A6 Rebooted

[NickB]

The Russells were interviewed in the Sunday Times Magazine feature:
‘Mr James Russell, Dixie France’s brother-in-law, who runs a trucking business, says that Hanratty was an appalling driver. Mrs Russell says she would never let him drive her.’

Incidentally I don’t think Paul Foot should be included on a list of people who remained “convinced” of Alphon’s guilt; he moved away from that position after meeting Janet Gregsten and then Alphon himself again. And it was not just what Mansfield said about Alphon’s innocence in 2002, the defence case as a whole was distinctly ‘post-Alphon’.

[moste]

Yes SH, it was you who announced Mick's passing - Derrick's post re: Mick's feelings about Alphon was very shortly afterwards. But I'd still be interested in learning why Mick thought Alphon wasn't the killer.

Paul Foot did indeed indicate what I said in my previous post regarding Janet Gregsten and Alphon. Regarding Alphon, it has always been my belief that it was Jean Justice who influenced Alphon into claiming that he was the killer, as part of their joint effort to 'get' Acott, as Alphon himself put it. Justice also had a huge animus against the legal 'Establishment', and made no secret of it.

Graham

l was always under the impression,it was Alphon who lead Justice and Fox the merry Dance .
Maybe your right, but without studying all dialogue between the two parties , Alphon came across as the puppeteer for me, jangling everyone’s chains, I think it’s what turned him on , He saw the two upper class buffoons as meal tickets . Though having nothing even close to the same education , saw himself as far more cunning and basically messed with their heads. Justice never accomplished what he set out to do,ie, proving Alphon irrefutably the A6 killer,and died a disillusioned man

[NickB]

The Sunday Times Magazine put it to Valerie that Alphon said (on the tape recording made by Justice) that he told the couple in the car that they would have to be separated because of their immorality.

'Miss Storie denies that the murderer showed any sign of knowing about their relationship. Nor does she remember the murderer saying anything about a 'sense of mission' which Alphon talks about on the tape.'

[Graham]

l was always under the impression,it was Alphon who lead Justice and Fox the merry Dance .
Maybe your right, but without studying all dialogue between the two parties , Alphon came across as the puppeteer for me, jangling everyone’s chains, I think it’s what turned him on , He saw the two upper class buffoons as meal tickets . Though having nothing even close to the same education , saw himself as far more cunning and basically messed with their heads. Justice never accomplished what he set out to do,ie, proving Alphon irrefutably the A6 killer,and died a disillusioned man

Don't forget that it was Justice, via Fox, who searched for Alphon whilst the trial was still in progress, not the other way around. And Alphon took a bit of finding, Fox being successful only because he, as a lawyer, discovered that Alphon had issued a writ against Acott and had to give his address - with was an up-market hotel near London Airport. Alphon agreed to meet Justice but only at the office of his, Alphon's, solicitor. Wary, or what? However, he never turned up, but eventually Alphon agreed to meet Justice and Fox at his hotel. Justice and Fox wined and dined Alphon and met him again after the trial had ended. Justice claimed that during this meeting Alphon told him that 'Hanratty was expendable'. His pantomime had begun.

Alphon lived the high life for a time, courtesy of Justice and Fox, who seemed to me to be 'grooming' him, and Alphon without a doubt in my mind played them along for all he was worth. Whether or not Justice was ever totally convinced that Alphon was the killer I'm really not sure, but I rather doubt it. His main concern was to smear the legal establishment, against which he had a long-held grudge; and of course Alphon's main intention for this farago was to 'get Acott'. I'm not sure if either of them succeeded in their intentions. Personally, if I can put it this way, I wouldn't have bought a used car off either of them.

Graham

[moste]

Don't forget that it was Justice, via Fox, who searched for Alphon whilst the trial was still in progress, not the other way around. And Alphon took a bit of finding, Fox being successful only because he, as a lawyer, discovered that Alphon had issued a writ against Acott and had to give his address - with was an up-market hotel near London Airport. Alphon agreed to meet Justice but only at the office of his, Alphon's, solicitor. Wary, or what? However, he never turned up, but eventually Alphon agreed to meet Justice and Fox at his hotel. Justice and Fox wined and dined Alphon and met him again after the trial had ended. Justice claimed that during this meeting Alphon told him that 'Hanratty was expendable'. His pantomime had begun.

Alphon lived the high life for a time, courtesy of Justice and Fox, who seemed to me to be 'grooming' him, and Alphon without a doubt in my mind played them along for all he was worth. Whether or not Justice was ever totally convinced that Alphon was the killer I'm really not sure, but I rather doubt it. His main concern was to smear the legal establishment, against which he had a long-held grudge; and of course Alphon's main intention for this farago was to 'get Acott'. I'm not sure if either of them succeeded in their intentions. Personally, if I can put it this way, I wouldn't have bought a used car off either of them.

Graham

Just so!

‘ And his Pantomime had begun. ‘ but Regarding Justice’s endeavours. I don’t think we can take his prime ambition to lightly.’Quote ‘Either Alphon is the A6 murderer ,or I have spent 30 years of my life, wasting my time ‘ ( as close as I can remember). Your quite right though, he wrote books on what shite he thought the legal system was .

[Graham]

Justice did indeed spend 30 years of his life wasting his time. Something he was actually very good at.

Graham

[cobalt]

Graham,

Would you have bought a second hand car off Acott?

The reason I ask is that you are always very quick to denigrate the motives of Fox and Justice. Your instincts may well founded but here are many of us on here who do not have such an alleged motive and still strongly believe James Hanratty was wrongly hanged.

Could I ask that you apply the same degree of scepticism to the prosecution case as developed by Basil Acott? Acott had a greater motive than anyone to see the A6 Case brought to account: much more so than Fox, Justice or even Foot. He had an unsolved murder on his patch and was going nowhere fast until dubious evidence landed in his lap at the Vienna Hotel. Failure to see a prosecution in the A6 Case would have effectively ended his career.

So to answer my own question, I would not have bought a second hand car off Acott in respect of his being a desperate man needing a conviction to salvage his career. He desire to see a conviction in the name of the law would have stronger than Fox’s or Justice's contempt for that same law. He's the man to look at closely: not them.

[NickB]

Yes indeed, the framing of Alphon by Acott with dubious evidence was shameful.

If that had happened today the police would have been liable for a massive pay-out to Alphon.

But at least Acott realised his mistake when he interviewed the guy.

[OneRound]

Yes indeed, the framing of Alphon by Acott with dubious evidence was shameful.

If that had happened today the police would have been liable for a massive pay-out to Alphon.

But at least Acott realised his mistake when he interviewed the guy.

Hi Nick, I think Acott realising he wouldn't get a conviction when Valerie Storie failed to identify Alphon also had a massive amount to do with it.

Thanks to all - particularly Cobalt and Graham - for your responses to my asking why anyone might want to set up Hanratty. I'll try to comment more later today or tomorrow.

Best regards,
OneRound

[NickB]

Acott's questioning of Alphon is covered in detail in Woffinden, and you can see how the atmosphere in the interview changes. It does appear that by the end of it Acott knows that Alphon didn't do it. (Acott says this when he gives evidence, but I had already come to this conclusion before I saw that he said that.) The trouble is that before the interview Acott had made a "We got him" visit to Valerie which must have played a part in her feeling that she should pick someone on the parade.

So at that stage you have Valerie picking a volunteer, a false statement from Nudds and (according the 2002 defence) altered Vienna paperwork.

[Graham]

Cobalt,

well, I always wanted a genuine Wolseley 6/80, as used by the Metropolitan Police in the 50's and 60's, and well-known via 'Fabian Of The Yard'.
But I rather think any such car driven by Acott would be well-knackered, considering the miles he covered.

The thing with Alphon is this: had he indeed been the A6 killer, do you honestly, seriously think he would have drawn attention to himself at The Alexandra Court following Acott's broadcast plea to hotels and B&B's? Do you honestly think he would have admitted to the police who spoke to him that he stayed at The Vienna on the crucial night, rather than giving them a ****-and-bull story along the lines of sleeping under Southend Pier (which he used to do)? Do you honestly think he would have given the police his real name, under the circumstances? Do you honestly think he would have given himself up, of his own free will, by walking into Scotland Yard (actually Cannon Row police-station) on 23 September, following Acott's unusual public naming of him as someone he wished to interview? And even then, according to Alphon, it took a lot of convincing before Acott accepted that he was indeed Peter Alphon.

You forget, or probably don't realise, that the police, and most especially Basil Acott, were under immense pressure to come up with some positive news regarding the A6. I was in my teens at the time, and for quite a while the A6 was top news on the TV, with all manner of public persons shouting the odds at the police for not arresting anyone. Alphon was not the only suspect hauled in by Acott, far from it. I believe he grilled some chap overnight before he was satisfied he was nothing to do with the murder.

Why do you describe the cartridge cases as 'dubious evidence' when they were forensically proven to have been fired from the murder weapon?
Do you still believe they were planted in an attempt to frame Hanratty? I suppose you must do.

Cobalt, when discussing a long-ago murder case such as the A6, and when, even now, the full and complete details have not been released by the Home Office, each of us can only read what is available, and from this draw our own conclusions. Which, as we all know, may not always coincide with those of other interested parties.

Graham

[NickB]

Proceedings against Alphon were doomed to failure because they would have relied solely upon Nudds second statement which was unsustainable.

It already contradicted Galves statement - which said that Durrant had still not arrived when she went to bed about 10pm. Maybe Acott had in mind that he would get her to change it to be consistent with Nudds2, but why would she?

Then at the Broadway House Hotel there would be witnesses, and probably documentary evidence (as he paid there), testifying that he went there first.

[cobalt]

Graham,

I was around eight years old when the crime was being talked about in hushed voices around me so can remember the sense of shock that such a crime could occur in the UK. I think reading about the trial in the Daily Express was the first time I was old enough to follow a real live trial although I put my mother on the spot by asking her what ‘rape’ meant. A crime as serious as this had to be solved and I can well appreciate Acott was under considerable pressure. The problem seemed to be that there was no obvious motive and therefore no obvious suspects. Acott retrieved the car and the gun but this did not seem to take things forward.

As I said earlier, I think on balance that the cartridge cases were most likely planted in the Vienna Hotel. Not by the police but by a person linked to the crime who wished to draw the police away on a false trail and let the case grow cold.

Alphon’s behaviour was reportedly erratic on several occasions prior to and after the crime, so drawing attention to himself came with his character. If he was the murderer, which I still suspect he was, he was clearly in deep trouble and the attack on Mrs. Delal may have been an attempt to get himself jailed and out of the clutches of the investigation, not to mention those who had an interest in silencing him. Admitting he was at the Vienna Hotel I think Alphon had done before the cartridges were found so he could hardly change his story. Failing to give his real name would have achieved little since his mug shot was already on file – I am sure a records clerk at Scotland Yard could have identified him rather quickly.

[moste]

Quote:’Graham[/The thing with Alphon is this: had he indeed been the A6 killer, do you honestly, seriously think he would have drawn attention to himself at The Alexandra Court following Acott's broadcast plea to hotels and B&B's?
You mean draw attention to himself BEFORE Acotts plea to hotels and B&Bs. I do yes. His mental state , of being totally beside himself with anguish with what he had done, may well have created the strange antics in his behaviour.
Sure as eggs are eggs, something happened between Acott interviewing Alphon, (believing he had found the man he was after)on sep.22 and Storie’s mis identification of Michael Clark on the 24th. Don’t know what of course , but do know this much ,Storie spent quite a while with the expert photo fit man, until and under no duress, she came up with a likeness she was comfortable with.Now,in the line up, a chap second from the end looking uncannily like the photo fit Valerie had created, was virtually messing himself. Can anyone explain why ‘,if she just wanted to pick someone out that looked like him’ she did not pick out the photo fit look alike? Very odd .

[moste]

I was 14 years old the day Storie picked out Michael Clark in the ID parade .
Born and raised a good Catholic lad , but unlike Hanratty tried my hardest to keep the commandments and not miss mass on Sunday.
Our Head Master was an old ‘stiff upper lip ‘Victorian , who would think nothing of meting out six of the best, for the most trivial of misdemeanours. So, shocked to our very foundations were we, when the following April at Friday assembly, Uncle Bill as he was affectionately known to us kids, delivered a few words , making reference to the capital punishment of one James Hanratty on Wednesday last . Then, he lead us in prayer for the repose of his soul . We all thought all this very odd , since it seemed totally out of character, being the staunch task master that he was, also since the church and the state always tended to stay out of each other’s affairs it didn’t sit too well.
All was soon forgotten , and years later ,although remembering the few prayers ,couldn’t ,and can’t recall the few words he had to say on the subject. More recently when reading of the seldom discussed visitation of the parish priest to talk with Hanratty, and his subsequent last rites, and being of his faith, It’s very difficult for me to believe Jimmy didn’t tell the priest ‘I am guilty father’. and before anyone insists that the priest has a vow of silence , which is true , the priest is at liberty to say what wasn’t confessed, and he didn’t confess to murder.
At this point it is understandable for a non catholic to tear into these facts for all they are worth. But it’s worth remembering, Mr. Hanratty sen. had raised all those boys as God fearing ,church going lads , and Jimmy would have been well aware at the end , that he had absolutely nothing to lose , and may very likely have an eternity to gain , if he made a full and proper confession , and receive absolution. All of this of course may be meaningless if the guy had something seriously wrong with his head, but I think it worthy of consideration.