'Last woman hanged was abuse victim and should be pardoned'

"The grandchildren of the last woman to be hanged in Britain are seeking a posthumous pardon, saying she was physically and emotionally abused by her partner before she killed him. Nightclub hostess Ruth Ellis, from Rhyl, Denbighshire, was executed on 13 July 1955 after being convicted of murdering her lover David Blakely. She was hanged at London's Holloway Prison. "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," said her granddaughter Laura Enston."

"Ellis shot Blakely outside The Magdala pub in Hampstead, London, following a tumultuous relationship involving infidelity on both sides. Ellis had an abortion, which was illegal in the UK at the time, and was physically abused by the racing driver - including being punched in the stomach during an argument that led to her miscarriage. The British public was already questioning whether capital punishment had a place in 20th Century society and, two years after Ellis' hanging, legal changes saw diminished responsibility introduced as a defence."

Ruth Ellis, a nightclub hostess from Rhyl, Denbighshire, was executed on 13 July 1955 after being convicted of murdering her lover David Blakely. Her grandchildren have applied to justice secretary David Lammy for a conditional posthumous pardon, citing physical and emotional abuse by her partner before the killing. The relationship involved mutual infidelity, an illegal abortion for Ellis, and assaults by the racing driver, including a punch that caused a miscarriage. The judge told the jury to disregard her mistreatment as a defence, and public unease about capital punishment helped prompt diminished responsibility as a legal change two years later.

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