Ruth Ellis's family seeks a posthumous pardon, claiming she was a victim of "historical injustice". Photo / Getty Images
The family of the last woman to be hanged in Britain have applied for her to be formally pardoned.
Ruth Ellis’ family claim she was the victim of a “historical injustice” after she was sentenced to death for murdering her lover outside a pub in 1955.
An Old Bailey jury took 14 minutes to convict the 28-year-old of shooting David Blakely, a 25-year-old racing car driver, in Hampstead, north London. She was hanged the following month at Holloway prison.
Her family have now written to David Lammy, the Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Justice, asking for a posthumous conditional pardon.
They argue Ellis was the victim of long-term, systematic emotional, sexual, and physical abuse, which was not taken into account during criminal proceedings.
Laura Enston, her granddaughter, said the punishment “did not fit the crime”.
“Ruth’s execution has had a devastating impact on our family,” she said.
“My mother and uncle suffered from trauma from which neither of them were able to recover, and, as grandchildren, we have felt these ripple effects.
“We are determined to do what we can to right this historic injustice and honour not only Ruth but all victims of domestic abuse who have been let down by the criminal justice system.”
The application details how evidence of her abuse was not given at her trial and how the defences of diminished responsibility and loss of control were not available to her.
Ellis was a Welsh-born nightclub hostess whose case caused widespread controversy among the press and the public.
She was in a relationship with Blakely, who she met in a London club and who quickly moved into her flat.
But they started to see other people and their relationship became increasingly violent.
Ellis told the jury during her trial that just weeks before the killing, she suffered a miscarriage after Blakely punched her in the stomach.
On Easter Sunday 1955, she fired five shots at Blakely and was immediately arrested by an off-duty policeman.
In June that year, she was found guilty of premeditated murder, and she was hanged in July.
The case led to a petition with 50,000 signatures being sent to the Home Office for clemency, but none was granted.
The support from the public stemmed from the inadequacies of legal defences such as provocation, as she had faced years of abuse from partners and her father.
Critics have also claimed that her lifestyle and work as a nightclub hostess and escort unfairly affected her case.
In 1957, the Homicide Act came into law, introducing the concepts of diminished responsibility and provocation in criminal cases.
The public sympathy surrounding Ellis’ execution helped strengthen support for the abolition of the death penalty.
Capital punishment was temporarily outlawed in 1965, before being abolished in 1969.
Her family and legal team claim evidence shows she suffered from what is referred to as “battered women syndrome” – although the judge at the time told the jury not to consider her having been “badly treated by her lover”.
Alex Bailin KC, who is representing the family, said: “If Ruth’s case had taken place in modern times, she would have been able to plead a defence of diminished responsibility or loss of control”.
“A posthumous conditional pardon for Ruth Ellis would correct a historical wrong and send a clear message to the public that violence against women and girls is never acceptable.”
After what marks the 70th anniversary of her hanging, an ITV drama starring Lucy Boynton and based on the events, came out earlier this year.
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