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70 Years On: Grandchildren Fight for Pardon of Britain’s Last Executed Woman
LONDON, UK – Seventy years after Ruth Ellis became the last woman to be executed in Britain, her grandchildren are taking a stand, formally petitioning Justice Minister David Lammy for a posthumous pardon. Their lawyers announced Wednesday that the family believes Ellis, hanged in 1955 for the murder of her “abusive” lover, was a victim of domestic violence whose case was profoundly misunderstood by the justice system of the time.
Ellis, a 28-year-old nightclub hostess, was sent to the gallows in July 1955 after shooting racing driver David Blakely outside a London pub three months prior. The sensational case captivated the nation, inspiring the 1985 film “Dance with a Stranger” and this year’s true-crime miniseries “A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story.”
Four of Ellis’s six grandchildren, represented by the law firm Mischon de Reya, have submitted an application that underscores the “repeated and long-standing sexual, emotional and physical abuse Ellis suffered” at Blakely’s hands. The firm argues that such abuse, poorly understood in the 1950s, would likely lead to a manslaughter charge rather than murder in a contemporary court.
“We are determined to do what we can to right this historic injustice and honor not only Ruth but all victims of domestic abuse who have been let down by the criminal justice system,” stated granddaughter Laura Enston.
“Ruth was traumatized”
Enston’s mother, Georgina, was just three years old when Ellis was hanged at London’s Holloway Prison, following a jury deliberation that lasted only 20 minutes. Enston believes that her grandmother would now be recognized as a victim of battered woman syndrome, warranting a vastly different approach from the legal system.
“At the time there was no appetite to give Ruth a fair chance and we now realize how much social bias was at play,” she commented.
During her trial, Ellis, a glamorous single mother of two from a humble background, displayed little emotion. Enston explained, “She inadvertently played up to that sort of cold-blooded killer persona that she’d been portrayed to be, but knowing what we know now about trauma and slow-burn provocation, Ruth was traumatized… and typical of domestic abuse victims.”
The abuse Ellis endured included a brutal incident 10 days before the killing, when Blakely, the father of their unborn child, punched her in the stomach, causing a miscarriage.
James Libson of Mischon de Reya affirmed that Ellis “suffered considerably” at the hands of her “abusive, violent partner.” Alex Bailin, also representing the family, added, “Thankfully, 70 years after Ruth was hanged, there is now a much better understanding of the impact of domestic abuse on the emotional wellbeing and behavior of victims.”
“She should never have been executed”
Bailin emphasized, “While there is no dispute that Ruth Ellis killed David Blakely, the weight of evidence of her vulnerability makes it absolutely clear that she should never have been executed.”
Ellis’s execution ignited a public outcry, significantly swaying opinion against the death penalty in Britain. Coupled with other controversial executions and miscarriages of justice, capital punishment for murder was permanently abolished in 1969. Two years after Ellis’s death, the law was also amended to introduce a defense of diminished responsibility.
While the Court of Appeal upheld Ellis’s conviction in 2003 after a previous family attempt to clear her name, pardons can be granted on broader grounds that deem a conviction unfair.
Enston, whose mother showed her the film about Ellis when she was just seven, described the “devastating” impact on the family. Her mother and uncle never truly recovered, and the “ripple effects” have been felt by the grandchildren.
She stated their determination to correct the narrative surrounding the case for their own family and for their grandmother, but also “for the thousands of women who endure domestic violence every day and are let down by the criminal justice system.”
The family has spent decades advocating for her case to be reconsidered. Grandson Stephen Beard acknowledged, “She is a murderer but she didn’t deserve to be taken from the world in the way that she was.”