Ruth Ellis was hanged on my nans birthday July 13th she cried ever year and always said they shouldnt have hung her. Ruth was only 28. Her son commited suicide and her daughter died aged 50.I always thought she was from London but she was born in Rhyl.
IIRC in his book, Albert Pierrepoint was also due to hang another woman around the time of the Ruth Ellis hanging, but she was a middle aged Eastern European who had "snapped" and murdered her senile Mother (who we would now say had Alzheimers).
He went to the jail to prepare, but she was given a reprieve, and as he left he prepared himself for the barrage of photographers and press outside the jail,
But there was no-one. And he mulled about how there did not seem to be the same support for a middle aged unattractive Eastern European woman as there was for the younger, blonde, glamorous Ruth Ellis.
Somewhat emotive , simplistic and short on historical context.
One would hope a programme that featured correctly executed mass murderers like Haigh , Manuel, Christie and Heath would be in the ITV in tray for future production.
Ruth Ellis was hanged on my nans birthday July 13th she cried ever year and always said they shouldnt have hung her. Ruth was only 28. Her son commited suicide and her daughter died aged 50.I always thought she was from London but she was born in Rhyl.
I am against the death penalty because of the chance, no matter how slim, that an innocent person could be executed, and they showed two examples of that last night. However Ruth Ellis was rightly convicted of murder - it sounded to me like it was premeditated and cold-blooded. Hers wasn't a miscarriage of justice. She should have been jailed for a very long time.
Somewhat emotive , simplistic and short on historical context.
One would hope a programme that featured correctly executed mass murderers like Haigh , Manuel, Christie and Heath would be in the ITV in tray for future production.
There have been plenty of guilty people who have been executed, but when there's the chance that even one single person could be executed for something they are completely innocent of then to me that justifies not bringing back the death penalty. I do think that life should mean life though, and none of the wishy-washy nonsense it's turned into now.
The programme seemed to lack focus. Was it about miscarriages of justice or abolition of the death penalty? I bet not many of Evans' relatives were unhappy at Christie being hanged. I was also surprised at there being no mention of Ludovic Kennedy's pivotal role in bringing the Evans and Bentley cases to wider public attention
The makers of this programme used every production trick in the book: guilty building shots, ominous minor sixth chords, slow panning shots, big close-ups of interviewees.
Do you think they also make programmes for the History Channel?:D
I'm shocked by how quickly the execution itself was carried out in those days - just two weeks after sentence was passed!
I was more shocked at how short the trials were, and how little time the jury took to come to a verdict. 2 1/2 - 3 days for the trial, and just over an hour for deliberation.
I am against the death penalty because of the chance, no matter how slim, that an innocent person could be executed, and they showed two examples of that last night. However Ruth Ellis was rightly convicted of murder - it sounded to me like it was premeditated and cold-blooded. Hers wasn't a miscarriage of justice. She should have been jailed for a very long time.
Ruth Ellis would be seen today as 'a bit of a slapper' or 'a tart'. Former prostitute, two illegal abortions, then moving on to mix with 'high society' in London with designs on wealthy or 'connected' men.
She was living life in the fast lane and very dangerously too. Both Ellis and Blakely (the man she murdered), were having affairs with other people. Ellis enjoyed a relationship with a wealthy Accountant but seemed unable to accept Blakely fraternising with other women.
I was just five years old when Ellis was hanged and still remember my Mum telling me about it. She always called it 'a crime of passion' as many people did and felt Ellis should not have been hung.
There have been plenty of guilty people who have been executed, but when there's the chance that even one single person could be executed for something they are completely innocent of then to me that justifies not bringing back the death penalty. I do think that life should mean life though, and none of the wishy-washy nonsense it's turned into now.
For me one of the most tragic cases and horrendous miscarriages of justice of all has to be that of Timothy Evans, so brilliantly and sympathetically portrayed by John Hurt in the chilling film "10 Rillington Place". It really is a horrible movie though brilliantly directed with amazing attention to detail. Richard Attenborough gave a frightening portrayal of utterly evil serial killer Christie.
I was more shocked at how short the trials were, and how little time the jury took to come to a verdict. 2 1/2 - 3 days for the trial, and just over an hour for deliberation.
Not to mention the swift execution which followed. Yet it took fifteen years before the body of Timothy Evans was exhumed to allow the family burial in consecrated ground, sixteen years for a Royal Pardon, and fifty three years for the Government to make ex-gratia compensation to Evans family.
The programme seemed to lack focus. Was it about miscarriages of justice or abolition of the death penalty? I bet not many of Evans' relatives were unhappy at Christie being hanged. I was also surprised at there being no mention of Ludovic Kennedy's pivotal role in bringing the Evans and Bentley cases to wider public attention.
I agree on that but thank God for people like Kennedy.
O/T Kennedy's father was a Naval Captain whose ship was sunk by the German battleship Scharnhorst. Ludovic Kennedy himself was also a Naval Officer whose ship was involved with the chase for the Bismarck. Kennedy later wrote about this in a book called 'Pursuit'. His views make interesting reading.
Interesting that there is a theory that Evans killed his daughter but Christie killed the wife.
Evans was certainly not a pleasant person as he drank to excess and had a foul temper. However, I am against the death penalty so ----
Anyhow, Ruth Ellis shot an unarmed man in cold blood. Saying she had a hard life is no excuse. One of my Uncle's had a terribly upbringing but he's always been law abiding and is a great person to know.
They made out at the end that people were not keen at hanging people back in 1964, Not quite right hanging was camuted to life from 1964 when the new Labour government got in power at the end of 1964 capital punishment was finaly got rid of in 1969 why the labour government dragged their feet till then who knows. Ruth Ellis did kill her lover but she did herself no favours in the dock poor woman I have read the book wrote by her sister all about their lives up till then I won't go into that here just to say their father was a monster, Ruth wanted to escape her drab life dyed her hair blonde & wanted the high life but that isn't real life such a shame.
Interesting that there is a theory that Evans killed his daughter but Christie killed the wife.
Evans was certainly not a pleasant person as he drank to excess and had a foul temper. However, I am against the death penalty so ----
Anyhow, Ruth Ellis shot an unarmed man in cold blood. Saying she had a hard life is no excuse. One of my Uncle's had a terribly upbringing but he's always been law abiding and is a great person to know.
I've never heard that theory.
Great old fashioned documentary with high production values. Unusual for ITV!
They made out at the end that people were not keen at hanging people back in 1964, Not quite right hanging was camuted to life from 1964 when the new Labour government got in power at the end of 1964 capital punishment was finaly got rid of in 1969 why the labour government dragged their feet till then who knows. Ruth Ellis did kill her lover but she did herself no favours in the dock poor woman I have read the book wrote by her sister all about their lives up till then I won't go into that here just to say their father was a monster, Ruth wanted to escape her drab life dyed her hair blonde & wanted the high life but that isn't real life such a shame.
They abolished hanging just before the convictions of Moors Murderers Ian Brady and Myra Hindly.
Interesting that there is a theory that Evans killed his daughter but Christie killed the wife.
Maybe Mrs Christie killed the baby? I wouldn't be surprised if she knew all about her husband's murders. Maybe she was involved in all of them? Just a thought.
Maybe Mrs Christie killed the baby? I wouldn't be surprised if she knew all about her husband's murders. Maybe she was involved in all of them? Just a thought.
Well , it's a new slant.
As for Death Row being cruel, Had Evans been on Death Row for a few years and then Christie's murders come to light Evans' case might have been re-evalued and he may have been released, maybe even alive today.
Had Ellis been a man and he had murdered his unarmed female lover in cold blood he would have had his neck sretched without a murmer from the press or public. Ladies, either you want equality, or you don't.
True , in loopy Liberal France, Ellis would have been released with a 5 Franc fine and warned not to execute any more of her lovers or there would be trouble.
They abolished hanging just before the convictions of Moors Murderers Ian Brady and Myra Hindly.
Thats true but it's worth thinking about they could have been hanged because the first murders were commited in 1963, I'm pretty sure the vast members of the population wouldn't have been bothered about those two being hanged at the time, I don't want to get into the politics of it but I'm sure if the tories were in then in 1966 when they got convicted they would been hanged.
As for Death Row being cruel, Had Evans been on Death Row for a few years and then Christie's murders come to light Evans' case might have been re-evalued and he may have been released, maybe even alive today.
Had Ellis been a man and he had murdered his unarmed female lover in cold blood he would have had his neck sretched without a murmer from the press or public. Ladies, either you want equality, or you don't.
True , in loopy Liberal France, Ellis would have been released with a 5 Franc fine and warned not to execute any more of her lovers or there would be trouble.
I have been interested in these cases over the years, I do believe in the so called crime of passion they have in France, Ruth Ellis was a case in question she couldn't live with Blakely & she couldn't live without him if she had said who gave her the gun it might have been better for her, But we have to remember England was a different place in the 1950's to now.
Comments
I missed the beginning....did I misunderstand that bit?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Let_Him_Have_It
We all know about it, but to actually see it like that.....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiona_Allen
IIRC in his book, Albert Pierrepoint was also due to hang another woman around the time of the Ruth Ellis hanging, but she was a middle aged Eastern European who had "snapped" and murdered her senile Mother (who we would now say had Alzheimers).
He went to the jail to prepare, but she was given a reprieve, and as he left he prepared himself for the barrage of photographers and press outside the jail,
But there was no-one. And he mulled about how there did not seem to be the same support for a middle aged unattractive Eastern European woman as there was for the younger, blonde, glamorous Ruth Ellis.
One would hope a programme that featured correctly executed mass murderers like Haigh , Manuel, Christie and Heath would be in the ITV in tray for future production.
I am against the death penalty because of the chance, no matter how slim, that an innocent person could be executed, and they showed two examples of that last night. However Ruth Ellis was rightly convicted of murder - it sounded to me like it was premeditated and cold-blooded. Hers wasn't a miscarriage of justice. She should have been jailed for a very long time.
There have been plenty of guilty people who have been executed, but when there's the chance that even one single person could be executed for something they are completely innocent of then to me that justifies not bringing back the death penalty. I do think that life should mean life though, and none of the wishy-washy nonsense it's turned into now.
Unlike America where they wait on Death Row for years, which is cruellest.?
Do you think they also make programmes for the History Channel?:D
I was more shocked at how short the trials were, and how little time the jury took to come to a verdict. 2 1/2 - 3 days for the trial, and just over an hour for deliberation.
She was living life in the fast lane and very dangerously too. Both Ellis and Blakely (the man she murdered), were having affairs with other people. Ellis enjoyed a relationship with a wealthy Accountant but seemed unable to accept Blakely fraternising with other women.
I was just five years old when Ellis was hanged and still remember my Mum telling me about it. She always called it 'a crime of passion' as many people did and felt Ellis should not have been hung.
For me one of the most tragic cases and horrendous miscarriages of justice of all has to be that of Timothy Evans, so brilliantly and sympathetically portrayed by John Hurt in the chilling film "10 Rillington Place". It really is a horrible movie though brilliantly directed with amazing attention to detail. Richard Attenborough gave a frightening portrayal of utterly evil serial killer Christie.
I entirely agree with your remarks.
This was a good factual documentary.
I find that totally disgusting.
I agree on that but thank God for people like Kennedy.
O/T Kennedy's father was a Naval Captain whose ship was sunk by the German battleship Scharnhorst. Ludovic Kennedy himself was also a Naval Officer whose ship was involved with the chase for the Bismarck. Kennedy later wrote about this in a book called 'Pursuit'. His views make interesting reading.
I have seen the film it's not easy viewing at the end when they drag him to the gallows in his teddy boy shoes make me shudder at the thought.
Evans was certainly not a pleasant person as he drank to excess and had a foul temper. However, I am against the death penalty so ----
Anyhow, Ruth Ellis shot an unarmed man in cold blood. Saying she had a hard life is no excuse. One of my Uncle's had a terribly upbringing but he's always been law abiding and is a great person to know.
I've never heard that theory.
Great old fashioned documentary with high production values. Unusual for ITV!
They abolished hanging just before the convictions of Moors Murderers Ian Brady and Myra Hindly.
Maybe Mrs Christie killed the baby? I wouldn't be surprised if she knew all about her husband's murders. Maybe she was involved in all of them? Just a thought.
Well , it's a new slant.
As for Death Row being cruel, Had Evans been on Death Row for a few years and then Christie's murders come to light Evans' case might have been re-evalued and he may have been released, maybe even alive today.
Had Ellis been a man and he had murdered his unarmed female lover in cold blood he would have had his neck sretched without a murmer from the press or public. Ladies, either you want equality, or you don't.
True , in loopy Liberal France, Ellis would have been released with a 5 Franc fine and warned not to execute any more of her lovers or there would be trouble.
Thats true but it's worth thinking about they could have been hanged because the first murders were commited in 1963, I'm pretty sure the vast members of the population wouldn't have been bothered about those two being hanged at the time, I don't want to get into the politics of it but I'm sure if the tories were in then in 1966 when they got convicted they would been hanged.
I have been interested in these cases over the years, I do believe in the so called crime of passion they have in France, Ruth Ellis was a case in question she couldn't live with Blakely & she couldn't live without him if she had said who gave her the gun it might have been better for her, But we have to remember England was a different place in the 1950's to now.