Ruth Ellis was executed in 1955
London law firm Mishcon de Reya is pursuing a posthumous pardon for Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be hanged in the UK.
Ellis, aged just 28, was convicted in 1955 of murdering her former lover, racing driver David Blakely. Her execution by hanging at Holloway Prison sparked national debate — and has continued to do so for decades. Now, her grandson Stephen Beard is hoping that new evidence not presented at her trial could finally clear her name.
Mishcon’s partner and head of politics and law, Katy Colton, is leading the case.
“Securing a posthumous pardon for Ruth Ellis is not just about correcting a historical wrong,” she said, “it is about acknowledging the systemic failures that led to her unjust conviction and execution.”
Although pardons do not erase a conviction, they are a formal recognition that the original verdict was flawed. Under the Royal Prerogative of Mercy, the King has the power to grant a pardon, typically following a recommendation from the Ministry of Justice.
The legal team at Mishcon is reviewing Ellis’s original trial alongside new claims that evidence was missed — including her allegedly abusive relationship with Blakely, and the role of another man, Desmond Cussen, in supplying the weapon used in the killing. Her family argue that these factors could have significantly affected the outcome of her trial, which lasted just two days and resulted in a guilty verdict after only 15 minutes of jury deliberation.
There’s also pre-existing link between Mishcon and the case. The firm’s founder, Lord Victor Mishcon, attempted to intervene on Ellis’s behalf in 1955, after her conviction but before her execution. Managing partner James Libson called the firm’s renewed involvement “an opportunity to continue Lord Mishcon’s work” and “right a wrong”.
He added: “Mishcon de Reya has always been driven by a socially conscious spirit… I very much hope we can help [the family] achieve justice for her.”
The renewed push for a pardon comes as Ellis’s life is back in the spotlight, with the ITV drama A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story drawing fresh attention to the case.
Anju Suneja, a partner and EDI board representative at the firm, said Ellis’s story still resonates today. “Women like Ruth who pressed for careers, independent financial security, and a different place in society often paid a severe price,” she said. “Ruth’s story continues to be relevant — particularly as domestic violence rises and hard-won freedoms are under threat around the world.”
Mishcon is currently working on the case pro bono, while the family has launched a crowdfunding campaign to support further legal costs.
If successful, the pardon would represent one of the most significant posthumous acknowledgements of injustice in British legal history.
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