The King has today granted a posthumous conditional pardon to Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be executed in the UK, following an announcement by Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary David Lammy in Parliament.
Ellis was hanged in July 1955 after being convicted of murdering her partner, David Blakely, in north London. She was the last woman in Britain to be hanged, and her family have long campaigned for a pardon.
Her family, supported pro bono by law firm Mishcon de Reya, argued that evidence of the abuse she suffered at the hands of Blakely was not properly considered at trial. Victor Mishcon was brought in to fight for a last minute reprieve for Ellis during her lifetime, as such, this is a full circle moment for the firm.
Katy Colton, Partner and Head of Politics and Law, said: "The granting of a posthumous conditional pardon to Ruth Ellis is a landmark moment — for her family, for the British justice system, and for every victim of domestic abuse failed by the courts.
"Mishcon de Reya is proud to have acted for Ruth's grandchildren, alongside our colleagues at Matrix Chambers. This application had to be brought. The evidence was compelling, and we are pleased the Justice Secretary has recommended His Majesty grant Ruth Ellis a posthumous conditional pardon.
"Today's decision does not only right a wrong done over seventy years ago. It sends a clear signal about the aspirations of our justice system. Violence against women and girls remains a national emergency. The Government's public acknowledgement that the abuse Ruth Ellis endured should have impacted the outcome of her case reflects an important principle: that survivors of domestic abuse today deserve a justice system that properly understands and recognises the impact of that abuse.
"Our founder, Victor Mishcon, who fought to secure a last-minute reprieve for Ruth, would be immensely proud. We congratulate Ruth's grandchildren on their tenacity and courage in pursuing this application. It has been a privilege to stand alongside them as a firm."
Grace Houghton, Associate, Mishcon de Reya LLP, Solicitor for the Grandchildren said: "The granting of a posthumous conditional pardon for Ruth Ellis is both legally significant and historically important.
"The application demonstrated, on the evidence, that Ruth suffered from what is now understood as battered woman syndrome, and that the cumulative impact of the abuse she sustained would, under the law as it stands today, have supported defences of both diminished responsibility and loss of control. Had Ruth Ellis been tried just two years later, following the passage of the Homicide Act 1957, the outcome would have been very different.
"The Justice Secretary has exercised the Royal Prerogative of Mercy on a principled basis: that legal and social developments since 1955 make clear that the punishment imposed on Ruth was unjust.
"Today's pardon is a reminder that the law must reflect on its own history - and, where it finds injustice, must acknowledge those failings. We are honoured to have acted for Ruth's family in securing this outcome, and we hope they can now begin to heal from the generational trauma that has haunted them for decades."