Posted Wednesday at 14:245 days BBC NewsRuth Ellis, last woman to be executed in the UK, granted...Ruth Ellis was hanged at London's Holloway Prison in 1955 after being convicted of murdering her lover David Blakely. Edited Wednesday at 14:285 days by CRAZY CHRIS
Wednesday at 14:265 days Author Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be executed in the UK, has been granted a posthumous conditional pardon.Ellis was hanged at London's Holloway Prison in 1955 after being convicted of murdering her lover David Blakely.Her family have campaigned for her murder conviction to be overturned, arguing she was a victim of domestic abuse and was physically and emotionally abused by Blakely before shooting him.Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy told MPs the King had granted the pardon, saying that the death penalty had been replaced with a sentence of life imprisonment.Ellis' granddaughter Laura Enston welcomed the news and said: "The shadow of Ruth's execution has fallen across two generations. We have carried shame that was never ours to bear."Nightclub hostess Ruth Ellis, from Rhyl, Denbighshire, shot Blakely outside The Magdala pub in Hampstead, London, following a tumultuous relationship involving infidelity on both sides.
Friday at 12:303 days It’s interesting to see cases like this and although it won’t help the family it did help change the law when Roy Jenkins came in (obv a Labour Home Secretary).Back then did the judges just look at things in black and white and not all aspects (such as her trauma and effects of DA)?
20 hours ago20 hr Granted I don't know much about this case but from what I have just quickly read up on, I'm struggling to see why she has been granted a pardon? She did shoot him and she did get the death penalty sentence? You can't overturn that to life imprisonment as you cannot bring her back?It's not like Alan Turing for example who was only "guilty" because of a cruel and unjust law.All seems rather ridiculous, but the poor woman clearly suffered some horrific abuse and I hope it brings peace to her family.
19 hours ago19 hr The point that’s being made is that even if we still had the death penalty, the punishment in this case was never suitable given the abusive circumstances. And officially making the distinction between the punishment given and what should have been given clearly has been of some help to the family.
18 hours ago18 hr This accomplishes absolutely nothing, misogyny is still very much rampant and our society isn’t even close to stopping seeing women being scapegoated by men. That’s literally what’s happening right now too, she’s being used as nothing but a tool for some PR points.
10 hours ago10 hr 8 hours ago, pavi said:This accomplishes absolutely nothing, misogyny is still very much rampant and our society isn’t even close to stopping seeing women being scapegoated by men. That’s literally what’s happening right now too, she’s being used as nothing but a tool for some PR points.This is exactly my point.
9 hours ago9 hr Author 11 hours ago, Spiceboy said: the poor woman clearly suffered some horrific abuse and I hope it brings peace to her family. That's why it's been overturned. It's said the abuse wasn't taken in to account at the trial.
9 hours ago9 hr 7 minutes ago, CRAZY CHRIS said:That's why it's been overturned. It's said the abuse wasn't taken in to account at the trial.But you can't "overturn" it, she was already hanged. I find it pointless commuting her sentence from death penalty to lifetime imprisonment because she cannot do a lifetime imprisonment. It's not like Alan Turing for example where he was pardoned as "not guilty" in which case I'd get it.
9 hours ago9 hr Author 1 minute ago, Spiceboy said:But you can't "overturn" it, she was already hanged. I find it pointless commuting her sentence from death penalty to lifetime imprisonment because she cannot do a lifetime imprisonment. It's not like Alan Turing for example where he was pardoned as "not guilty" in which case I'd get it.I know but they're saying she shouldn't have been hanged. Obviously she can't be brought back but it's good for the family and descendants more than anything.
9 hours ago9 hr I got completely confused by this thread from the main page as my head was convinced that Ruth Ellis was Nessa from Gavin & Stacey.
8 hours ago8 hr I think its more a case of them "holding some accountability" and admitting the sentence didnt fit the crime , yet it can never be undone but it will add some comfort to her legacyIts one of those cases that supports the argument that capital punishment is final and not the right decision especially in a case which is essentially self defenceBtw itv did a great drama series on this last year Edited 8 hours ago8 hr by 777666jason
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