Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy announced Wednesday that Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be executed in Britain, will receive a conditional pardon.

Ellis, a 28-year-old nightclub hostess and single mother, was hanged on July 13, 1955, for the murder of her lover, race-car driver David Blakely. She had shot him outside the Magdala pub in London on April 10, 1955.

The pardon, sought by Ellis's grandchildren, will replace the death sentence with a life imprisonment term. Lammy stated that while the pardon does not assert innocence in the killing, it recognizes a significant injustice in her case.

Ellis's trial and execution garnered considerable public attention, with around 1,000 people holding a silent vigil outside Holloway Prison. Her case is credited with influencing legal changes in Britain.

At the time of her trial, the law did not permit a defense based on the emotional impact of abuse. Two years after her execution, Parliament enacted legislation allowing for a diminished responsibility defense. Lawyers representing Ellis's family presented evidence suggesting she suffered from what is now known as "battered woman syndrome," arguing that this was not adequately considered during her trial or in subsequent appeals for a reprieve.

Evidence presented indicated that Ellis had endured severe sexual, emotional, and physical abuse from Blakely, including threats to kill her and injuries that led to a miscarriage. Despite this, the jury was instructed not to consider the abuse she had suffered. The trial concluded quickly, with the jury reaching a guilty verdict in under 30 minutes.

Legal representatives for the family argue that if the diminished responsibility defense had been available, Ellis likely would have been convicted of manslaughter rather than facing a death sentence.

The United Kingdom suspended the death penalty in 1965 and abolished it entirely in 1970.

Ellis's children reportedly never recovered from the trauma of her execution; one son died by suicide, and her daughter struggled with the lasting impact. Her grandchildren have stated that the pardon formally acknowledges that Ellis should not have been executed and that the justice system failed her, a recognition they find profoundly important.

The events surrounding Ruth Ellis's crime and trial have been the subject of a 1985 film, "Dance with a Stranger," and a recent ITV miniseries, "A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story."