A6 Rebooted

[cobalt]

I’m more than surprised that so far, only three of us have commented on what I believe to be possibly the most interesting document ever to be shared on this thread.

I've not been able to download the document. I'm obviously aware of the summary findings by Matthews, but is there any commentary made by him that indicates he has addressed specific areas of conflicting evidence which has surrounded the A6 Case for all these years.

[ansonman]

Hi OneRound,

Indeed it has.

I’m more than surprised that so far, only three of us have commented on what I believe to be possibly the most interesting document ever to be shared on this thread. I never knew that Hanratty was the only member of the ID parade who spoke with a London accent. Certainly I don’t recall reading about that fact in the many books I’ve read on the case over the years.That alone was grounds enough for his brief to have insisted that the parade be abandoned.

Will look into that Bible John thread.

Look forward to reading your further comments.

Best regards,

Ansonman

[OneRound]

Many thanks indeed for the update.

It’s not the report but rather a briefing note that commences at page 35. Presumably the previous pages comprise the report. Nonetheless, it’s fascinating and you deserve much recognition for having obtained it.

l downloaded it earlier today for free. Essentially, Matthews concludes that Hanratty’s conviction was unsafe and recommendeds that the case be referred to the Court of Appeal. He doesn’t say who he thinks committed the murder but says that the case against Alphon was much greater than the case against Hanratty.

What stands out for me, and which l was unaware of, is the ID parade in which Storie eventually identified Hanratty. Matthew’s makes the following observation:

”It would appear that his (Hanratty) was the only London accent among members of the parade”.

Unbelievable.

Thanks again djw.

Ansonman

Hi again Ansonman - been a while.

At James Hanratty's posthumous appeal in 2010, Michael Mansfield QC, acting upon behalf of the family, referred to the ID parade as ''incurably unfair''. I can only agree with that and firmly believe that Hanratty was shamefully let down at the time by his solicitor Emmanuel Kleinman who raised no objection.

In case of interest, the use of volunteers or stooges at ID parades and some personal experiences have recently been discussed on the Bible John: A New Suspect thread.

I'll comment separately about Matthews more generally.

Best regards,
OneRound

[djw]

I think 35 is the page numbering applied by the National Archives (or someone other than Matthews). You can see on page 45, Matthews refers to the outset of the paper where he suggests referring the case to the Court of Appeal which is on page 35. The National Archives held the Appeal documents in several batches and the Matthews report was held within a batch of the appeal.

[ansonman]

The Matthews Report is now available at https://discovery.nationalarchives.g...ls/r/C20846951

Many thanks indeed for the update.

It’s not the report but rather a briefing note that commences at page 35. Presumably the previous pages comprise the report. Nonetheless, it’s fascinating and you deserve much recognition for having obtained it.

l downloaded it earlier today for free. Essentially, Matthews concludes that Hanratty’s conviction was unsafe and recommendeds that the case be referred to the Court of Appeal. He doesn’t say who he thinks committed the murder but says that the case against Alphon was much greater than the case against Hanratty.

What stands out for me, and which l was unaware of, is the ID parade in which Storie eventually identified Hanratty. Matthew’s makes the following observation:

”It would appear that his (Hanratty) was the only London accent among members of the parade”.

Unbelievable.

Thanks again djw.

Ansonman

[djw]

A brief comment has been made on a YouTube video from a researcher who assisted a BBC documentary, Ian Withers. Unfortunately the host has misheard it as the Henretta case

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3oj1dxWxTM

[djw]

'Let justice be done though the heavens fall,' is the expression I think.

How many people who be 'potentially distressed' by publishing the Matthews Report? Fewer I would contend than those on this site who have called for it to be made public. Valerie Storie had no children unfortunately- that option was effectively removed from her. I think Michael Gregsten had two children who will now be old enough to receive a state pension. They have long been old enough to understand the relationship between their father and Valerie Storie so I am unclear about what distress, if any, publishing the report would bring. There is also the matter of the Hanratty family but I doubt their feelings were considered in making the decision to keep the Matthews Report from public view.

The decision has all the hallmarks of a smokescreen to prevent public scrutiny of police actions, or perhaps police inactions, in the course of the A6 investigation. If the immediate surviving relatives of Gregsten and Storie announced that they had no objection to the Matthews Report being published then I am sure some other pretext would be found not to do so.

The Matthews Report is now available at https://discovery.nationalarchives.g...ls/r/C20846951

[Dupplin Muir]

I haven't followed the case much over the last few years, but I was just watching a crime documentary on YouTube, and one comment reminded me of the case against Hanratty:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZpab2FrR5c

This shows that even in 1979-80 nearly two decades after the A6 murder, evidence was still not stored securely, leading to DNA contamination. It also mentions that some items were stored in paper bags that broke, again resulting in them coming into contact with each other.

[Sherlock Houses]

Also available for ‘borrowing’ on the Internet Archive website (for anyone who might be interested) is a copy of Jean Justice’s 1964 book “Murder vs Murder”.

[Sherlock Houses]

Just to let anyone (who might not be aware) know that there are four books about the murder available for viewing on the excellent Internet Archive website. They are the Paul Foot, Bob Woffinden, Louis Blom-Cooper and Norma Buddle books. Also available is the 1975 Hawser Report. To read them in their entirety you just have to register with the website and then ‘borrow’ (for an hour) and re-borrow them until you have read them.

[djw]

The pages of the Hawser Report missing from the above images (thanks SH) have been obtained and placed (in order) in a PDF you can access at https://archive.org/details/hawser-report

2025 being 50 years from the publication of the Hawser Report (under Crown Copyright in 1975) it is now legally in the public domain.

[cobalt]

I don't think Valerie Storie set out to convince us Hanratty was the gunman: she was led to believe he was the gunman at an ID parade and identified him as such.

The ID parade was obviously what Bob Dylan described in another crime as a 'pig circus.' Hanratty's dyed hair had alerted the authorities to the legitimacy of the parade and they suggested hats should be worn. This speaks volumes to the fairness of the visual identification. His solicitor presumably stayed mute.

The verbal ID made by Valerie Storie would not probably have been anticipated by the police so they would have made no effort to present a cross section of Londoners who spoke with a working class accent. When the request for a verbal ID was made then Hanratty's lawyer should have objected to the procedure. I understand he stayed mute.

The second ID parade, not admissible today on technical grounds, failed on its own merits in 1961. It was, indeed, a pig circus. Sherrard made a few mistakes but he was given a poor hand of cards.

[moste]

Hi Ed ,Welcome back. Happy new year.yeah have often wondered about the importance of the timing issue of the abductor, especially his alluding to ‘there’s plenty of time’ not sure about his wearing a watch, and Stories confusing statements on the two courtroom sessions.however the wallets and watches I believe were supposedly taken from them, and given back later ,so they would not have a problem with knowing the time.The whole scenario smacks of some intention of rendezvous.

on my post, I would be grateful if I could have people agree with the truth that since we now have a picture ,though not pristine ,indicates that Stories entire efforts to convince us that Hanratty was the gunman, are completely unfounded and consequently he was hanged because of how she perceived his voice.

[Ed James]

Hi
Back on the site after many years absence. A point I have often wondered about. Did Hanratty possess and wear a wrist watch at the time of the hijacking? At the Commitall Valerie Storie said the gunman was always looking at his watch. But under examination by Sherrard at the full trial, she said I believe that she didn't recall whether the man had a watch . I also understand the gold watch that Hanratty was attempting to sell didn't work. Valerie said the gunman repeatedly said there was plenty of time.

I would be most interested in others thoughts and views.

Ed James

[moste]

Obviously of earlier years than that which confronted Storie. But nevertheless clearly is nothing like Hanratty or Alphon for that matter. Actually a young Gene Pitney comes to mind.
I had not remembered this photo or the letter that came with it. This clearly highlights the regrettable decision of Sherrards not to pursue seeking out, and subpoenaing Clark at once ,in order to convince the court and jury that Storie had no idea whatever of her assailants identification.