Ruth Ellis, last woman to be executed in the UK, granted conditional pardon
Ellis’ granddaughter, Laura Enston, said the impact of the sentence on her family could not be made up, but 70 years later, she felt justice had been served.
“Ruth was the victim of sustained and brutal abuse. Her children, our mother and uncle, never recovered,” he said.
“My uncle committed suicide. The trauma my mother experienced caused her not to be the parent we needed.
“The shadow of Ruth’s execution fell for two generations. We bore a shame we could never bear.”
“We hope Ruth’s story serves as a lasting reminder that the justice system must reckon with the abuses that push women over the edge and should never be afraid to admit when things go wrong.”
In interviews last year, Enson said the impact of domestic abuse was poorly understood at the time Ellis was sentenced and that his grandmother would have been treated very differently by the justice system if the trial had taken place now.
Part of the problem was with Ellis’ appearance, Enson told AFP last year, as the attractive single mother showed no emotion during her trial, in which the jury took just 14 minutes to find her guilty.
“She unintentionally imitated the cold-blooded, murderous persona in which she was portrayed, but knowing what we know about trauma and gradual provocation, Ruth was traumatized… and typical of victims of domestic violence,” Enston said.
The abuse included an incident 10 days before the murder in April 1955, when Ellis suffered a miscarriage after the baby’s father, Blakely, punched her in the stomach.
Catherine Atkinson, Minister for Victims and Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls, said: “I would like to thank her grandchildren for their determination in bringing this case to the fore and ensuring her story was finally heard.”
Katy Colton, partner at law firm Mishcon de Reya, acting on behalf of Ellis’ grandchildren, said the pardon was a turning point.
“Today’s decision not only corrects a mistake made 70 years ago.
“This sends a clear signal about the aims of our justice system. Violence against women and girls remains a national emergency.
“The government’s public recognition that the abuse Ruth Ellis suffered must have affected the outcome of her case reflects an important principle: Survivors of domestic violence today deserve a justice system that accurately understands and acknowledges the impact of that abuse.”
The death penalty was abolished for murder in 1965, and the last executions took place in 1964 when two men were hanged for murder.
