Ruth Ellis
Ruth Ellis | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Ruth Neilson 9 October 1926 Rhyl, Denbighshire, Wales |
| Died | 13 July 1955 (aged 28) HMP Holloway, London, England |
Cause of death | Execution by hanging |
Resting place | HMP Holloway; later reburied in St Mary's Church, Old Amersham, Buckinghamshire, England, UK 51°40′04.9″N 0°36′53.2″W / 51.668028°N 0.614778°W |
| Occupation | Nightclub hostess |
| Known for | Last woman executed in the United Kingdom |
Criminal status | Executed |
| Spouse |
George Johnston Ellis
(m. 1950) |
| Children | 2 |
| Conviction | Murder |
Criminal penalty | Death by hanging |
Ruth Ellis (née Neilson; 9 October 1926 – 13 July 1955) was a Welsh nightclub hostess and convicted murderer who became the last woman to be executed in the United Kingdom, following the fatal shooting of her abusive lover, David Blakely.
Ellis was abused by her father from the age of 11 and entered the world of nightclub hostessing as a teenager, leading to a chaotic life marked by unstable relationships with men. One of these men was Blakely, a racing driver engaged to another woman. On Easter Sunday, 10 April 1955, Ellis shot Blakely dead outside The Magdala public house in Hampstead, London. She was immediately arrested by an off-duty policeman. At her trial in June 1955, Ellis was found guilty of premeditated murder and sentenced to death; on 13 July she was hanged at Holloway Prison. In 2026, Ellis was conditionally pardoned, commuting her sentence from execution to life imprisonment.