English Crime Archives - Cases from the British Isles

2025/10/272025/10/27

James Hanratty: Assault, Plus Daring Murder of a Man

Imagine you’re out on a date, parked in a private spot, when someone forces his way into your car and has you drive aimlessly until he finally shoots you. Terrifying, isn’t it? That is what happened to Michael Gregsten and Valerie Storie on an autumn evening in 1961. The crime, dubbed the A6 murder, occurred just off the A6, a major north-south road in England. James Hanratty was convicted and hanged for the crime, but some people doubted his guilt.

The Crime Attributed to James Hanratty

On the evening of August 22, 1961, a Tuesday, Michael Gregsten, a 36-year-old scientist and researcher at the Road Research Laboratory in Slough, went driving with his colleague and girlfriend, Valerie Storie, 22. The pair parked Gregsten’s gray Morris Minor in a quiet lane near Taplow, Buckinghamshire, intending to spend some private time together.

Valerie Storie (thehistorypress.co.uk) — Valerie Storie (*thehistorypress.co.uk*)

About 9:30 p.m., a man with a revolver approached their car. He ordered Gregsten into the back seat and forced Storie to drive. The gunman, who Storie later described as nervous but commanding, made them drive for hours through London and the surrounding countryside. He frequently changed direction and often demanded they stop for fuel. Gregsten offered the man money to take the car and leave them, but he refused. Their ordeal continued into the early hours of Wednesday morning.

The Murder and Attempted Murder

Shortly after midnight on 23 August 1961, the car pulled into a lay-by (a parking or rest area) on Deadman’s Hill along the A6, near Clophill, Bedfordshire. The man ordered Gregsten and Storie into the back seat. Without warning, he shot Gregsten twice in the head, killing him instantly. He then raped Storie, shot her five times, and left her for dead beside Gregsten’s body. Miraculously, she survived, but the bullets severed her spinal cord and left her permanently paralyzed from the chest down.

A gray Morris Minor Series II (1956) similar to Michael Gregsten's (wikipedia.org) — A gray Morris Minor Series II (1956) similar to Michael Gregsten’s (*wikipedia.org*)

Around 6:30 a.m., a passing truck driver noticed the oddly parked car and discovered the horrifying scene. Police quickly cordoned off the area, identified Gregsten’s body, and rushed Storie to a hospital in critical condition.

The Investigation and Arrest of James Hanratty

The murder shocked Britain. Bedfordshire Police, assisted by Scotland Yard, launched a manhunt, one of the most extensive of the post-war era. A valuable piece of evidence emerged when someone found the gun used in the crime, a .38 caliber revolver, wrapped in a handkerchief and concealed under the seat of a London bus.

James Hanratty (Alchetron) — James Hanratty (*Alchetron*)

Storie provided additional crucial information from her hospital bed. She described her attacker as a man in his mid-20s, about 5 ft 7 in tall, with light-brown hair, a Cockney accent, and an intense, restless manner. Her recollections became the cornerstone of the case.

Gradually, detectives focused their attention on James Hanratty, a small-time thief and burglar with a record of petty crimes but no known violence. Hanratty, born in London in 1936, had spent much of his youth in reform schools and prisons. He was known to the police as a habitual but non-violent offender. On 11 October 1961, after weeks on the run and following a public appeal, officers arrested him in Blackpool.

Hanratty vehemently denied any involvement in the murder and rape. He claimed he was in Rhyl, North Wales, at the time, but later changed his story to say he was in Liverpool. The shifting alibis would later undermine his defense.

James Haratty on Trial

Hanratty went on trial on January 22, 1962, at Bedford Assizes. Mr Justice William Gorman presided. It lasted 21 days, one of the longest and most heavily reported trials in British history.

Shire Hall, Bedford, where James Hanratty's trial took place (Paul Harrop via wikimedia.org) — Shire Hall, Bedford, where James Hanratty’s trial took place (*Paul Harrop via wikimedia.org*)

The prosecution’s case rested primarily on Valerie Storie’s eyewitness identification, ballistic evidence linking the revolver to the crime, and circumstantial connections (such as Hanratty’s known use of the same type of handkerchief found with the weapon).

Michael Sherrard, QC, argued for the defense that Hanratty had been misidentified and that police had mishandled evidence. Several witnesses claimed to have seen him in Rhyl on the day of the murder, though their reliability was questioned.

The jury deliberated for more than nine hours. However, on February 17, 1962, the jurors returned with a guilty verdict. Mr. Justice Gorman sentenced him to death.

James Hanratty Executed

Hanratty’s solicitors submitted appeals for clemency to Home Secretary Rab Butler. Members of the public also flooded the Home Office with clemency petitions. However, the petitions did not sway the Home Secretary; he rejected the appeals.

HM Prison Bedford, where James Hanratty was hanged (Dennis Simpson via wikimedia.org) — HM Prison Bedford, where James Hanratty was hanged (*Dennis Simpson via wikimedia.org*)

On April 4, 1962, James Hanratty mounted the gallows at Bedford Prison. He maintained his innocence until the end, telling reporters, “I am completely innocent of this crime.” Executioner Henry Allen oversaw the subsequent hanging. Hanratty’s body was buried within the prison grounds, but later exhumed and reburied by his family in 1966.

Many Britons believed the A6 case had been rushed and that Hanratty’s conviction was unsafe. As time passed, numerous journalists, lawyers, and campaigners questioned the evidence against him, arguing that the identification was flawed and the forensic handling inadequate.

Hanratty's father, also named James Hanratty, protests outside the House of Commons on April 21, 1969, long after his son's execution (Keystone/Getty Images via murderpedia.org) — Hanratty’s father, also named James Hanratty, protests outside the House of Commons on April 21, 1969, long after his son’s execution (*Keystone/Getty Images via murderpedia.*org)

On the other hand, Valerie Storie, who lived as a paraplegic for the rest of her life, continued to insist that police had convicted the right man.

The DNA Breakthrough

In the late 1990s, scientific advances in DNA testing opened the possibility of re-examining some of the evidence in the A6 case. Samples from the gun’s handkerchief and Valerie Storie’s clothing were tested using modern DNA techniques.

In 2001, the Criminal Cases Review Commission referred the case to the Court of Appeal, which heard new forensic evidence. The DNA on both items matched Hanratty’s, and the court upheld his conviction in 2002, ruling the case against him “conclusive.”

Epilogue

Hanratty’s family and their supporters have continued to contest this conclusion and to press for a further review of his conviction.

Valerie Storie never doubted that James Hanratty raped her and killed Gregsten. She was quoted as saying, “I identified the guilty man. I looked in his eyes, and he looked in mine. I knew who he was, and he knew that I recognised him. I had found the guilty person.”

Storie returned to work with the Road Research Laboratory and gave occasional interviews, but mostly avoided publicity. She died on March 26, 2016, in the house in Cippenham where she was born. She was 77 years old.

The A6 murder remains one of the most famous British criminal cases. It occurred at a time when public opinion on capital punishment was shifting, and it often comes up in discussions about the death penalty and the reliability of eyewitness testimony.

You can read more about James Hanratty and the A6 murder case in Hanratty’s Guilt: The A6 Murder and its Aftermath. In this book, author Leonard Miller expands on his earlier Shadows of Deadman’s Hill to argue that Hanratty was guilty of the crimes and that there never should have been any doubt about his conviction.

The Long Silen ce by Paul Stickler is essentially Valerie Storie’s posthumous autobiography and includes details of the time she and Michael Gregsten spent driving around with the indecisive James Hanratty.

Paul Foote’s Who Killed Hanratty? Argues that negligence and incompetence led to a faulty conviction. However, this book came out before the 2002 ruling based on the new DNA evidence.

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2025/10/052025/10/05

Neill Cream: A Daring Killer Doctor of Victorian Times

The blog is back after a two-month hiatus. I am a one-man show, and it can be challenging to produce a new blog every week. With the climax of baseball season and some other personal disruptions, I have not blogged for a couple of months. However, this week, I return with a presentation about Dr. Thomas Neill Cream. Neill Cream was a Victorian doctor, a convicted poisoner, and a man who some suspected was Jack the Ripper. Read his story below.

The Life and Crimes of Dr. Thomas Neill Cream

Neill Cream was one of the most infamous poisoners of the Victorian era. A trained physician, his medical knowledge became a weapon in a series of murders that spanned multiple continents. He died on the gallows in London in 1892, but his criminal legacy continues to fascinate criminologists and historians alike.

Dr. Thomas Neill Cream (McGill University Library) — Dr. Thomas Neill Cream (*McGill University Library*)

Thomas Neill Cream was born in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1850, the eldest son of a prosperous shipbuilder. His family emigrated to Canada during his youth, settling in Quebec, where Cream grew up in relatively comfortable circumstances. In his early years, he demonstrated academic promise and eventually enrolled at McGill University in Montreal to study medicine.

While at McGill, Cream developed a fascination with chemistry and toxicology, disciplines that would later be a core component of his crimes. He graduated as a physician in 1876 after completing a thesis on chloroform. Shortly afterward, he moved to London for advanced training at St. Thomas’s Hospital before practicing medicine in North America.

Early Criminal Activity

Cream’s professional career quickly became intertwined with scandal. While practicing in Canada and later in the United States, he developed a reputation for performing illegal abortions, often under dangerous circumstances. One of his earliest brushes with the law came in 1879 when a young woman named Kate Gardener died after taking a medicine Craem prescribed. Though suspicion fell upon him, no charges were sustained.

An undated portrait of Thomas Neill Cream (Science Museum Library Collection) — An undated portrait of Thomas Neill Cream (*Science Museum Library Collection*)

Relocating to Chicago, Cream continued his medical practice but became embroiled in a more serious case. In 1881, the body of Daniel Stott, one of Cream’s patients, was discovered with traces of strychnine poisoning. Investigations revealed that Cream had supplied the fatal substance and had also been engaged in an affair with Stott’s wife. He was arrested, tried, and convicted of murder. Sentenced to life imprisonment, Cream was sent to Joliet Prison in Illinois.

Neill Cream Released

Despite the murder conviction, Cream did not serve out his life sentence. In 1891, after only ten years, he was released, reportedly through the intervention of influential family connections and perhaps bribery. Having regained his freedom, Cream left America and returned to London, settling in the Lambeth district.

London in the 1890s provided fertile ground for a man of Cream’s ambitions. The bustling city was crowded, with areas of extreme poverty and vice coexisting alongside wealth and privilege. Lambeth, in particular, was known for its red-light district, and it was here that Cream found many of his victims.

Neill Cream Resumes Poisoning in London

Soon after his arrival, young women in Lambeth began to die under mysterious circumstances. Cream consistently used strychnine, a lethal poison that was readily available at the time. The victims were often sex workers, women with little protection or recourse, making them vulnerable targets.

Among his victims were women such as Matilda Clover, who died in 1891. Initially, her death was recorded as natural, but Cream later incriminated himself by writing anonymous letters to authorities and acquaintances, claiming another physician had poisoned Clover. This peculiar tendency to boast and manipulate would ultimately contribute to his downfall.

Cream’s campaign of poisoning continued through 1891 and 1892, with other victims including Alice Marsh and Emma Shrivell. Each woman suffered an agonizing death from strychnine, and in each case, Cream attempted to deflect suspicion or even extort money by accusing others of the crimes. His pattern of sending letters and inserting himself into investigations raised suspicions about his character.

Investigation and Neill Cream Arrested

By mid-1892, authorities were piecing together evidence linking Cream to the series of poisonings. His peculiar behavior in writing letters that named himself as a witness or suggested knowledge of the murders raised questions. Detectives watched his movements closely, noting his associations with the victims and his habit of discussing poison with acquaintances.

Metropolitan Police images of Thomas Neill Cream (Science Museum Library Collection) — Metropolitan Police images of Thomas Neill Cream (*Science Museum Library Collection*)

Ultimately, police determined that Cream had purchased strychnine shortly before several of the murders, providing material evidence against him. Witness testimony further tied him to the victims, and the case against him solidified. He was arrested in June 1892 and charged with multiple counts of murder.

Neill Cream On Trial at the Old Bailey

Cream’s trial for the murder of Matilda Clover opened at the Central Criminal Court—the Old Bailey—in October 1892. The proceedings drew enormous public attention, as the case combined sensational elements of medicine, poison, sexual scandal, and serial murder.

The prosecution presented evidence of Cream’s purchase of strychnine and his proximity to the victims before their deaths. Testimony from chemists confirmed that he had obtained the poison, while witnesses described his suspicious conversations and behavior. Particularly damning were his incriminating letters, which revealed both his knowledge of the crimes and his attempt to implicate others.

The defense attempted to argue that the evidence was circumstantial, but the cumulative weight of the case proved overwhelming. The jury deliberated only twelve minutes before finding him guilty on all counts.

Neill Cream Sentenced and Executed

Following the guilty verdict, Cream was sentenced to death by hanging. His execution was set for November 15, 1892, at Newgate Prison in London. On the morning of the hanging, crowds gathered outside the prison, as was common in high-profile cases of the era, eager to witness the outcome of one of Britain’s most notorious trials.

This newspaper illustration appeared about the time of Cream's execution — This newspaper illustration appeared about the time of Cream’s execution

At the gallows, Cream reportedly attempted to speak, though accounts differ on his final words. According to some reports, he began to declare “I am Jack—,” leading to speculation that he intended to claim responsibility for the crimes of Jack the Ripper. The hangman quickly pulled the lever, cutting short any further statement. Whether this was a genuine confession, a last-minute attempt at notoriety, or a misheard phrase remains debated.

Epilogue

Neill Cream’s poisonings ended with his death, but his execution did not squelch the rumors that he was Jack the Ripper. Although hangman James Billington reported Cream’s last words to be “I am Jack…,” other witnesses to the execution did not report such an event. Furthermore, Cream was incarcerated in Illinois during the Ripper’s 1888 murder spree. Theories that Cream bribed his way out of prison before his official release or that a look-alike served his sentence lack any supporting evidence.

You can read more about Neill Cream and his crimes in A Prescription for Murder, a 1995 book by Angus McLaren, and The Case of the Murderous Dr. Cream by Dean Jobb. W. Teignmouth Shore’s Trial of Thomas Neil Cream presents a detailed account of Cream’s trial.

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2023/03/262026/01/23

George Joseph Smith: Bridegroom Makes for Unusual Serial Killer

Last week, I told you about Annie Le, a Yale graduate student whose promising career was cut short by murder. This week, I have a classic crime from across the Atlantic. It’s the story of George Joseph Smith and the notorious “Brides in the Bath” case.

George Joseph Smith

Crime was an integral part of George Joseph Smith’s life from his early years. Born in London in 1872, he ended up in a reformatory at Gravesend by the age of 9. Later, he served time for theft and fraud. In 1896, he convinced a woman to steal from her employers, which earned him 12 months in prison.

Two years later, in 1896, he married Carolyn Beatrice Thornhill in Leicester. Despite many subsequent marriages, this was the only one that was legal. Soon after the wedding, the couple moved to London.

Carolyn worked as a maid for several employers, stealing from all of them at Smith’s behest. Eventually caught, she served 12 months and, upon her release, outed her husband. He went to prison for two years in January 1901.

Carolyn departed for Canada when Smith got out of prison. Unfazed, Smith married Florence Wilson in June 1908. A month later, he left her, but not before taking £30 (about $1,126 in 2023) from her savings account. He also sold the contents of their Camden Town residence in London.

George Joseph Smith during his murder trial

Smith continued to marry and steal from women. Between 1908 and 1914, he contracted seven marriages, all of them bigamous. For a time, as with Florence Wilson, he stole what money they had and disappeared. But that was about to change.

George Joseph Smith Turns to Murder

In December 1910, Smith married Beatrice “Bessie” Mundy (using the name Henry Williams) in Weymouth, Dorset. The couple rented a house at 80 High Street. The house had no bathtub, so Smith rented one seven weeks later.

The new couple consulted a physician, Dr. Frank French, where Bessie complained of headaches. Smith told French a different story, that his wife suffered from epileptic seizures, even though she had no memory of them afterward.

The 'Brides in the Bath' murderer George Joseph Smith (1872 - 1915) standing in front of a painted backdrop with the first of his murder victims, Beatrice "Bessie" Mundy, (Hulton Archive/Getty Images) — The ‘Brides in the Bath’ murderer George Joseph Smith (1872 – 1915) standing in front of a painted backdrop with the first of his murder victims, Beatrice “Bessie” Mundy, (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

On July 12, 1912, Smith called Dr. French to attend to his wife, saying she’d had another seizure. The doctor gave her some medicine and promised to check on her in the afternoon. However, Smith informed the doctor the next morning that Bessie had drowned in the bathtub during an epileptic seizure.

French found Bessie in the tub, her head underwater, her legs stretched straight, and her feet protruding from the water. With no visible trace of violence, he attributed her death to epilepsy. The inquest jury awarded “Williams” £2,579 13s 7d (almost $461,000 in 2023) as dictated by her will. She’d drawn up the will a mere five days before her death.

George Joseph Smith Arouses Suspicion

In January 1915, Division Detective Inspector Arthur Neil received a letter from one Joseph Crossley. Crossley owned a boarding house in Blackpool, Lancashire, and enclosed two newspaper clippings in his letter. One was from News of the World, dated Christmas 1914, which recounted the death of Margaret Elizabeth Lloyd (née Lofty). Mrs. Lloyd died at her home in Highgate; her husband and their landlady found her in the bathtub.

The second clipping, dated December 13, 1913, recounted the coroner’s inquest into the death of Alice Smith (née Burnham) in Blackpool. Her husband found her dead in the bathtub. In addition to her savings, Alice had a £500 ($78,487 in 2023) life insurance policy.

Crossley’s letter, dated January 3, expressed his and his wife’s suspicions over the striking similarity of the two deaths. He urged the police to investigate.

The Investigation Begins

DI Neil visited the house where Margaret Lloyd died. He found it difficult to believe a healthy adult woman had drowned in such a small tub. Investigating further, he found Margaret had made a will on December 18, 1914, three hours before she died.

Neil contrived to have the coroner, Dr. Bates, issue a favorable report to the insurance company. Expecting Lloyd/Smith to contact his lawyers, he had their offices watched. On February 1, a man matching Smith’s description appeared. After a few questions, the man admitted to the inspector that he was Lloyd and Smith. Neil promptly arrested him for bigamy.

By now, news of the “Brides in the Bath” case had begun to appear. On February 8, the police chief of Herne Bay, Kent, notified Neil of another death similar to Margaret’s and Alice’s. That was, of course, the death of Bessie Mundy.

The Solution

The question that needed an answer was, how did the two women drown? Neil asked the eminent Home Office pathologist Sir Bernard Spilsbury to find a solution.

Spilsbury began by exhuming Margaret Lloyd’s body and conducting a second autopsy. He confirmed drowning as the cause of death, although the evidence was not extensive. He then ruled out poisons or diseases.

Home Office pathologist Sir Bernard Spilsbury in his laboratory

Given the dimensions of the tub and the size of the women, Spilsbury concluded that they couldn’t have drowned during a seizure. The muscular activity during an episode would have pushed them out of the tub.

Spilsbury suspected someone had grabbed the women by the feet and pulled them underwater. The sudden influx of water into the nose and mouth might cause shock and unconsciousness.

Reconstruction of the Brides in the Bath murders in Madam Tussauds Chamber of Horrors, London

To test this theory, DI Neil hired several experienced female divers similar in size and build to the victims. Try as he might, he could not force the women underwater without leaving signs of a struggle. Then without warning, he pulled the feet of one of the divers. Her head glided under the water before she knew what was happening. Neil pulled the diver from the tub when she failed to get out of the water. It took him and a doctor more than half an hour to revive her. It was a close call, but it confirmed Spilsbury’s theory.

Trial and Conviction

Smith’s trial for murder at London’s Old Baily on June 22, 1915. Under English law, prosecutors could only try him for Bessie Mundy’s death. However, prosecutors used the other two murders to establish the pattern of Smith’s crimes. Smith’s counsel, the noted barrister Sir Edward Marshall Hall, protested, but Mr. Justice Scrutton allowed it. Smith decided not to testify in his own defense.

Handwritten note by George Joseph Smith to his counsel, Edward Marshall Hall, indicating that he did not wish to give evidence in his own defense

It took the jury about 20 minutes to convict Smith, and Mr. Justice Scrutton sentenced him to death.

Epilogue

Marshall Hall appealed the verdict on grounds that Mr. Justice Scrutton improperly admitted evidence of a “system.” Lord Chief Justice Lord Reading dismissed the appeal.

George Joseph Smith went to the gallows at Maidstone Prison on August 13, 1915.

The Smith case is significant because it was the first instance of introducing past crimes to prove a system or pattern. Although some have criticized the technique, it is a feature of many modern criminal cases.

The “Brides in the Bath” case appears in several biographies of Spilsbury and anthologies of famous crimes. Among these are The Father of Forensics by Colin Evans and Robin O’Dell’s Landmarks in 20th Century Murder. George Joseph Smith: Brides in the Bath, a book in the True Crimes series, and Jane Robins’ The Magnificent Spilsbury and the Case of the Brides in the Bath also chronicle the case.

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2023/03/052023/03/05

John Lee: Amazing Killer, “The Man They Couldn’t Hang”

Last week, I covered the sad case of Gloria Pointer. Gloria was a 14-year-old Cleveland girl who was abducted and murdered on her way to school. This week, we look at the mysterious case of John Lee, a condemned prisoner who survived three execution attempts.

John Lee, Condemned Murderer

John Henry George Lee was born on August 15, 1864, in the English village of Abbotskerswell in the county of Devon. His early life was a mystery, although he was known to have served in the Royal Navy. He also had a reputation as a thief.

In 1884, Lee worked for a woman named Emma Keyse in Babbacombe Bay near the seaside town of Torquay. On November 15, Keyse was killed with a knife, and Lee was charged with murder.

Lee went on trial the following year. There was little evidence against him other than his prior record and an unexplained cut on his arm. However, he was the only male in the house at the time of the crime. Weak as the case was, and despite his claims of innocence, a jury convicted him of murder. His sentence was death by hanging.

They Can’t Hang John Lee

Lee’s execution date of February 23, 1885, arrived, and warders at HM Prison Exeter led him to the gallows. Everything was routine until the executioner, James Berry, pulled the lever to open the scaffold’s trapdoor. The trap failed to open. A puzzled Berry, who had tested the apparatus earlier, tried again, and again the trapdoor refused to open. Berry tried once more with the same result.

At this point, the medical officer refused to participate in further attempts to hang Lee.

The execution chamber of HM Prison Shrewsbury. The prison was decommissioned in 2013 and is now open to the public.

Executioner Berry couldn’t explain why the trapdoor failed to open. He describes the incident in detail in his memoir, My Experiences as an Executioner, although he only mentions two attempts.

John Lee's would-be executioner, James Berry — John Lee’s would-be executioner, James Berry

The Home Office ordered an investigation into the malfunction. It revealed that the drawbar became misaligned when the gallows moved from the old infirmary to the coach house. As a result, the trapdoor hinges did not drop cleanly through.

Epilogue

Home Secretary Sir William Harcourt commuted Lee’s sentence to life in prison. After serving 22 years, the Home Office agreed to release him.

John Lee shortly after he survived three attempts to hang him

After his release, Lee traded on his celebrity, lecturing on his life and becoming the subject of silent film. His whereabouts after 1916 are murky, but recent research concludes lived in the United States as “James Lee.”

John Henry George Lee died on August 15, 1945.