In Memory of Ruth Ellis: Bridging History and Hope for Future Generations
I dedicate today, International Women’s Day, to the memory of Ruth Ellis. Ruth, who died at age 28, was the last woman to be hanged in this country on July 13, 1955. She was convicted of murder.
Ruth’s life and death is a poignant reminder of the struggles many women have faced and continue to face regarding violence, coercive control, and justice. Ruth’s experience highlights the societal and legal changes that emerged from her tragic case, reflecting the ongoing need for awareness and advocacy for women’s rights and protections against domestic violence. Remembering her sacrifice inspires a commitment to #accelerateaction towards equality and justice for all women today and in the future.
The then Home Secretary, Gwilym Lloyd George, rejected fresh evidence that on the day she shot her former lover David Blakely, she had been drinking for many hours with another man, Desmond Cussen, who had handed her an “oiled and loaded gun,” driven her to the scene of the murder, and encouraged her to kill Blakely. Ruth’s young son witnessed Cussen teaching Ruth to use a gun. Other witness accounts at the time said Cussen and Blakely were rivals in their attempts to control Ruth’s affection.
There was evidence that Ruth was traumatized by frequent acts of violence from Blakely. He had beaten Ruth so badly that she miscarried their baby just a couple of weeks before she shot him. In addition to the physical violence, there are suggestions of coercive control and psychological abuse that may have led Ruth to “snap.” When she was hanged, she was still suffering from the aftereffects of her miscarriage.
Ruth suffered a lifetime of violence from men who tried to control her physically and sexually; her father was a pedophile who abused her from age 11, and her first husband was violent towards her.
The Home Office sufficiently believed the claims that Ruth Ellis had been acting under the influence of Cussen to ask the Director of Public Prosecutions to examine whether he should be charged as an accessory before the murder. This was significant because a stay of execution should have been ordered while the new evidence was investigated. A conviction of manslaughter would have saved her life.
Ruth was found guilty of murder in a matter of minutes in court, and she was hanged within weeks. It was a race against time, with a backdrop of misogyny and classism that ultimately defeated her. Despite many people at the time seeing through the conviction, many tried to overturn the verdict. 50,000 people signed a petition to spare Ruth Ellis’s life, but the petition was denied.
After Ruth died, in 1957, the principle of diminished responsibility was established in England, and in 1965 capital punishment was abolished. The aftershock of her hanging is believed to have influenced the change in law. Coercive control became a criminal offense in England and Wales on December 29, 2015, through Section 76 of the Serious Crime Act 2015.
Those who knew Ruth—friends, family, and those in the last few days of her life—said that she was a strong and brave woman. Ruth didn’t survive, but her life had an impact on laws and attitudes that affect women today.
#IWD2025 #Internationalwomensday #AccelerateAction #Metoo #acruellove #ITVX @LucyBoynton1