Synopsis
The narrator discusses the introduction of the defence of diminished responsibility in England, which occurred in 1957, two years after Ruth Ellis's death. This legal development was a crucial aspect of the movement to end capital punishment, which had intensified around two recent cases: Timothy Evans, wrongfully hanged for the murder of his wife and daughter in 1950, and Derek Bentley, wrongfully hanged in 1953 for the murder of a policeman. Ruth's case became part of the national debate.
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