England: Posthumous pardon sought for last woman hanged in UK

Ellis was executed in 1955 for the murder of her former partner, racing driver David Blakely, whom she had met two years earlier while managing a nightclub. At the time, she was portrayed as a “cold-blooded killer”, but later evidence revealed that she had endured repeated physical and emotional abuse at the hands of her victim.

During her trial, the judge instructed the jury to disregard claims that she had been “badly treated by her lover”, and her emotional state was never taken into account. Ellis, then 26, was a single mother of two.

Her grandchildren are now submitting an application to Justice Secretary David Lammy for a conditional pardon, arguing that a modern understanding of coercive and controlling behaviour would have led to a conviction for manslaughter rather than murder. Laws introduced in 1957, such as diminished responsibility and loss of control, would have spared her the death penalty.

“Ruth’s execution has had a devastating impact on our family,” said her granddaughter, Laura Enston. “My mother and uncle suffered from trauma from which neither of them were able to recover, and as grandchildren we have felt these ripple effects.

“The evidence shared with the justice secretary makes clear that the punishment did not fit the crime. We are determined to do what we can to right this historic injustice and honour not only Ruth but all victims of domestic abuse who have been let down by the criminal justice system.”

Ms Enston said her family had long struggled with the consequences of Ellis’s death, describing her mother as “a very tormented woman” who lived a chaotic life, and her uncle – diagnosed with schizophrenia – as having taken his own life.

She admitted to having a conflicted relationship with her grandmother’s story. “For many years, I never wanted any association with this story, due to the narrative around Ruth,” she said. “She was really positioned as this cold-blooded killer. My mum leaned in on the story, she was almost hardwired into believing the tragedy of it all. As kids, we were bullied at school, I felt I had a target on my head.”