Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be hanged in the UK, is being granted a conditional posthumous pardon for the killing of David Blakely. The pardon recognises that her execution was, in the words of the Deputy Prime Minister today, “a profound injustice”.
Ruth suffered terrible abuse by Blakely which affected her mental state and culpability. The full circumstances of the killing were not properly investigated or explored at trial.
Despite a last-minute attempt by her solicitor Victor Mishcon to obtain a reprieve she was executed, prompting widespread public condemnation which accelerated the ultimate abolition of the death penalty in Britain.
Following an application to the Secretary of State for Justice on behalf of four of Ruth Ellis’ grandchildren, the Deputy Prime Minister announced today that The King has accepted the Government’s advice to grant Ruth Ellis a conditional posthumous pardon. He said that the Government hoped this belated recognition of the injustice suffered by Ruth would bring her family “a measure of peace”.
Click here for details of the of the application.
Alex Bailin KC and Jessica Jones were instructed on the application by James Libson and Katy Colton, Grace Houghton, Alexandra Agnew and Elizabeth Fitton from the Politics and Law Group at Mishcon de Reya. They acted pro bono.
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