John visits Bedford Prison.. | Fab Forum | The Beatles Bible

Sometime in 1969 John Lennon – accompanied by Yoko Ono, was outside Bedford Prison with a placard stating; “Britain murdered Hanratty”. James Hanratty was hanged in Bedford Prison in 1962, the last man to be hanged in the UK ,after raping & then shooting a woman-and shooting dead her lover, who were in a car parked  off the A6 in Bedfordshire,  the previous year.    John & Yoko had also met the parents of Hanratty. 

Doubts persisted for years over the conviction until new forensic evidence in the 1990s proved beyond doubt he was guilty ; something the woman, who had survived her ordeal, had always been sure of.

As some will remember, John  went through a political, anti establishment period which annoyed a lot of people. He often talked about things he knew little or nothing about. I think this was the result of  substance abuse and and maybe being with Yoko- who was  a bit loopy herself at the time! He became a different person to the John of earlier years.