Ellis, Ruth

Ruth Ellis was convicted in April 1955 of murder and received a sentence of death. Ms Ellis was executed in July 1955.

The CCRC received an application for review of the conviction in August 1999. Ms Smith had been convicted of the murder of David Blakely, with whom she had a relationship.

The CCRC considered whether Ms Ellis should benefit from modern developments in the law of provocation and if she should also benefit from the defence of diminished responsibility, notwithstanding that this statutory defence was not introduced until 1957.

Ms Ellis had been the subject of rejection and taunting by Mr. Blakely and a fortnight prior to the offence he had punched her in the stomach whilst she was pregnant. She later miscarried.

Following review, the CCRC concluded that provocation had been wrongly withdrawn from the consideration of the jury by the judge during Ms Ellis’s trial and it referred the conviction in February 2002.

The Court of Appeal upheld the conviction in September 2003.