Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be executed in the United Kingdom, has been granted a conditional posthumous pardon. The pardon was announced 71 years after her execution.
David Lammy, the justice secretary, stated that for seven decades, Ellis' family had advocated for her story to be heard. "We cannot change what happened 70 years ago, but we can recognise that this was an exceptional case," Lammy said. "Today's conditional pardon is an act of mercy. We hope it brings some measure of peace to Ruth's family."
Ellis' granddaughter, Laura Enston, commented that justice had finally been served. "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," Enston said. "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."
Enston expressed hope that Ellis' story would serve as a lasting reminder for the justice system to confront the abuse that can drive women to extreme actions. Ellis was convicted of murdering her lover, David Blakely, in 1955. Her execution sparked public questioning about capital punishment in Britain.
Two years after Ellis' hanging, legal changes were introduced in the UK that included diminished responsibility as a defense. The pardon is conditional, though the specific conditions were not detailed in the announcement.