James Hanratty
| James Hanratty | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born |
4 October 1936 Bromley, Kent, England |
| Died | 4 April 1962 (aged 25) Bedford Prison, Bedford, Bedfordshire, England |
| Cause of death | Execution (hanging) |
| Nationality | British |
| Education | St James Catholic High School, Barnet |
| Known for | A6 murderer |
James Hanratty (4 October 1936 – 4 April 1962) was one of the last eight people in the UK to be executed before capital punishment was effectively abolished. He was hanged at Bedford Gaol on 4 April 1962, after being convicted of the murder of scientist Michael Gregsten, aged 36, who was shot dead in a car on the A6 at Deadman's Hill, near Clophill, Bedfordshire in August 1961. Gregsten's mistress, Valerie Storie, aged 22, was raped, shot five times and left paralysed.
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 initial prime suspects were Hanratty, a petty criminal, and Peter Louis Alphon, an eccentric drifter. In police line-ups, Storie did not recognise Alphon, but eventually positively identified Hanratty.
Her testimony was critical in securing a guilty verdict at the trial. The verdict was questioned by many who felt the supporting evidence was too weak to justify conviction. However, a DNA test in 2002 proved Hanratty's guilt, according to the Court of Appeal, "beyond doubt".
James Hanratty was born on 4 October 1936 in Farnborough, Kent, the eldest of four sons of James Francis Hanratty (1907–1978) and his wife Mary Ann Hanratty (1917–1999). By 1937, the family had moved to Wembley in northwest London.
Hanratty's early years were troubled. Long before his trial for the A6 murder, he had already been described as a retard, a psychopath, and a pathological liar. By the age of 11 he had been declared ineducable at St James Catholic High School, Burnt Oak (now Barnet), although his parents steadfastly refused to accept he was in any way mentally deficient and successfully resisted attempts to have him placed in a special school. After leaving the school in 1951 at the age of 15, Hanratty, still illiterate, joined the Public Cleansing Department of Wembley Borough Council as a refuse sorter. In July of the following year he fell from his bicycle, injuring his head and remaining unconscious for 10 hours; he was admitted to Wembley Hospital, where he remained for nine days.
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