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/

Watched E 1 but could not go further. It's just too tragic..She was clearly a very vulnerable and abused woman.
Only reinforces my hatred of capital punishment.

Just remember how many MNetters bay for blood whenever there is a horrific case in the news.

Also remember that for all the controversy over Ellis execution, the one unescapable fact denied by none is that she actually did it. Unlike Timothy Evans was innocent of the crimes for which he was hanged.

The Bentley case is slightly more nuanced. Joint enterprise is hardly a new legal concept, and was arguably correctly applied. (Although it seems a bit harsh that being under arrest and in handcuffs didn't break the chain of causation). However a policeman was killed, and Craig could not be executed so Bentley had to be. Despite the very real argument that he was unfit to plead. In that sense it's closer to the Ellis case where the letter of the law was supposedly adhered to.

However all this shows is why the death penalty is barbaric and has no place other than the rather overactive imaginations of some MNetters. Because - as Pierrepoint said - as long as you have the death penalty you will have reprieves. And as long as you have reprieves you will have politicians using the system to enhance their own standing. And that isn't justice - it's the opposite of justice.

If the death penalty were to be restored, it would be a few months before we noticed that black and poor people were somehow being executed more than rich white people. And that pretty girls would get more signatures on their petitions than more plain murderers.

The only real justification for the death penalty is if we had a really world class last meal industry that needed promoting. As long as it's sausages, that is.

You found the execution of an abused woman boring?

wtf.

I blame Netflix for people's desensitisation.

No. I found the programme making and acting boring.

I'm not the PP and I've only seen episode one but it is possible to find an actual programme/film/book whatever boring but not find the actual subject boring!

What a weird response.
I also found it boring.

Thank you @purpleme12 This is a television programme, made to "entertain" (for want of a better word). I am totally against the death penalty and I think RE's life was pretty awful but why do you all think this programme was made? 💰

Ridiculous. Should no dramas ever be made then based on real life events?
Regardless, of how much money it’s made/not made then surely raising awareness of Ruth’s tragic case is a positive thing, no? Would it be better in your opinion (which i don’t agree with at all..apart from being anti DP) that she be forgotten about? I would imagine there are a few people (younger) that had never heard of her before watching the TV dramatisation.

I don't think she was saying no programmes should be made based on real life events 😂
She was just giving her own opinion on it!

She implied it was just made for £££

Ah well I guess we must be getting different messages from her posts

Raising awareness of stories like Ruth’s is a good thing. There will be many people who don’t know the full history of it.
i think I’ve read somewhere that Ruth’s case is studied by criminologists and criminology students.
This tragic case was instrumental in bringing about the ‘diminished responsibility’ defence which has been really important. Two years too late for Ruth.
I’d really like to see a posthumous pardon for her. It’s not too late- she still has family left.
If caring about a young woman, killed by the state, being interested in her case and paying respects at her grave is odd then I’d be happy to be odd. It’s empathy- something we need more of

Her grandson was an actor in Hollyoaks. Steve someone.

Bravo! ♥️

I don't think this TV programme was made purely as part of some crusade. It's great if it made people think about the treatment of women, then and now, and brought this story to the attention of people who didn't know about it. But i don't think it's simply an altruistic endeavour

That was a great film, must watch it again

Her granddaughter was on This Morning today.

They said that a petition has been started to get a posthumous pardon.

I watched last night's episode and the trial was odd, why did the judge not allow provocation to be put to the jury by Ruth's barrister?

Ruth came across quite detached/bored I don't think that she helped herself based on the little that was shown of the trial last night...

Her solicitor was the only one who really trying to help her it was all wrong....

Ruth was too blonde, too sassy and went against all that a " decent woman" should be in 1955. The world was very different then and it was a terrible time to be a woman.
I googled afterwards and it's a tale of disaster all round. Her father had abused her sister who had a child by him. Ruth's son killed himself. Her daughter died young. Her mother killed herself. The lawyer drank himself to death.
It was a seedy time when men were happy to use women like this but discard them too.
I think like the Edith Thompson hanging there was an indecent amount of time between the murder and the execution. As the second lawyer said it takes longer to get divorced.
The acting by Lucy Boynton was amazing .

Lucy is brilliant I agree!

The Findlaters covered up too and the woman should have been questioned not just the husband...Cussen's too should have been an accessory that was a cover up....it is dreadful to see the bias.

I think Edith Thompson was a miscarriage of justice, but the evidence against Ruth was overwhelming. Ruth conspired to commit murder and carried it out. Even in this day and age it would be murder. She didn't kill him in the moment when he was abusing her, she planned to kill him in cold blood. It was premeditated murder.

The evidence was not fully presented in the trial. That was the problem.

It was also on GMB news today about Ruth’s family setting the groundwork for a posthumous pardon. Mischon de Reya (Victor Mishcon was Ruth’s solicitor after she dismissed Bickford) think they may have a case…I said right at the beginning of this thread I thought that might happen (public interest reignited like Mr Bates v post office)
Would be wonderful if this happens. Shame it didn’t happen in Muriel’s lifetime ♥️

I just cannot see Ruth’s actions as ‘cold-blooded’ murder. Not when her mind was in utter turmoil; abuse (mental and physical), alcohol, medication, provocation and not discouraged by her ‘good friend’ Desmond C. I believe she was driven to it and was a desperate woman unable to think clearly. A good friend would have at least tried to talk her down.
I believe Blakely would have killed Ruth eventually- the physical abuse was escalating.
I’m hoping for a posthumous pardon.
The remaining family have carried this for years; good on them for keeping going.
I’m sure she’d have been proud of them.
How different her life could have been.

I just cannot see Ruth’s actions as ‘cold-blooded’ murder

The jury did.