have to rely on it."

[Victor]

"He does not have to prove his alibi.The failure or otherwise of the alibi does not make him guilty .You do not have to rely on it."

Hi Norma,

That must be the prize quote on a thread entitled "Alphon--The A6 "hit man"?". Quite ironic and revealing don't you think?

KR,
Vic.

[Natalie Severn]

Hi Norma,

That must be the prize quote on a thread entitled "Alphon--The A6 "hit man"?". Quite ironic and revealing don't you think?

KR,
Vic.

Now you really are talking gobbledegook Victor! Ha Ha!

[jimornot?]

Thanks viv,
I am not sure I follow you over the id point you make here but regarding the Liverpool alibi.
It has to be remembered that Hanratty,since leaving school had been spending a fair bit of time in prison .On leaving prison only a few months before [ March] , he apparently had a row with his family and became quite itinerant,hitching lifts,getting together with a chap named Terry and stealing a car, staying on people"s couches coming and going etc.He had made a number of friends in jail,and one or two were from Liverpool.
But it was the France family who provided him with the most support and Hanratty stated that it was France who,when he was 18 years old had introduced him to the Soho scene of petty crooks and gangsters that hung around the Rehearsal Club and it was France who taught him a lot of the tricks of the trade.In fact the France family took him in almost like a son of their own---while Mr and Mrs Hanratty,incredibly supportive and loving though they were of James Hanratty when it was a matter of his life or death , appear to have been pretty fed up with his repetitive housebreaking activities.
Hanratty was at a loose end when he came out of prison.He had no job and no prospects -in short nothing except continuing to break into houses , steal expensive trinkets from them and hope to sell them on through "fences" and--- he hoped--- the proceeds would bring him the life style he wanted.So when he was going up to Liverpool and Rhyl it was mainly to build up his contacts---people who would "sell stuff on" for him that he had obtained from his burglaries.
So if you can put yourself in his position---as someone whose mates are ex prisoners and small time crooks dealing in stolen goods like France did and Louise Anderson, you can immediately see the problems are manifold for him in terms of establishing an "alibi" who the police would immediately want to interview.Most of these friends would run a mile at the thought of having to stand up in court and say that a man wanted for murder and rape, stayed in their flat and had gone to see them to discuss selling stolen goods!
Thats what the judge who presided over his trial must have immediately understood and why he had intervened on hanratty"s behalf and told the jury,"He does not have to prove his alibi.The failure or otherwise of the alibi does not make him guilty .You do not have to rely on it."

Hi Norma

I can relate to this in relation to those unwilling to stand up for him. What I was really getting at was a query over the theory that Hanratty, France and Alphon were somehow linked to the chain of events for which I think 2 main points would bring this into some question

1. If I knew a crime was going to be committed and I MIGHT be implicated then I would make sure I had a good alibi (notwithstanding all you have rightly raised). That might include ensuring keeping train tickets, signing a guest book register, making sure the telegram could more easily provide an alibi than it seems to have done. Of course we could speculate that this is exactly what he was trying to do in a haphazard manner but mucked it up

2. Honour amongst thieves etc is one argument but surely only up to the point until Hanratty knew he was going to die. Despite seeing how others hardly rushed to defend him – Louise a for example, his Liverpool mates perhaps) he still made no attempt to implicate 'the others' (assuming there was a link between Alphon, Hanratty and France)

Just part of the debate

All the best

Viv