{"id":92775,"date":"2026-07-08T11:32:03","date_gmt":"2026-07-08T15:32:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/britain-grants-conditional-pardon-to-last-woman-executed-hanged-in-1955\/"},"modified":"2026-07-08T11:32:03","modified_gmt":"2026-07-08T15:32:03","slug":"britain-grants-conditional-pardon-to-last-woman-executed-hanged-in-1955","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/britain-grants-conditional-pardon-to-last-woman-executed-hanged-in-1955\/","title":{"rendered":"Britain Grants Conditional Pardon to Last Woman Executed, Hanged in 1955"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n

LONDON \u2014 More than seven decades after being hanged for shooting her abusive partner outside a London pub, Ruth Ellis \u2014 the last woman ever executed in Britain \u2014 is set to receive a conditional pardon, Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy announced Wednesday.<\/p>

Ellis was a 28-year-old single mother who worked as a nightclub hostess when she shot race-car driver David Blakely outside the Magdala pub in London’s Hampstead neighborhood on April 10, 1955. She was executed by hanging on July 13, 1955.<\/p>

“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 recognize a profound injustice in this exceptional case,” Lammy said.<\/p>

The case gripped the nation at the time, turning Ellis into a widely discussed public figure. On the day she was executed, a crowd of 1,000 people gathered outside Holloway Prison in north London to hold a silent vigil.<\/p>

Her case is widely credited with reshaping British law. During her trial, she was prohibited from arguing that the emotional toll of the abuse she suffered influenced her actions. Just two years after her execution, Parliament passed legislation allowing defendants to use a diminished responsibility defense.<\/p>

The push for a pardon came from Ellis’s grandchildren, who spent years fighting to have her conviction reduced. They argued that the repeated sexual, emotional, and physical abuse she endured was never taken into account \u2014 not during the trial and not afterward, when she could have been spared from execution.<\/p>

“Justice has finally been done,” said Laura Enston, a granddaughter of Ellis, in a written statement. “This pardon does not undo what happened 71 years ago. It does not restore the lives that were broken \u2014 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 acknowledgment matters profoundly to our family.”<\/p>

Lawyers for the family filed for the pardon last year, presenting evidence that Ellis likely suffered from what is now referred to as “battered woman syndrome.”<\/p>

According to the Mishcon de Reya law firm, which represented the family, Ellis and multiple witnesses \u2014 including friends and medical professionals \u2014 described how Blakely threatened to kill her and repeatedly assaulted her in public, including pushing her down stairs. At one point, she was reportedly struck in the abdomen with such force that it caused a miscarriage.<\/p>

Despite all of this, jurors were specifically instructed not to take into account that Ellis had been “badly treated by her lover.” The trial lasted barely more than a day, and the jury returned its verdict in under 30 minutes.<\/p>

Attorneys who sought the pardon argued that if the diminished responsibility defense had existed at the time, Ellis would have faced a manslaughter conviction at most and would not have been sentenced to death.<\/p>

Britain suspended capital punishment in 1965 and permanently abolished it in 1970.<\/p>

Enston also spoke about the lasting damage the execution caused to Ellis’s two children \u2014 her mother and uncle.<\/p>

“My uncle took his own life; my mother’s trauma left her unable to be the parent we needed,” Enston said. “The shadow of Ruth’s execution has fallen across two generations. We have carried shame that was never ours to bear.”<\/p>

The story of Ruth Ellis has been told on screen multiple times, including in the 1985 feature film “Dance with a Stranger” and a miniseries that aired on ITV last year titled “A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story.”<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The United Kingdom’s Deputy Prime Minister announced Wednesday that Ruth Ellis, the last woman executed in Britain, will receive a conditional pardon more than 70 years after her hanging. Ellis was put to death in 1955 after shooting her abusive lover outside a London pub, but evidence of the severe abuse she suffered was never considered at trial. Her grandchildren, who pushed for the pardon, say the formal acknowledgment that she should not have been executed is a long-overdue recognition of justice.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":92774,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[832],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-92775","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/news-1783524722824.jpg?fit=1000%2C1228&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pbtNqq-o8n","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":54241,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/british-deputy-pm-backs-starmer-amid-ambassador-scandal\/","url_meta":{"origin":92775,"position":0},"title":"British Deputy PM Backs Starmer Amid Ambassador Scandal","author":"Admin","date":"April 18, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Britain's Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy is standing by PM Keir Starmer as controversy swirls around the appointment and dismissal of Peter Mandelson as U.S. ambassador. Mandelson was fired due to his connections with Jeffrey Epstein, raising questions about Starmer's judgment.","rel":"","context":"In "World News"","block_context":{"text":"World News","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/world-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1776543700299.jpg?fit=450%2C301&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":77652,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/trump-pardons-ex-congressman-jailed-for-insider-trading-conviction\/","url_meta":{"origin":92775,"position":1},"title":"Trump Pardons Ex-Congressman Jailed for Insider Trading Conviction","author":"Admin","date":"June 6, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"President Donald Trump granted a full pardon to Stephen Buyer, a former Indiana Republican congressman who spent nearly two years behind bars for illegal stock trades. Buyer maintains his innocence and called the prosecution politically motivated.","rel":"","context":"In "Politics"","block_context":{"text":"Politics","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/politics\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1780749493025.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1780749493025.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1780749493025.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1780749493025.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":77986,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/uk-official-confronts-vp-vance-over-immigration-comments-on-teens-murder\/","url_meta":{"origin":92775,"position":2},"title":"UK Official Confronts VP Vance Over Immigration Comments on Teen’s Murder","author":"Admin","date":"June 7, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Britain's deputy prime minister challenged U.S. Vice President JD Vance during a phone call after Vance blamed immigration for a British teen's stabbing death. The official corrected Vance, stating the convicted killer was British-born and the case had nothing to do with migration.","rel":"","context":"In "Politics"","block_context":{"text":"Politics","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/politics\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1780842993366.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1780842993366.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1780842993366.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1780842993366.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":71598,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/cambodias-king-grants-clemency-to-former-opposition-leader-convicted-of-treason\/","url_meta":{"origin":92775,"position":3},"title":"Cambodia’s King Grants Clemency to Former Opposition Leader Convicted of Treason","author":"Admin","date":"May 25, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Cambodia's monarch has granted a royal pardon to former opposition leader Kem Sokha, who was serving a 27-year sentence for treason. The 72-year-old co-founder of the now-dissolved Cambodia National Rescue Party had been under house arrest since his March 2023 conviction.","rel":"","context":"In "World News"","block_context":{"text":"World News","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/world-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1779711747068.jpg?fit=450%2C300&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":57612,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/israeli-president-delays-netanyahu-pardon-decision-pushes-for-plea-deal-first\/","url_meta":{"origin":92775,"position":4},"title":"Israeli President Delays Netanyahu Pardon Decision, Pushes for Plea Deal First","author":"Admin","date":"April 26, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Israeli President Isaac Herzog announced he won't consider Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's pardon request until plea deal negotiations are completed. Netanyahu faces bribery, fraud and breach of trust charges in a corruption trial that has divided the nation for years.","rel":"","context":"In "World News"","block_context":{"text":"World News","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/world-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1777206165957.jpg?fit=450%2C300&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":58191,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/israeli-president-delays-netanyahu-pardon-urges-plea-negotiations-instead\/","url_meta":{"origin":92775,"position":5},"title":"Israeli President Delays Netanyahu Pardon, Urges Plea Negotiations Instead","author":"Admin","date":"April 27, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Israeli President Isaac Herzog announced Sunday he will not consider pardoning Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu until plea deal negotiations are fully explored. Netanyahu faces corruption charges and submitted his pardon request in November.","rel":"","context":"In "World News"","block_context":{"text":"World News","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/world-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1777316839005.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92775","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=92775"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92775\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/92774"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=92775"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=92775"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=92775"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}