James Hanratty

Who was James Hanratty?

James Hanratty was one of the last people in the UK to be sentenced to death for murder. He was hanged at Bedford Gaol on 4 April 1962, after being convicted of the murder of scientist Michael Gregsten, who was shot dead in his car near Clophill, Bedfordshire in August 1961. Gregsten's mistress Valerie Storie, was raped, shot and left paralysed in the same incident.

According to Storie, the couple were abducted at gunpoint in their car at Dorney Reach, Buckinghamshire, by a man with a cockney accent and mannerisms matching Hanratty's. The gunman ordered Gregsten to drive in several directions, before stopping beside the A6 at Deadman's Hill, where the offences took place. The prime suspects were Hanratty, a petty criminal, and Peter Louis Alphon, an eccentric drifter. Both these men changed their version of events several times and Storie picked out an innocent man at the first identity parade.

The 'Guilty' verdict was questioned by many who felt the evidence was too weak to justify conviction. However, a DNA test in 2002 was to prove Hanratty's guilt, according to the Court of Appeal, "beyond doubt".