A6 Rebooted

[Limehouse]

Some food for thought there indeed Derrick.

Heard an interesting take on DNA on Radio 4 when we were travelling back from Manchester late this afternoon. The programme was called 'Inside the Monkey Cage' and - apparently - scientists don't even know what DNA really does. As one of them said 'It just seems to sit there inside the cells'.

[julie q]

peter alphon

Whether or not Alphon was implicated in the crime is open to question.While much has been written about him in years immediately after the A6 murder, little appears to have been recorded about the latter years of his life.
I thought the following may be of some interest to Derrick and Norma,much of it is based on my personal knowledge and experience.

In the late 1980's Alphon was a familiar figure to many residents of Benthal Green East London.Any money he had obtained in the aftermath of the murder long spent he had returned to his former life style, living in cheap lodgings and selling Old Moores almanac from door to door.He could regularly be seen tramping the streets in all weathers,few knew him by name and even less that he had at one time been linked to a notorious murder.I personally know of a woman resident in the area who to an extent befriended him,she would always buy an almanac from him and the pair would engage in long doorstep conversations.One cold winters day in 1991 she invited him into her home and gave him a meal and something to drink. This lady had always found Alphon courteous and polite and was shocked when THE MYSTERY OF DEADMANS HILL portrayed him as a killer and rapist. To her credit this lady spoke personally to Bob Woffinden and informed of her meetings with him and the demeaner he had displayed. Everyone who had contact with Alphon at that time,either personally or by telephone were imediately struck by his freindly affable personality,and while he never appeared intimidating he did however convey the impression that there was something not quite normal about him.
During this period he had developed a deep antipathy towards Janet Gregsten.he traced her to her home in Cornwall and would send her greeting cards with abusive references to the part he claimed she had played in the murder written on them. Mrs Gregsten initially chose to ignore them but she evetually went the police and Alphon was interviewed and cautioned about his behaviour.

In 1994 Alphon suffered the first of a series of mini strokes and accepted the offer from Camden Borough Council the tennancy of flat in a sheltered housing complex at Chalk Farm he remained there until his death. It was the old A6 campaigner and barrister Jermey Fox with whom he had recently become reaquainted who was instrumental in obtaining the tennancy for him.

By the late 1990's with the publication of Bob Woffinden's book and the heightened expectation that the appeal court hearing was imminent the name Alphon was once more in the public spotlight ,on this occasion however he shunned all publicity and despite his impoverished circumstances refused all financial inducements to be interviewed by the press.

As his health deteriorated Alphon became more reclusive,he did however maintain telephone contact with a number of people ,he had a list of names he claimed he trusted and with whom he would converse , the calls could last upwards of an hour and and touch on all manners of subjects from dog racing to politics but they invariabley turned to the A6 murder usually at his instigation.He would offer his opinions on what had happened and the part played by the major characters ,the next call however a different set of 'facts' would be offered.
Many believe it must have been fascinating to talk to him but those who had the opportunity to do so soon became bored with it ,it was they who terminated the calls and evetually terminated the association.

Alphon was consistent on one thing however ,he was adamant that he would never voluntarily provide a sample for DNA analysis.he had sought advice and was under no legal obligation to do so. How then was a sample obtained?
the story I have told is that a police officer surreptitiously obtained a glass Alphon had been drinking from and a sample obtained from this source. Whether a more official sample was obtained I do not know , it was not referred to at the Court of Appeal.

When it was suggested to Alphon that perhaps the sum of money he obtained in the wake of the murder was a result of blackmailing Ewer, he replied that it would be a very brave or very foolish man who would attempt to blackmail Mr Ewer,and he was neither

Alphon was not the man interviewed by police on the 7th sept 1961 I appreciate it states this in the court of appeal judgement,it is in fact an error which was notified to the court at the time but to this day has not been rectified

regards
Julie Q

[Natalie Severn]

Thanks Derrick,Julie and Julie Q,
I have spoken before about how Alphon's odd interests and political leanings point to him probably having a schizoid personality,the type of personality,which if sufficiently stressed can tip over into schizophrenia.Alphon the paranoid and abusive telephone pest,the fascist,the dabbler in strange religions all suggest this was the type of personality he possessed.And that is precisely the sort of person who would have been capable of doing something as bizarre as going into a cornfield with a shot gun in Slough,holding up a courting couple ,being pruriently curious about their sex life while sounding off about himself with a lot of mindless chatter for several hours,giving the impression that he was not quite right---all very typical as was the ability to act with chilling callousness towards Valerie Storie after Michael Gregsten was killed .
But of all the bits and pieces I have heard about Alphon the one which most impresses was the 'look of anguish' that is said to have crossed his face,when, according to Jeremy Fox he learned Hanratty was to be hanged.This is so typical too.The sharp moral sense /conscience when confronted with the consequences of a crime that Alphon was certain ,throughout, had never been committed by James Hanratty.
It seems to me that even if Alphon did not commit that crime himself,he knew more about it than we do.
I was interested Julie Q to know Alphon had always refused to give a DNA sample.Who says a policeman obtained it after a drink with him?Sounds very fishy that.Do we know the name of the 'policeman'?

You may be right Derrick.I admit I have never given serious thought to whether or not there was a masonic link.Maybe there was.
i know for sure there is strong evidence that there was a fascist link.
In Jean Justices French edition of 'Murder versus Murder' he talks about when William Ewer was invited to join himfor the weekend at his country cottage .Jean Justice,after discussing classical music with Ewer and other intellectual interests ,gleaned that Ewer was very interested in politics.During the course of the discussion Ewer told Justice that he was sympathetic to the Fascist Party and that he hated the way the fascist salute was ridiculed in England.He also 'implied' he had been on the side of Franco and the Spanish fascists during the war---presumably the Spanish Civil War,and hinted he had fought there and in Finland.
Its a pity we don't know more about him.

[Limehouse]

Thanks Julieq - that was a very interesting post. I am most intrigued to learn that Jeremy Fox and Alphon became reacquainted.

It must have been very distressing for Janet Gregsten to receive such abuse from Alphon. Again - he was only cautioned. As Norma has pointed out - aspects of his behaviour point to a disturbed personality.

Derrick's comments concerning the possible Masonic link are also interesting. Is it possible that Alphon's father was a Mason? I have often wondered whether his job with the police was a little more than just clerical? Alphon's mother seems to have worked as a cleaner - could she really have afforded to give him money so regularly on a cleaner's wage in those days?

Did Alphon's scholarship to a prestigeous school come with a helping hand from the Masons?

Was Ewer a Mason and did he know Alphon via his father?

[jimarilyn]

A series of excellent, thought provoking posts.
Re. the possible freemasonry link and how Alphon received [time after time] such favourable treatment from the courts, police etc., I too have seriously wondered about this.

His father, Felix Louis E. Alphon, a French immigrant, was 69 years old at the time of the A6 murder and worked in the offices at Scotland Yard. Just exactly what is work consisted of is anyone's guess. It seems rather unusual that he would be working there 4 years past retirement age.

It would be interesting [but very difficult] to discover just what percentage of the police were/are populated by freemasons.

One things is for sure, and that is police corruption was rife [and probably still is today] in the 60's and 70's (and probably earlier than that). Sir Robert Mark, Metropolitan Police Commissioner from 1972 to 1977 was shocked to find just how prevalent police corruption was. He made a determined and prolonged effort to root out as much corruption as he was able to unearth.

Re. Alphon, it's quite revealing, in my opinion, to note that after he was cleared [at Mortlake Magistrates Court] on October 3rd 1961 of the charge of assaulting Mrs Dalal he was driven away by very interested friends. He was fifty guineas richer and later that same evening he went with his mum and dad to stay in the country.
Not the loner some people make him out to be. I wonder who these friends could have been ? I wonder also where exactly in the country he and his parents went to stay. Someone it would seem was taking a very keen interest in Peter Alphon's affairs in early Octember 1961.

As for William Ewer I'd bet my bottom [or even top] dollar that he was one of the secret handshake brigade.

[NickB]

By the late 1990's with the publication of Bob Woffinden's book and the heightened expectation that the appeal court hearing was imminent the name Alphon was once more in the public spotlight, on this occasion however he shunned all publicity and despite his impoverished circumstances refused all financial inducements to be interviewed by the press.

I don't know if he was paid for it but The Independent interviewed Alphon in 1997 with excerpts reported here ...

Doubts about the identity of the killer were dismissed, however, by Mr Alphon. In an interview with The Independent, in which he denied his own involvement, Mr Alphon set out his own theory. He said that Hanratty was a "psychopath" who had been hired by the wife of the dead man and her lover. Earlier this month, Mr Alphon sent a letter to the Home Secretary, saying "...the nightmare has persisted through four decades of controversy and speculation surrounding the case".
He added: "My victimisation both at the hands of the police and my defamers in the media dates from when Scotland Yard quite unjustifiably caused my name to be blazoned across the headlines ..."

and here ...

... speaking to The Independent three days ago he denied that he had ever admitted to the killing and insisted that Hanratty was guilty. He said Hanratty had been hired by Mrs Gregsten to break up the relationship. "I don't have to prove my innocence," he added. Reports of his alleged confessions had been distorted.

[Limehouse]

How on earth could Alphon state he had never admitted to the killing when he did so in France and it is recorded on film?

[Derrick]

and here ...

... speaking to The Independent three days ago he denied that he had ever admitted to the killing and insisted that Hanratty was guilty. He said Hanratty had been hired by Mrs Gregsten to break up the relationship. "I don't have to prove my innocence," he added. Reports of his alleged confessions had been distorted.

Hi Nick
That may be the case but Alphon's press conference in Paris in 1967 could hardly have been distorted as he admitted on camera to ITN that he was in fact the A6 murderer and that an innocent man, Hanratty had been wrongly hanged for it.

Going on what Alphon says here he must have a great deal of inside information for him to state categorically that Janet Gregsten had hired Hanratty.

But we all know that what Alphon told the Independent is pure fiction.

Yet there is real evidence that Alphon harrassed Janet Gregsten in the 1990's resulting in Alphon being charged. Janet Gregsten became quite convinced that Hanratty was innocent and wanted to help in any way to prove his innocence. Sadly she died shortly afterwards.

Derrick

[NickB]

Alphon harrassed Janet Gregsten in the 1990's

Yes that is also reported in The independent in 1994 here ...

It is understood that police last month questioned a man in north-west London who had previously confessed to the crime, then withdrawn his confession. The investigation is said to have started after the man sent a greeting card to Janet Gregsten, the murder victim's widow, last year.

[Derrick]

Yes that is also reported in The independent in 1994...

Hi Nick

We all know that Alphon always tried to seek publicity by use of vicious harrassment when the case was being publicised. Just as he had done with Lord and Lady Russell and Jean Justice in the 1960's.

He has the sort of persona that one would imagine that the person who carried out the A6 murder would have.

"I'll count to five" as Miss Storie reported the killer saying...classic Alphon. Not 3 as most people would say, but 5. Strange that Jean Justice had Alphon tape recorded saying this on several occasions.

Regards
Derrick

[jimarilyn]

"I'll count to five" as Miss Storie reported the killer saying...classic Alphon. Not 3 as most people would say, but 5. Strange that Jean Justice had Alphon tape recorded saying this on several occasions.

Just a slight [but very significant I feel] correction here, Derrick. Valerie never actually used the word 'to'. The exact expression she used at the Bedford Trial (when describing the gunman's words) was "I will count five". She said the gunman said this several times.
Jean Justice in his 1964 book "Murder vs Murder" relates that Alphon used this exact expression on him during their many meetings/coversations. Most people, I feel, would add the word 'to' as you have done. I also feel that the majority of people would say 'three' or 'ten' rather than 'five'.

Jean Justice also reveals in his book that on several occasions Alphon used another expression which the gunman was said to have used. This was 'that was a silly thing to do'.

[Derrick]

Just a slight [but very significant I feel] correction here, Derrick. Valerie never actually used the word 'to'. The exact expression she used at the Bedford Trial (when describing the gunman's words) was "I will count five". She said the gunman said this several times.
Jean Justice in his 1964 book "Murder vs Murder" relates that Alphon used this exact expression on him during their many meetings/coversations. Most people, I feel, would add the word 'to' as you have done. I also feel that the majority of people would say 'three' or 'ten' rather than 'five'.

Jean Justice also reveals in his book that on several occasions Alphon used another expression which the gunman was said to have used. This was 'that was a silly thing to do'.

Hi James
Good point. Thanks for correcting my slight but important error. You swine
Derrick

[Hatchett]

Hi Derrick and all,

I am not too sure what difference your comments make. If someone says "five" instead of "three", and misses out the the word "to," or says "that was a silly thing to do," even if it is odd, then chances are that it is going to be odd for a slight percentage of the population, which would comprise of a number of hundred thousand. It doesnt actually single out any individual.

As for Alphon, looking at him and the history that has been recorded, he appears to have been a particularly troubled and complex man. A man I think perhaps, who could have looked desperately for some reason to be on this Earth, either by fame or infamamy.

A sad man, in fact.

Best wshes.

[babybird67]

why are we still discussing Alphon?

from article 128 of the Appeal Judgement:

By way of postscript we should record that it has been agreed by Mr Sweeney and Mr Mansfield that on the evidence now available Peter Alphon could not have been the murderer. It is understood that this agreement arose out of the DNA evidence

My emphasis. Not 'might not have been', not 'probably wasn't', but a most emphatic, absolutely certain 'could not have been'. As agreed by both prosecution and defence, both of whom are in possession of far more evidence and information than we are.

It was not Alphon. Fact.

[Limehouse]

from article 128 of the Appeal Judgement:



My emphasis. Not 'might not have been', not 'probably wasn't', but a most emphatic, absolutely certain 'could not have been'. As agreed by both prosecution and defence, both of whom are in possession of far more evidence and information than we are.

It was not Alphon. Fact.

But it cannot be denied that Alphon kep his involvement in this case burning by appearing on TV in France and making malicious pohone calls to various people involved or interested in the case and by being interviewed by The Independent and by plaguing Mrs Gregsten with unwanted attention as late as the 1990s. He was also the first suspect and was definitely the man who attacked Mrs dala and told her he was the A6 killer - so I do think he is worthy of discussion.