The last woman to be executed in the United Kingdom, Ruth Ellis, is set to receive a conditional pardon due to what has been described as a “profound injustice.” The announcement was made by the Deputy Prime Minister of the UK.
Ruth Ellis, who was 28 years old at the time, was hanged in July 1955 after fatally shooting her lover, David Blakely, outside a pub in London. At the time of her execution, she was a mother to two young children, aged three and ten.
Her case sparked significant public outrage and played a pivotal role in shifting public sentiment against the death penalty. The story of her troubled life and tragic fate later inspired the 1985 film “Dance with a Stranger,” featuring actors Miranda Richardson and Rupert Everett.
For many years, Ellis’s family has maintained that she was subjected to abuse, arguing that if her case were examined today, it would likely lead to a manslaughter charge rather than murder. Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy addressed Parliament, stating, “It is my privilege to inform you that His Majesty the King has agreed to our recommendation to issue a conditional pardon for Ruth Ellis.” He clarified that the pardon does not exonerate her from the act of killing Blakely but reclassifies her sentence to life imprisonment to acknowledge the significant injustice in this unique circumstance.
Ellis’s family has devoted decades to seeking recognition of the injustices she faced. Four of her grandchildren approached Lammy last year, emphasizing the “longstanding and repeated” abuse that Ellis endured from Blakely. Granddaughter Laura Enston expressed her relief, stating that justice has finally been achieved.
“Ruth was a victim of relentless and severe abuse. The impact on her children—our mother and uncle—was profound and lasting. The repercussions of Ruth’s execution have affected two generations,” she remarked. “While this pardon does not erase the events of 71 years ago, nor does it restore the lives that were shattered, it formally acknowledges that Ruth should not have faced execution; the justice system failed her.”
The case of Ruth Ellis led to changes in the legal system. During her trial, she displayed little emotion, and the jury took only 14 minutes to reach a guilty verdict. Enston noted that Ellis inadvertently reinforced the image of a cold-blooded killer, although modern understandings of trauma and domestic abuse suggest she was a victim of severe psychological distress.
Notably, just ten days prior to the tragic incident in April 1955, Ellis experienced a miscarriage after Blakely physically assaulted her. James Libson, the family’s lawyer, stated that Ellis endured significant suffering at the hands of her “violent, abusive partner.”
The UK abolished the death penalty for murder in 1969, prompted by several controversial executions and a series of wrongful convictions. Additionally, two years after Ellis’s execution, legislation was amended to include diminished responsibility as a legal defense.
