Who supplied the gun to Ruth Ellis?
Asked by: Prof. Molly Emmerich III | Last update: February 7, 2026Score: 4.4/5 (61 votes)
Desmond Cussen, Ruth Ellis's lover and an accomplice, supplied her with the .38 revolver used to murder David Blakely and also taught her how to use it, according to confessions Ellis made to her solicitor just before her execution. Cussen also drove her to the scene of the crime, but her solicitor failed to present this crucial evidence, leading to her execution in 1955.
Why did Ruth Ellis shoot Blakely?
Ellis had a miscar- riage shortly before the murder, which she believed was caused by Blakely punching her in the stomach. The prosecution did not dispute that Blakely had treated Ellis "disgracefully", or that this had left her emotionally disturbed.
What gun did Ruth Ellis use?
As Blakely searched for the keys to his car, Ellis took a . 38 calibre Smith & Wesson Victory Model revolver from her handbag and fired five shots at Blakely. The first shot missed. Ellis pursued Blakely as he started to run around the car, firing a second shot which caused him to collapse onto the pavement.
Who gave Ruth Ellis the gin?
"This poignant letter, written the day before her execution, hints at Ellis' divulging to her lawyer Victor Mishcon that she had been given the gun which she used to kill her lover David Blakely by Desmond Cussen, who had also showed her how to use it," said Rupert Powell, deputy chairman at the auction house.
Did Ruth Ellis have an accomplice?
The programme alleges that the Home Office ignored evidence presented by Ellis's solicitor Victor Mischon that she had an accomplice when she shot her lover David Blakely, an upper-class racing driver, outside the Magdala pub in Hampstead, north London, on Easter Sunday 1955.
The Last Woman To Be Executed In Britain
What is the shortest time on death row?
The shortest time on death row in modern U.S. history is often cited as Joe Gonzales in Texas, who was executed in 1996 after 252 days (about 8 months), having waived appeals to speed up the process. In a notable historical case, Gary Gilmore was executed in Utah just over three months after sentencing in 1977, marking a very swift execution post-resumption of capital punishment.
Is Nigel Havers in the Ruth Ellis story?
Cast. Nigel Havers as Justice Cecil Havers, the judge presiding over Ellis's murder trial.
How much of a cruel love is true?
The ITV series, written by Kelly Jones (The Long Call, Des), is based on the biography A Fine Day for Hanging: The Real Ruth Ellis Story and will be told over two parallel timelines, with one half of the story following Ellis's entry into a dizzying upper-class London and her ultimate downfall.
Who was the last woman to be hung?
This is her story. In July 1955 Ruth Ellis was sentenced to death for the shooting of her lover, motor-racing driver David Blakely. Barely three months later she was executed at Holloway prison. In this book, Robert Hancock sets the record straight.
What happened to Ruth Ellis' son Andre?
Most poignant of all was the fate of Ellis' son Andre, who died alone and undiscovered for weeks in a tiny flat back in 1982, aged 37 or so. He was as much victim as anyone. Ellis herself, had she managed to avoid the noose, might even still be around today, aged 91 last October (Blakely would be 88 now).
Did Victor Mishcon represent Ruth Ellis?
Legal career
His firm acted for Ruth Ellis in her divorce but not in her later murder trial, and for Jeffrey Archer in his libel suit against the Daily Star, which had claimed that Archer had had sex with a prostitute.
What happened to Ruth Ellis' daughter Georgina?
The book is well written and insightful, and steps easily between the events in Ruth's life and events in Georgina's life as she grew up and as a young adult. Sadly Georgina passed away when she was only 50 years old, but I hope she and her mum have now been reuinited and are happy together in Heaven.
Does Richard Wheatley ever get caught?
Richard and the whole Wheatley family are eventually arrested. Three months later, the drug trafficking, money laundering and assault charges against Richard are dropped, but the murder charge still stands.
Who was the first woman to be exonerated from death row?
As the first women exonerated from death row in the United States, Ms. Butler-Smith shared her experience on death row with only one other women in Mississippi in the early 1990s: “It was hard because, at the time, they didn't know what to do with us.
Was the guillotine painless?
The guillotine was designed for swift, supposedly painless death by severing the head, but whether it was truly painless is debated; while it caused rapid unconsciousness from blood loss, historical accounts and experiments suggest the severed head showed signs of sensation like twitching and redness, implying consciousness or pain perception might have lingered briefly after decapitation, making it quick but not necessarily instant or completely free of suffering.
Who was the last man to get hung?
On 13 August 50 years ago, Peter Allen and Gwynne Evans were hanged for the murder of John West. Nobody knew it at the time, but they were to be the last people executed in Great Britain. The anniversary is not just a time for looking back on this historic event, though.
Who was the woman hanged before Ruth Ellis?
Styllou Christofi. Styllou Pantopiou Christofi (Greek: Στυλλού Χριστοφή; 1900 – 15 December 1954) was a Greek Cypriot woman hanged in Britain for murdering her daughter-in-law. She was the penultimate woman to be executed in Britain, followed in 1955 by Ruth Ellis.
Where is David Blakely buried?
David Moffat Drummond Blakely, 17th June 1929 – Easter Sunday, 10th April 1955, Holy Trinity, Penn, New Churchyard, Plot 48.
How did Lucy Boynton get famous?
Boynton gained recognition for starring as Mary Austin in the biopic Bohemian Rhapsody (2018). She appeared in HBO Max's Locked Down (2021).
Where did they film Ruth Ellis?
Filming for the series also took place in Dorset, with Dorchester prison being used as a backdrop for scenes of Ruth in her cell. In real-life events, Ruth was executed in London, however, for the filming of the series, the crew used the entrance to The Historic Dockyard Chatham in Kent to portray Holloway prison.
Did Ruth Ellis confess?
Her confession is included in these files, that she was very clear in her own mind that this was something she has done. FRAYER: Ellis admitted it from the start. LEE: She did take responsibility for the fact that she had shot David.
Are Simon Williams and Nigel Havers related?
He is the brother-in-law of Hugo Williams and Simon Williams. Mentioned in the song "Music Maker" by MC Pitman ("You're eating too many Quavers / You're as hard as Nigel Havers"). His affair with Polly Bloomfield cost him his first marriage and led to Polly becoming his second wife.