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By Alexander Baron
Michael Sherrard had a long career as a barrister, QC and recorder, but his name will be forever linked with that of James Hanratty and one of the most notorious murders in British criminal history.
Although he died on October 30, Michael Sherrard's obituary appeared in the Sunday Telegraph only at the beginning of this month, (hard copy, Monday, December 3). A fairly distinguished advocate, he will be remembered principally for a case he took early on in his career, one that resulted in his client's execution. Murders happen every day, but for various reasons, some attract far more notoriety than others. The A6 Murder was one such case. Unlike the White House Farm Murders, which involved the slaughter of an entire family by one of their own, or the Soham Murders - of two young girls, the A6 Murder involved the slaying only of one man, but it was a crime of such callousness that it beggared belief. Added to that there was a fairly lengthy and controversial police investigation followed by the controversy over the verdict, all the more so as James Hanratty was hanged in short order, unlike in the United States where a convicted murderer can languish for years on death row before he is finally executed, or not. ... continues
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