A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis story.

[RosaMoline]

I am really looking forward to this. This particular case (and miscarriage of justice IMO) has long since been a personal obsession of mine.
If Ruth had committed this crime in recent times, she wouldn’t even have had a custodial sentence (thankfully CP long abolished) - David Blakely was extremely mentally, verbally and physically abusive towards Ruth. He apparently caused her to miscarry just weeks before the incident. So it’s beyond question the balance of her mind was affected.
In the few post production photos I’ve seen, it looks gorgeous & I am sure Lucy Boynton will do Ruth justice. Perfect casting.
No date yet, but I was hoping it might be in the Easter TV schedules? Especially as Ruth shot David on Easter Sunday, so the the timing would be very apt:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt28496144/

I know

A conditional pardon I would agree with. A free pardon, however - no.

A jury of 10 men and 2 women. That says it all, in my opinion. Of course they would be unsympathetic.
And 15 minutes to deliberate…really?

My problem with retrospective pardons that ignore the law is they are letting the establishment whitewash history. Especially when they have no practical effect.

From what I have read over the years, nothing has made me believe that there were any errors in the law as it stood at the time. It is a shocking case, yes. It is tragic that someone was executed (because the death penalty is refined barbarism).

You can have sympathy, or you can have justice ?

Just on the jury point, I was on one recently. 7 men and 5 women. The other 4 women were very reserved, and all but 2 of the men were incredibly vocal and sure of themselves - loudly declaring their negative opinion of the (female) accused, much of it based on her appearance.

I’m quite confident I suppose and stood up to them, but the misogyny was absolutely relentless. I had to speak to the usher in the end, to restate that ALL jurors - yes including us meek little women - needed to give their true opinion. I chaired, and lost count of the times I had to say to a bloke “no, let her speak”.

I’d always been in favour of jury trials, but (not banging my own drum here) if I or someone like me hadn’t been there, an innocent woman would have been sent to prison.

Luck of the draw I suppose, but I don’t have any ideas for a better system.

Luck of the draw I suppose, but I don’t have any ideas for a better system.

And there's the rub. All the "bad" things about a jury are not flaws. They are design features.

Juries are the last - gossamer thin - backstop we have against tyranny. It is the only time a member of the public is given the chance to say "NO" to unjust or cruel laws. Any other system is basically merely the state marking it's own homework with no morality or connection to the population. It's thanks to juries, and their increasing reluctance to sent people to the gallows - that the death penalty was abolished.

However, returning to this case, what would you have the jury do ? Acquit in the face of a confession and the evidence ? What message would that have sent to the world ? Bearing in mind it was a very very different world to 2025.

Same old same old. 70 years hard work/research done by others with a twist. I am absolutely at a loss how these people can be traumatised by the execution of Ruth, her daughter was a baby, not in care, not with her grandmother. Her son on the other hand was 10 years old, kissed his mummy goodnight, never to see her again. Take a second everyone and think of the trauma, name calling, bullying that he went through all his life, whose sister didn't want to know him. Ruth's own sister, her children also school age sitting at their desks waiting for the clock to hit 9 am, her poor mother, brother, the list is endless, who actually lived through it. Shame on anyone who doesn't give any of those who lived through this a thought.

Why shouldn’t Ruth’s grandchildren (Georgina’s children) want a posthumous pardon for their grandmother? If she was a relative of mine, and I felt it was unjust, I’d certainly want the same.

Georgina’s children had to live with a mum with her own demons; Ruth’s death affected Georgina:I know she was only three but it’s well documented that removing a child from mother or in this case, removing mother from children can lead to lifelong trauma. And removed so publicly. Andre never recovered. Imagine cruel kids drawing hangman games and passing them to you!
All because this mother was killed by the state.
Yes it was the law at the time and many people disagreed then as well as now

Her sister tried before, there is no new evidence, for goodness sake let them all rest in peace.

I'm sorry I don't buy their plight.

Well, to be fair the last time it was attempted was in the early 2000s. Attitudes change over time, and it’s certainly worth a fresh look, even if there isn’t any new evidence.
@Memeyouyou - I have to ask as you seem to personally invested. Are you a close relative?

Yes.

I saw on MDR website an article put out today that they are looking into pursuing a pardon for Ruth.

Her grandson Stephen is doing this.

They are a top law firm so must be quite serious about it they are top notch not some back street outfit.

I actually think the two leads in Towards Zero, the Agatha Christie series on BBC Sunday nights would be better as Ruth and David.

I haven't bothered to watch after episode one. Partly because I know the story so well, but Lucy Boynton doesn't even at all resemble Ruth and she's too middle-class for the role. The ads are also a pain in the arse and I agree with comments that Lucy and Laurie Davidson had no chemistry (such a contrast with Miranda Richardson and Rupert Everett).

I think Lucy has done a cracking job …

So do I.

I'm just watching this. She does look like her. The outfits are amazing. I'd love the wardrobe from both shows!

Watched last night’s he was truly awful to her punching her while pregnant not believing her …he was volatile and wound up by comments by Mrs Findlater.

Tut was in a dreadful situation…could she have saved herself ?? It was too late by the time she got the new lawyer on board…

Public opinion was in her favour I am surprised they went ahead with it and the Home Sec didn’t give a reprieve.

Why was the overhear bulb light always on? to stop her sleeping? Dreadful when you compare to today’s conditions…

Probably so the warden can see what she's doing all the time, like a suicide watch

Why did the solicitor say she's made him commit perjury? And he's an accessory to murder?
I don't get it

Yeah I thought that but they are with her in the room around the clock so she couldn’t really harm herself …

Yep I don’t get that either @purpleme12 …does anyone know what he meant?