As far as anyone is aware James Hanratty was totally unfamiliar with the Slough/Dorney Reach area. He was a city lad through and through and the last place he'd venture out to would be remote countryside miles away from his own turf and comfort zone in London. Alphon, on the other hand, was very familiar with the Slough area. He regularly attended Slough Greyhound Stadium at the time.
Yes, they had been there several times previously that summer, probably after having been for a drink at the Old Station Inn in Taplow, about a mile away. The landlady of that pub, Mary Lanz, stated that Gregsten and Storie had been regulars there. It's more than possible that the lover's movements had been monitored for some time over the previous months by interested parties.
Valerie Storie told 18 year old Oxford Undergraduate, John Kerr [who was conducting a traffic census very close by] that they had picked up a man at Slough.That is how it came to be described originally as "The Hitch-Hike" murder and that is how the newspapers described it in the immediate aftermath of the crime. It was only later that Miss Storie revealed to police that a gunman had hijacked the car while she and her lover, Michael Gregsten, were parked up in that cornfield at Dorney Reach.
Quite. We will never know. Also have read elsewhere that there is no other similar murder known to have been committed in this country. Also if Hanratty had only wanted the car he could have ordered Gregsten and Storie out at gunpoint and left them instead of driving off with them. No wonder there are still rumours about this case.
"a gunman had held them up at Slough, rather, they had picked him up at Slough" -last speaker says who was first on crime scene -things already confusing regarding statements
I would say that the most interested party would have been Janet Gregsten's brother-in-law William Ewer. Peter Alphon, in his confessions to the murder, claimed that Mr Ewer was the Mr X who hired him to put the frighteners on Gregsten and Storie to try and separate the lovers and put an end to their illicit affair. Alphon said that was why the 3 occupants spent almost 6 hours couped up in that small Morris Minor. He said he gave Gregsten several chances to walk away but he kept on coming back.
What I would like to know is why Hanratty would have chosen to be way out in the countryside at Dorney that day? Did he know the area? Peter Alphon's claim that people close to the Gregsten family who were upset about Gregsten and Storey having an affair ordering the killing sounds a far more likely scenario considering the different morality at that time.
@1978chelly Absolutely. He reveals a lot about himself by his language. The 4th, 5th and 6th letters of his username describes him aptly. Best to give such people a wide berth as you can't reason with them.
It's possibly very revealing to note the following........ Mr Ewer in the aftermath of the murder embarked on a love affair with his sister-in-law Janet Gregsten which lasted 7 or 8 years. Janet attended only one day of the 21 day long trial in contrast to Ewer who was at the Bedford Court every day. Ewer was not very complimentary in his remarks about his brother-in-law Michael Gregsten. Reading between the lines it would appear that there was not much love lost between him and Gregsten.
The police officer who led the murder investigation, Det-Supt Basil Acott, made the following comment to Sunday Times reporter Lewis Chester in 1971..."To us it always seemed a simple gas-meter job", hinting that it was an 'inside job' involving someone close to the Gregsten family. A lot of murders are committed or planned by people who know the intended victim well. A good question to ask oneself is who benefitted the most from Michael Gregsten's death ?
who were the interested parties? Was Mrs Gregsten possibly one, as she was very much the injured party -had she possibly hired a private detective to confirm their affair? -with dates, exact times and place(s)?
As far as anyone is aware James Hanratty was totally unfamiliar with the Slough/Dorney Reach area. He was a city lad through and through and the last place he'd venture out to would be remote countryside miles away from his own turf and comfort zone in London. Alphon, on the other hand, was very familiar with the Slough area. He regularly attended Slough Greyhound Stadium at the time.
Yes, they had been there several times previously that summer, probably after having been for a drink at the Old Station Inn in Taplow, about a mile away. The landlady of that pub, Mary Lanz, stated that Gregsten and Storie had been regulars there. It's more than possible that the lover's movements had been monitored for some time over the previous months by interested parties.
Valerie Storie told 18 year old Oxford Undergraduate, John Kerr [who was conducting a traffic census very close by] that they had picked up a man at Slough.That is how it came to be described originally as "The Hitch-Hike" murder and that is how the newspapers described it in the immediate aftermath of the crime. It was only later that Miss Storie revealed to police that a gunman had hijacked the car while she and her lover, Michael Gregsten, were parked up in that cornfield at Dorney Reach.
They have got the opening scenes wrong. The hangman was Harry Allen, whose trademark was the bow tie he invariably wore.
thanks for reply -was Dorney Reach a place which Gregsten and
Storie regularly used, as you might call a "lovers lane"?
Quite. We will never know. Also have read elsewhere that there is no other similar murder known to have been committed in this country. Also if Hanratty had only wanted the car he could have ordered Gregsten and Storie out at gunpoint and left them instead of driving off with them. No wonder there are still rumours about this case.
"a gunman had held them up at Slough, rather, they had picked him up at Slough"
-last speaker says who was first on crime scene
-things already confusing regarding statements
I would say that the most interested party would have been Janet Gregsten's brother-in-law William Ewer. Peter Alphon, in his confessions to the murder, claimed that Mr Ewer was the Mr X who hired him to put the frighteners on Gregsten and Storie to try and separate the lovers and put an end to their illicit affair. Alphon said that was why the 3 occupants spent almost 6 hours couped up in that small Morris Minor. He said he gave Gregsten several chances to walk away but he kept on coming back.
What I would like to know is why Hanratty would have chosen to be way out in the countryside at Dorney that day? Did he know the area? Peter Alphon's claim that people close to the Gregsten family who were upset about Gregsten and Storey having an affair ordering the killing sounds a far more likely scenario considering the different morality at that time.
@1978chelly
Absolutely. He reveals a lot about himself by his language. The 4th, 5th and 6th letters of his username describes him aptly. Best to give such people a wide berth as you can't reason with them.
That's 50 years ago this morning Hanratty died, and funnily enough it was the day after the Rolling Stones were supposed to be formed?
It's possibly very revealing to note the following........
Mr Ewer in the aftermath of the murder embarked on a love affair with his sister-in-law Janet Gregsten which lasted 7 or 8 years.
Janet attended only one day of the 21 day long trial in contrast to Ewer who was at the Bedford Court every day.
Ewer was not very complimentary in his remarks about his brother-in-law Michael Gregsten. Reading between the lines it would appear that there was not much love lost between him and Gregsten.
The police officer who led the murder investigation, Det-Supt Basil Acott, made the following comment to Sunday Times reporter Lewis Chester in 1971..."To us it always seemed a simple gas-meter job", hinting that it was an 'inside job' involving someone close to the Gregsten family. A lot of murders are committed or planned by people who know the intended victim well. A good question to ask oneself is who benefitted the most from Michael Gregsten's death ?
i agree...some people have got no class!!
who said they picked up a HITCH-HIKER?
who were the interested parties? Was Mrs Gregsten possibly one,
as she was very much the injured party
-had she possibly hired a private detective to confirm their affair?
-with dates, exact times and place(s)?
Who is Mansell ?