Mr P.D. Jackson (Opinion, April 19) thinks I should apologise for what I wrote about James Hanratty.

I would indeed be "dangerously ignorant" and "simple-minded" if I disregarded odds of one to 2,500, which is the police estimate of the chances of Hanratty being innocent, following DNA tests.

I do hope Mr Jackson is not a serious betting man. If he is, I fear for his future.

-Richard Halfpenny, Rustington