Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be hanged in the United Kingdom, has been granted a posthumous conditional pardon 71 years after her execution, the justice secretary announced on Tuesday. The pardon, recommended by Justice Secretary David Lammy and accepted by King Charles III, replaces her death sentence with a sentence of life imprisonment, acknowledging a profound injustice in what Lammy described as an exceptional case.
Family Reaction: 'Justice Has Finally Been Done'
Ellis's grandchildren, Laura Enston and Stephen Beard, were present in Parliament to witness the announcement. Enston said: 'Today, justice has finally been done for our grandmother, Ruth Ellis – the last woman to be hanged in England in 1955. This pardon does not undo what happened 71 years ago. It does not restore the lives that were broken – the children left behind, the years lost. But it says, formally and finally, that Ruth should not have been executed; that the justice system failed her. That acknowledgement matters profoundly to our family.'
Ellis, a 28-year-old nightclub hostess and mother of two, was hanged in July 1955, just three months after shooting dead her lover, David Blakely, outside The Magdala pub in Hampstead, north London. A jury deliberated for only 15 minutes before convicting her of murder. While she never disputed shooting Blakely, her family argued that evidence of sustained domestic abuse and trauma was never presented at trial.
Historic Injustice Recognised
Justice Secretary David Lammy told the House of Commons: 'I have the honour to say that His Majesty the King has accepted our advice to grant Ruth Ellis a conditional pardon, the last woman to be hanged in the United Kingdom. While the pardon does not claim she was innocent of killing David Blakely, it replaces the death penalty with a sentence of life imprisonment to recognise a profound injustice in this exceptional case.'
The Ministry of Justice described the pardon as 'an act of mercy recognising the historic injustice of the death penalty in this exceptional case'. Under modern law, Ellis could have argued partial defences such as loss of control or diminished responsibility, which could have reduced her conviction from murder to manslaughter.
Abuse Evidence Withheld
Speaking to Metro, Enston said withheld evidence – including medical records showing Ellis had been hospitalised in a wheelchair – proved her grandmother's 'punishment did not fit the crime'. She added: 'All of this stuff was never explored at the trial. Ruth was a victim of sustained and brutal abuse. Her children – our mother and uncle – never recovered. My uncle took his own life; my mother's trauma left her unable to be the parent we needed. The shadow of Ruth's execution has fallen across two generations. We have carried shame that was never ours to bear.'
Enston described Ellis as 'remarkable', noting that despite having no formal education, she carved a career as a club manager in Knightsbridge. 'She was abused by every significant man in her life, even her own father. She was ultimately put on trial for what she represented – she managed a club in Knightsbridge, was an active, single parent who came from nothing. The narrative around the case was, “Working-class woman traps upper-class gentleman”. But he (Blakely) was no gentleman. He was sponging off her.'
Government Acknowledgment
Lammy said: 'For 70 years, the family of Ruth Ellis have fought for her story to be heard. We cannot change what happened seventy years ago. But we can recognise that this was an exceptional case. Today's conditional pardon is an act of mercy. We hope it brings some measure of peace to Ruth's family.'
Minister for Victims and Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls Catherine Atkinson added: 'For seventy years, Ruth Ellis's family have carried the weight of what happened to her. Today we recognise the exceptional circumstances surrounding her case and the impact they had on her life. I want to thank her grandchildren for their determination in bringing this case forward, and for making sure her story was finally heard.'
