Originally posted by NickB
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Regarding the Rhyl Alibi:
1] Hanratty said that the reason he'd gone to Rhyl was to look for a man called "John", whom he knew from a previous visit to Rhyl, to fence some stolen goods. This "John" was actually Terry Evans, at whose house Hanratty had spent a night during his previous visit to Rhyl, and to thank him for his hospitality Hanratty nicked a pair of Evans' shoes! So right away, Hanratty's memory is open to question. Gillbanks located Terry Evans a.k.a. "John", and thus was Ingledene located, to eventually pass into A6 folklore, purely on the basis that it had a green bath, which Hanratty said might have been in the attic.
2] Hanratty described the lady who owned Ingledene as "about 50, average build, wore glasses, grey hair". Mrs Grace Jones had fair hair, not grey. She did not wear glasses. She was actually a very short lady, only 5' 2", and below "average build".
3] As in Mrs Dinwoodie's case, Mrs Jones was shown just one photo, this time by Gillbanks, that of James Hanratty.
4] Mrs Jones initially told Gillbanks that she was not at all sure about Hanratty's claimed visit to Ingledene. Gillbanks reported to Sherrard that Mrs Jones was uncertain about when, and in which room, the man in the photo stayed.
5] Terry Evans (during the trial and presumably during the lunch hour in which a juror spotted him talking to Mrs Jones) said that he asked Mrs Jones if she recognised Hanratty. Mrs Jones said she was almost sure; that is, not completely sure. Mrs Jones admitted to Mr Swanwick that she did not recognise the man in the photo shown to her by Gillbanks. Mrs Jones also said that she had got muddled.
6] Mrs Jones 'got muddled' because of the colour of the man's hair, which would suggest her veracity to Hanratty's supporters because he did indeed change the colour of his hair. But in fact it was Terry Evans who told her that she may not have recognised the man in the photo and James Hanratty in the court-room as one and the same, "because of the colour of his hair".
7] Until encountering Terry Evans at Bedford, Mrs Jones had never said anything about Hanratty's hair or its colour.
8] Hanratty mentioned a green bath at Ingledene, but then shot himself in the foot by adding "I have been in so many boarding-houses that you get confused". This was when he was in the witness-box, and having said that he became incoherent.
9] About the only correct statement Hanratty made about Ingledene was that he paid 12/6 a night, which is what Mrs Jones charged. However, this was probably a standard charge for seaside b&b's - on the night of his arrest, he had booked into a b&b in Central Drive, Blackpool, and maybe this place also charged 12/6 a night...and maybe also had a green bath.
10] Paul Foot makes the claim that Mrs Jones stated that "a young Londoner stayed 2 nights at Ingledene, and he looked like Hanratty". In fact, Mrs Jones never once mentioned a 'young Londoner'.
That's enough from me tonight - I was watching Brazil v. Mexico, but it's probably over by now!!!
Graham
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