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The death penalty is utterly barbaric.
UK criminal law once included 220 crimes punishable by death, including "being in the company of Gypsies for one month", "strong evidence of malice in a child aged 7–14" & "blacking the face or using a disguise whilst committing a crime". https://twitter.com/BameFor/status/1342495556732649478
UK criminal law once included 220 crimes punishable by death, including "being in the company of Gypsies for one month", "strong evidence of malice in a child aged 7–14" & "blacking the face or using a disguise whilst committing a crime". https://twitter.com/BameFor/status/1342495556732649478
By 1793, there were 50 capital offences for various acts of theft & poaching, including shoplifting, & stealing sheep & horses: "English law was notorious for prescribing the death penalty for a vast range of offences as slight as the theft of goods valued at twelve pence."
It wasn't until 1908, that the Children Act banned the execution of under 16s, & Britain had to wait until 1931 to outlaw pregnant women from being hanged.
In the 1950s, the public expressed dissatisfaction with the death penalty, & the verdict in the case of Timothy Evans...
In the 1950s, the public expressed dissatisfaction with the death penalty, & the verdict in the case of Timothy Evans...
Evans was tried & hanged in 1950 for murdering his infant daughter.
In 1953 it transpired that John Christie had strangled at least six women in the same house. If the jury in Evans's trial had known this, Evans might have been acquitted.
Evans was granted a posthumous pardon.
In 1953 it transpired that John Christie had strangled at least six women in the same house. If the jury in Evans's trial had known this, Evans might have been acquitted.
Evans was granted a posthumous pardon.
Another high profile case was Derek Bentley, hanged for the murder of a policeman, whose death occurred in the course of a burglary attempt - even though another man, Christopher Craig, then aged 16, a friend & accomplice of Bentley, was accused of the murder itself.
In 1952, Bentley was convicted as a party to the crime after uttering the words "let him have it", by the English 'law principle of common purpose' "joint enterprise", as the burglary had been committed in mutual understanding.
The trial was hugely controversial at the time.
The trial was hugely controversial at the time.
The Bentley miscarriage of justice case became a cause célèbre, & led to a 45-year-long campaign to win Bentley a posthumous pardon, which he got in 1993, & a further campaign for the quashing of his murder conviction, which occurred in 1998.
Ruth Ellis was the last person to be hanged in the UK, in 1955, for shooting jealous heavy drinker David Drummond Moffat Blakely.
It is extremely doubtful she'd have ever been a danger to the general public had she served a prison sentence & been released on parole, because...
It is extremely doubtful she'd have ever been a danger to the general public had she served a prison sentence & been released on parole, because...
Ellis had shown no propensity to violence to anyone other than Moffat Blakely.
She suffered much provocation & a great deal of violent abuse - as reliable witnesses testify - including a miscarriage, after the man she killed punched her in the stomach.
She suffered much provocation & a great deal of violent abuse - as reliable witnesses testify - including a miscarriage, after the man she killed punched her in the stomach.
Her crime was at least somewhat understandable. She showed remorse, & a willingness to accept responsibility for her crime, having made no attempt to run away or hide the truth.
When she was hung, she was 28 & had two small children. Her case received considerable news coverage.
When she was hung, she was 28 & had two small children. Her case received considerable news coverage.
On the day of her execution, a Daily Mirror columnist wrote: "The one thing that brings stature & dignity to mankind & raises us above the beasts will have been denied her — pity & the hope of ultimate redemption".
A 50,000 person petition to the Home Office asking for clemency was rejected by the @Conservatives' Home Secretary.
Even the British Pathé newsreel said "Millions are asking, is it civilised to kill by law? Does it really act as a deterrent?"
Even the British Pathé newsreel said "Millions are asking, is it civilised to kill by law? Does it really act as a deterrent?"
Imho, capital punishment is barbaric, based on the uncivilised motivations of vengeance & retribution, & has NO place in modern Britain.
Innocent people have been killed, because of mistakes or flaws in the justice system, & it doesn't even act to deter serious violent crimes.
Innocent people have been killed, because of mistakes or flaws in the justice system, & it doesn't even act to deter serious violent crimes.
The death penalty leads to a brutalisation of society & individuals, & can INCREASE the murder rate: in the #USA, more murders take place in states where capital punishment is allowed.
It's cruel, inhumane & degrading - is this why Priti Patel is considering its re-introduction?
It's cruel, inhumane & degrading - is this why Priti Patel is considering its re-introduction?
