Ruth Ellis, the last woman hanged for murder in the UK, has been granted a posthumous conditional pardon by King Charles on the advice of the government, more than seven decades after her execution. The announcement, made on 8 July 2026, follows years of campaigning by her family, including her granddaughter Laura Enston. Ellis was hanged in 1955 for shooting her lover, David Blakely, outside a pub in north London, despite a history of horrific domestic abuse that was ignored at trial.
Details of the Case and Abuse
Ellis suffered a catalogue of crimes, including incest, child sexual abuse, rape, and physical assaults. Her father began abusing her when she was 11, and her elder sister was impregnated by him at age 14. Later, a nightclub manager coerced her into sex, and she married a violent alcoholic dentist. In 1953, she met Blakely, a racing driver, and became pregnant again, undergoing an illegal abortion. Blakely punched her in the stomach, causing a miscarriage three months before the killing. Despite this, the trial portrayed her as a cold-blooded killer, with her lawyer fearing her dyed blond hair and heavy makeup would prejudice the jury.
Impact on Justice System and Ongoing Issues
The case has long symbolised the law's failure to consider abuse as mitigation. According to Joan Smith, author and former chair of the mayor of London's violence against women and girls board, the pardon highlights continuing shortcomings. She notes that adult victims of domestic abuse are still let down, with Women's Aid reporting in March 2026 that almost two-thirds of women seeking refuge were turned away due to a severe shortage of specialist services. Coercive control only became a criminal offence in 2015, 60 years after Ellis's death.
As recently as 2011, judges imposed punitive sentences on abused women. Sally Challen was jailed for life with a 22-year minimum for killing her abusive husband, later reduced on appeal. Her conviction was quashed in 2019, and she was released after pleading guilty to manslaughter. Smith argues that Ellis would now be seen as a victim of violent, controlling men, but the system remains slow to account for crimes against women who kill their abusers.
Broader Context and Recognition
The pardon has drawn mixed reactions, with a Daily Telegraph headline reading "Ruth Ellis doesn't deserve a pardon." However, campaigners see it as a step toward justice. Ellis's family outside Parliament expressed relief, though Smith warns that vulnerable women continue to fight for recognition, with archaically misogynistic attitudes persisting. The case remains a cause célèbre for anti-capital punishment and feminist activists, inspiring works like the 1985 film Dance With a Stranger and a forthcoming novel, A Fatal Love by Louisa Treger.
The pardon does not erase the past but acknowledges the grievous wrong done to Ellis, according to Smith. Yet, she concludes, the criminal justice system still fails to adequately consider the abuse suffered by women who end up accused of murder, leaving many without the support they need.
