Hanratty set to be cleared, says report

LONDON - The Home Office last night confirmed that the case against James Hanratty - executed 35 years ago for the A6 murder - …

LONDON - The Home Office last night confirmed that the case against James Hanratty - executed 35 years ago for the A6 murder - was currently being reviewed, as a report claimed it would conclude he was the victim of a miscarriage of justice. Hanratty (25), was convicted of killing a married man before raping the man's lover and shooting her at close range, leaving her paralysed for life.

The London Independent reports that the Home Secretary, Mr Michael Howard, is set to announce that the case is to be referred to the Court of Appeal, where the conviction is expected to be quashed.

The referral follows an unpublished police inquiry into the case last year which concluded that Hanratty, who was hanged at Bedford jail on April 4th, 1962, was innocent.