One aspect of the case I find interesting is the timings of Hanrattys claimed journey to Liverpool. I like to think deducing the timings could be evidentially more valuable than reference to any other testimony. At one point Woffinden says the timings alone in Liverpool could be a "watertight alibi".
3 trains have been suggested, 10:20, 10:35 or 12:15. Miller goes into some detail on p. 47.
So we have in summary;
10:20 (arriving 2:22) Foot, Dinwoodie/Ford?, Razen
10:35 (arriving 3:25) Miller, Buddle/Moore, Swanwick/Acott
12:15 (arriving 4:45) Sherrard, Woffinden, Stickler
It would be interesting to see what Nimmo and Mathews thought.
3 trains have been suggested, 10:20, 10:35 or 12:15. Miller goes into some detail on p. 47.
'Hanratty said he caught either the 10:55 or the 11:55 a. m. train from Euston to Liverpool. In fact there were no trains at these times. Originally Hanratty had claimed he had arrived in Liverpool at about 3:30 p. m. Later, during his trial, he changed this to between 4 and 5 p. m. Trying to fit Hanrattys testimony against the actual times of trains to Liverpool the most likely one is the 10:35 a. m. train arriving in Liverpool at 3:25 p. m. Attempting to make sense of Hanrattys alibi Paul Foot concluded that he must in fact have caught an earlier train, remarking it is hard to see how, on his own timings, he could have missed the 10:20 and 10:35 and been forced to wait nearly two hours for the 12:15. (PF, 194). Foot thought that Hanratty must have caught the 10:20 [fast train]. However, Bob Woffinden, trying to make sense of the contradiction in Hanrattys testimony in a different way, breezily assures his readers that Hanratty would probably have arrived at Euston about 10:45 (BW, 121).
... if Hanratty caught the 10:35 a. m. train that arrived at 3:25 p. m. he could not possibly have been in the sweetshop on Scotland Road forty minutes later... If Hanratty caught the 10:20 a. m. fast train he could then also have been in the sweetshop a little after 4 p. m. However, Hanrattys defence decided he must have caught the 12:15 p. m. train which arrived in Liverpool at 4:45 p. m. ' (Miller, p. 50-51)
... if Hanratty caught the 10:35 a. m. train that arrived at 3:25 p. m. he could not possibly have been in the sweetshop on Scotland Road forty minutes later... If Hanratty caught the 10:20 a. m. fast train he could then also have been in the sweetshop a little after 4 p. m. However, Hanrattys defence decided he must have caught the 12:15 p. m. train which arrived in Liverpool at 4:45 p. m. ' (Miller, p. 50-51)
So we have in summary;
10:20 (arriving 2:22) Foot, Dinwoodie/Ford?, Razen
10:35 (arriving 3:25) Miller, Buddle/Moore, Swanwick/Acott
12:15 (arriving 4:45) Sherrard, Woffinden, Stickler
It would be interesting to see what Nimmo and Mathews thought.
Comment