Alphon--The A6 "hit man"?

[Victor]

What errors?

Hi Norma,

I pointed out 4 last night...

Some facts:
1. The police did not intentional[ly] keep the samples.
2. They were not "on ice".
3. It wasn't the entire knickers, or even the major part taken to the trial, it was a small fragment.
4. The hankerchief was found seperately.

Sure of yourself,Vic, for a "layman" to be able to be so glibly critical of Michael Sherrard QC - about whom Lord Denning said---- before whom Sherrard appeared in trials and appeals,--- that he regarded him as ,"the best of advocates"

I criticised one question, not his entire career. I respect the man but I still believe he "sexed-up" his memoirs to make them more contraversial so he'd sell more. Virtually everyone who writes a memoir does don't they?

KR,
Vic.

[Natalie Severn]

But Victor, separating out his words tends to destroy the implication and the connotation he is making here.Howver,if you get this book ,published only last year, from the library as I did,you will find a lot of back up material for the statement .Sherrard speaks of the police " fiddling with witness statements" of "tampered with evidence" which, he states, have been proven by modern tests to have been "tampered with".He points out that when the Home Secretary talked about "inadmissable evidence" it turned out to be about what Hanratty had "allegedly" said on remand to Roy Langdale [another gangster] that the prison officer ,Mr Eatwell had reported hearing, which in point of fact Michael Sherrard had destroyed during cross-examination.There is quite a bit more than this but its scribed by a lawyer and published by Wildy Simmonds and Hill, London.

[Victor]

But Victor, separating out his words tends to destroy the implication and the connotation he is making here.

Hi Norma,

The question..."Who would have thought that the police would keep "on ice" for 31 years, Valerie Storie's knickers and the handkerchief that wrapped the gun?" implies to me that Sherrard is suggesting that the police intentionally kept the exhibits for the express purpose of later examination, when that is clearly not the case, the exhibits were found seperately and were not stored in ideal conditions.

The further implication to me is that this is not another coincidence, but deliberately engineered, and I can't see that.

Howver,if you get this book ,published only last year, from the library as I did,you will find a lot of back up material for the statement.

I do intend to get and read the book at some point, but somethings put me off, such as the allegations of police corruption which you highlighted...

Sherrard speaks of the police " fiddling with witness statements" of "tampered with evidence" which, he states, have been proven by modern tests to have been "tampered with".He points out that when the Home Secretary talked about "inadmissable evidence" it turned out to be about what Hanratty had "allegedly" said on remand to Roy Langdale [another gangster] that the prison officer ,Mr Eatwell had reported hearing, which in point of fact Michael Sherrard had destroyed during cross-examination.There is quite a bit more than this but its scribed by a lawyer and published by Wildy Simmonds and Hill, London.

As I've previously mentioned, the ESDA tests were inconclusive and did not show evidence that the police "fiddled" with witness statements, nor tampered with evidence. Those comments undermine Sherrard's veracity and make me less inclined to get his book.

SPE has recently commented on "inadmissable evidence" so there may be more that Sherrard remains unaware of.

KR,
Vic.

[Natalie Severn]

Hi Norma,

The question..."Who would have thought that the police would keep "on ice" for 31 years, Valerie Storie's knickers and the handkerchief that wrapped the gun?" implies to me that Sherrard is suggesting that the police intentionally kept the exhibits for the express purpose of later examination, when that is clearly not the case, the exhibits were found seperately and were not stored in ideal conditions.

The further implication to me is that this is not another coincidence, but deliberately engineered, and I can't see that.


I do intend to get and read the book at some point, but somethings put me off, such as the allegations of police corruption which you highlighted...

As I've previously mentioned, the ESDA tests were inconclusive and did not show evidence that the police "fiddled" with witness statements, nor tampered with evidence. Those comments undermine Sherrard's veracity and make me less inclined to get his book.

SPE has recently commented on "inadmissable evidence" so there may be more that Sherrard remains unaware of.

KR,
Vic.

Vic,
I fully understand your reluctance to damage the reputation of Supt Acott and Oxford.They clearly thought Hanratty did it : in my view they were going to use any means necessary to bring that person to justice.Thats the way they saw it and they,like Swanwick really and truly believed Hanratty was guilty as charged.They can"t be condemned for that,in retrospect .Valerie"s pitiable state was probably enough for anyone to get up in arms about a murderer and rapist of such a horrific crime,particularly as a doctor found their suspect to be perfectly sane, while denying everything outright.
I think that Sherrard is aware of that which was inadmissable.At least that is what he strongly implies.It is pretty clear too that just as Acott,Oxford and Swanwick sincerely believed in Hanratty's guilt ,Sherrard appears to have believed just as strongly that Hanratty was innocent---and to still have many doubts about the original verdict and the appeal judgement.He keeps saying too many "buts" for his liking...

Regarding SPE.I trust his integrity- implicitly.

[Victor]

I fully understand your reluctance to damage the reputation of Supt Acott and Oxford.They clearly thought Hanratty did it : in my view they were going to use any means necessary to bring that person to justice.Thats the way they saw it and they,like Swanwick really and truly believed Hanratty was guilty as charged.They can"t be condemned for that,in retrospect .

Hi Norma,

Isn't that the definition of good officer? Doing whatever they can to bring the culprit to justice? I do think they leaned heavily on Nudds in particular because of his reputation, and that he needed to be closely monitored - I see similarities with Acott believing Nudds 2nd statement and Oldfield believing the Yorkshire Ripper was from Wearside.

Valerie"s pitiable state was probably enough for anyone to get up in arms about a murderer and rapist of such a horrific crime,particularly as a doctor found their suspect to be perfectly sane, while denying everything outright.

Every victim's state brings a hue and cry, the worse the state of the victim, the greater the feeling, does that mean that victim's should not give evidence? That's got to be wrong surely.

I think that Sherrard is aware of that which was inadmissable.At least that is what he strongly implies.

I've not seen any suggestion that Sherrard is aware of the information that SPE posted to this forum, but that does not mean he is not ware of it.

It is pretty clear too that just as Acott,Oxford and Swanwick sincerely believed in Hanratty's guilt ,Sherrard appears to have believed just as strongly that Hanratty was innocent---and to still have many doubts about the original verdict and the appeal judgement.He keeps saying too many "buts" for his liking...

Again that would be part of his job. I would expect that for Sherrard to make a coherent case he would have to believe the arguments he was putting forward.

Additionally there is his "The wrong man was not hanged" statement.

Regarding SPE.I trust his integrity- implicitly.

I adore reading SPE's posts especially on the threads he starts, because he separates his opinions from his vast archive of documentation which support his views. It's always a nice days reading when you see his posts appear in the "Most Recent Posts" list. I have several of his JtR books and I think they're great.

KR,
Vic.

[Natalie Severn]

I adore reading SPE's posts especially on the threads he starts, because he separates his opinions from his vast archive of documentation which support his views. It's always a nice days reading when you see his posts appear in the "Most Recent Posts" list. I have several of his JtR books and I think they're great.

Yes Vic--some agreement between us today-which is good !
Stewart "s books are the best in my view, because he backs up what says with double checked source materials and avoids speculation whenever possible.Moreover no other JtR writer ever kept more rigorously to the facts of the case.
Sugden too is superb in the route his imagination took him on when researching data---as much as possible he too stuck to what his optic nerve recorded but he still took us on an exciting journey of discovery with his Complete JtR! [Mind I love Stewart"s book on Tumblety too---and there he did take a few liberties with his imagination for once!]

[Natalie Severn]

Alphon"s Written Confession:

One of the most extraordinary features of the A6 mystery,are Alphon"s Confessions.
In each instance he takes care to include some "error" that will be spotted by the powers that be and that will help him avoid further arrest by police.

Background:
Alphon was the first suspect to be charged with the murder and the police were alerted to him in the first instance because on August 25th or 26th ,a group of alarmed guests at the Alexandra Hotel had gone to the manager suspecting him of being the A6 murderer due to his alarmingly odd behaviour.
Alphon had booked in at the Vienna Hotel on the 22nd of August and left on 23td August.He had not been seen on the day he arrived by the manageress,Juliana Galves, but she did see him when she went to ask him when he was checking out at 11.45 am .She noticed there were a pair of black nylon gloves on top of clothes in his suit case on the bed.He was dishevelled and looked distracted.
Nothing more happened other than him being questioned by police and released and Juliana Galves being questioned on 6th September.
However 19 days after the murder,on September 11th two spent cartridge cases were found in the Vienna Hotel which brought the police rushing back to investigate and charging Alphon with murder. However, Valerie Storie failed to identify him and the police moved on to another person who had stayed at the Vienna on 21st August,leaving on 22nd,James Hanratty.

The Confessions:
Jean Justice,the son of a wealthy Belgian Diplomat,living on a private income in upper middle comfort in Soho and Belgravia , took an interest in the trial of James Hanratty after attending his committal and subsequently became convinced of his innocence.He was trained in law but not qualified.
He decided to befriend the man who had first been charged with the murder ,Peter Alphon and as he gradually came to know him started to become convinced that he indeed had carried out the A6 crime.So he set a sort of "honey trap" and this resulted in Alphon eventually making a written confession.
The first draft of Alphon"s confession is included in Jean Justices book,"Murder versus Murder".It begins as follows:

1.Obtaining the gun. Reasons for this. Name of person George.

2.Frame up in Vienna [Hotel].How I knew Nudds.Reasons for this frame.Altering the register. [Alibi with my mother.]Planting cases in Room 24 when R. was out [Ryan=Hanratty].Asking Nudds if Ryan had left/
3. Slough.Had gun but hoping not to commit murder at time but well in mood for it.The Dogs.[Alphon went regularly to The Dogs in Slough].Bookmaker might know me .Going out after Mentals Only Hope.Walking out into the country.Stopped at pub opposite Old Station Inn.On to Marsh Lane.Couple in car fitted my mood and my main plan.


Will continue transcribing above later
Norma

[Victor]

One of the most extraordinary features of the A6 mystery,are Alphon"s Confessions.
In each instance he takes care to include some "error" that will be spotted by the powers that be and that will help him avoid further arrest by police.

Hi Norma,

I understand that confessions are not as "extraordinary" as one would believe, for example in Hansard when discussing Alphon (I think it's RAButler) mentions several others. The link is around in one of the threads somewhere. And of course there's John Humble "Wearside Jack" amongst others.

I absolutely do not understand the 'takes care to include some "error"' comment, that is speculation. It is fair to say each confession includes an error, but to assign a motive for the inclusion or to say whether it's deliberate or not is speculation.

Will continue transcribing above later

I don't have the Justice books so this will help me determine whether it's a "honey trap" or "entrapment".

KR,
Vic.

[Derrick]

I don't have the Justice books so this will help me determine whether it's a "honey trap" or "entrapment".

I don't think anyone should be under any illusion that Justice tried to get Alphon to make a confession because Hanratty was awaiting execution. Call it what you like, honey trap or entrapment, Justice did it to try save Hanratty from the gallows.

Justice believed in Hanratty's innocence and quickly went all out to try to do something about rescuing the situation before anyone else outside the Hanratty family arrived on the scene. After Hanratty's execution he was inconsolable.

Justice was, if anything at all, a libertarian, a reasonably wealthy hellraiser and a gay man living in times when being gay was fraught with all sorts of legal problems.

Derrick

[Natalie Severn]

Thanks Victor and Derrick.You are quite right Derrick,the idea was to try to save Hanratty,who Justice believed was totally innocent, from the gallows.

from Murder versus Murder-continued

Point 4
From the moment I went in imitated working class person with voice and background although I never met Ryan.But a lot of what I saidwhich could be interpreted as Ryan"s hatred of ordinary middle class people , stemmed from my heart and was my own hatred of them.

Point 5
I played with them ascat and mouse--but all the time I was tense and being an extrovert I showed it and exaggerated and a lot of nervousness was communicated to them.

Poit 6
When I killed him and she said,"Oh you swine,you bastard,you"ve shot him,"
I felt the need to give her some explanation and I said,"He shouldn"t have tried to turn the tables on me" She said."He wasn"t you swine.You are mad" I said,"He moved too quickly."
I knew I must kill her but first I might as well rape her.I felt tense and overwrought and i felt that even fleeting love would help me.
She said," Do what you like now.Nothing matters any more" We went in the back of the car.She was crying and sobbing all the time but relaxed when we had intercourse,
In the end she said,"What are you going to do ? " I said, "I must kill you now.It is either your life or mine and i have a messianic mission." She said,"Please don"t hurt me! I"ll do anything for you and won"t give you away."
It was then I said,One day you will see me on an identity parade ,but you will not identify.Remember and listen to me now, Valerie, and one day I will come back for you and we will be happy together."
She swore she would not identify me.I knew all along I would have to kill her but felt touched by her repeated assurances that she would not identify.I said,"Good bye Valerie.You will stay here." But as I walked away I turned and shot her[?] times.She fell and lay on the ground.I went over and fired more shots into her.She lay absolutely still.I believed she was dead.

7.Meeting the drivers on the road,driving badly.

8 Meeting my friend at Southend.Disposed of gun.

9.All my interviews with police [Finsbury Park and Acott] can be found from my papers with McDougal.

10,If they had been other sorts of people I wouldn"t have killed him.


Will continue later
Norma

[Natalie Severn]

Hi Norma,

I understand that confessions are not as "extraordinary" as one would believe, for example in Hansard when discussing Alphon (I think it's RAButler) mentions several others. The link is around in one of the threads somewhere. And of course there's John Humble "Wearside Jack" amongst others.

I absolutely do not understand the 'takes care to include some "error"' comment, that is speculation. It is fair to say each confession includes an error, but to assign a motive for the inclusion or to say whether it's deliberate or not is speculation.


I don't have the Justice books so this will help me determine whether it's a "honey trap" or "entrapment".

KR,
Vic.

Hi Vic,
Quite right-there are always a few people wanting to confess to crimes they did"nt commit.However such folk usually "confess" every time there is a murder or outrage.Its part of their "delusion". But in the case of Alphon, he didnt actually do anything of that sort .In fact it was through letting one or two things "slip" to Jean Justice that Justice set about trying to get a confession out of him.The first "Confession" Alphon wrote in the form of these notes was written in May 1961 a couple of months after Hanratty"s death.
Six years later he made a confession to a Press conference in Paris.Interestingly he is perfectly straightforward when asked ,by an ITV reporter, why he did not go to the police with his confession "Self preservation " was his response.Alphon ,as can be seen ,is not always in a state of mental breakdown by any means ,but if you read the very crazy phone call transcripts and remember that he couldnt hold down a job ever and lived off his mother"s hand outs ,admired Hitler and what he "achieved" --it all adds up to very typical schizophrenic" type" behaviour, as all these are" classic symptoms "of that illness --and its accompanying "episodes" of psychotic behaviour that can be observed in the "phone calls" , his distracted state observed by Juliana Galves when she opened his bedroom door and which frightened the guests in the Alexandra Court Hotel so much the police were called .
By the way,some of Alphon"s nuisance calls to people are transcribed in Paul Foot"s book.In them Alphon sounds as though he is completely off his head in them, cackling and screeching.This type of "nuisance phone call" behaviour along with the Nazi stuff and the cold , dispassionate way he writes about Gregsten"s and Valerie"s ordeal,are all fairly strong indications .
Norma

[Natalie Severn]

Post script re Alphon"s Mission to wipe out immorality .I forgot to add that along with believing Hitler and his Nazi"s being the finest examples of human rectitude and virtue on the planet ,Alphon had a " MESSIANIC MISSION.Although he never went so far as proclaiming himself to be the "Messiah" ,he certainly was expressing delusional thinking in this respect and a way out, not on this planet mind set.
Norma

[Natalie Severn]

Apologies to readers of this thread:

Late last night I made the mistake of transcribing the last part of Alphon"s "written confession" of 1961, on the thread entitled The A6 Murder---so the rest of the confession is there on page 651......

[Victor]

I don't think anyone should be under any illusion that Justice tried to get Alphon to make a confession because Hanratty was awaiting execution. Call it what you like, honey trap or entrapment, Justice did it to try save Hanratty from the gallows.

Justice believed in Hanratty's innocence and quickly went all out to try to do something about rescuing the situation before anyone else outside the Hanratty family arrived on the scene. After Hanratty's execution he was inconsolable.

Hi Derrick,

The issue with entrapment is that encouraging someone to confess or commit a crime, promotes false confessions or abherrent behaviour which often someone wouldn't do without the encouragment. It completely invalidates the evidence.

The number of law abiding people who buy stolen or smuggled goods (usually duty-free fags and booze) at massive discounts when offered them reveals this.

KR,
Vic.

[Derrick]

Hi Derrick,

The issue with entrapment is that encouraging someone to confess or commit a crime, promotes false confessions or abherrent behaviour which often someone wouldn't do without the encouragment. It completely invalidates the evidence.

The number of law abiding people who buy stolen or smuggled goods (usually duty-free fags and booze) at massive discounts when offered them reveals this.

KR,
Vic.

Victor
I will make only 3 points which I will stand by and will make no further comment upon. Nothing that Justice put forward as ever been used in evidence in the Hanratty case.

1) So who said it was evidence at all?

2) I fully stand by my post regarding Justice's attempts to try to save Hanratty from the gallows. Again it was never evidence in any way shape or form. It was the action of a man who was willing to go to great lengths in support of his own conviction to save an innocent man from the gallows, rightly or wrongly. Justice himself said that he did try to trap Alphon into a confession and it is pointless taking the argument further.

3) Are you saying that those people who buy contraband are completely unaware of where it came from? It would take a very naive person indeeed to believe that anyone in the market to cheaply acquire the good things in life is unaware that the goods on offer have either been knocked off or smuggled in.

Have several listens to the Clash's first album mate. That'll sort your head out!

Derrick