Edith Thompson: Hanged woman's pardon reconsidered after U-turn

An exertion to pardon a pistillate who was hanged 100 years agone for the execution of her hubby is being reconsidered aft a authorities U-turn.

Edith Thompson, 29, was recovered blameworthy of murdering Percy Thompson, contempt determination being small grounds against her and the insistence of the slayer - her person - that she was nary portion of it.

A petition made past twelvemonth was rejected by Justice Secretary Dominic Raab.

The pardon is present being looked astatine again aft errors were pointed out.

Percy was stabbed successful Ilford, eastbound London, connected 3 October 1922 by 20-year-old Frederick Bywaters. The Thompsons had been making their mode location from the theatre.

The lawsuit caused a immense sensation arsenic letters written by Edith uncovered during the constabulary probe revealed an matter betwixt her and the killer.

She was executed astatine Holloway Prison connected 9 January 1923 wherever she had to beryllium carried to the gallows with her arms and ankles bound pursuing days of injections of a almighty sedative.

The exertion for a posthumous pardon nether the Royal Prerogative of Mercy was made by a City steadfast of solicitors successful July past twelvemonth connected behalf of Prof René Weis, who was antecedently made Edith's heir and executor by her family.

In the missive to the justness secretary, the exertion states that some Edith's proceedings and consequent entreaty were "grossly unfair" and she had faced a justice who was prejudiced against her from the start.

One contented highlighted was that the judge, Sir Montague Shearman, allowed Edith's emotion letters to beryllium utilized arsenic "evidence of volition and motive" adjacent though they had nary transportation to the murder, with nary notation of a stabbing oregon the mounting up of an onslaught included successful them.

The exertion argues their inclusion affected the fairness of the trial, with sections presented retired of discourse by some the prosecution and justice to suggest Thompson helped program the killing; this included falsely claiming that a gathering the accused brace had successful a beverage country was erstwhile they discussed the murder.

It besides notes the post-mortem introspection connected Percy recovered nary signs of poison oregon solid successful his body, which were the lone methods of sidesplitting vaguely hinted astatine successful Edith's letters, which were argued to beryllium conscionable fantasy.

However, the prosecution falsely told the assemblage determination were "practically" nary traces of immoderate poisoning, successful what is claimed was an effort to mislead them.

Mr Justice Shearman is criticised for his actions passim the trial, including successful his summing up, successful which helium was accused of trying to manipulate the assemblage into pursuing his condemnation of the 2 lovers.

Speaking astir the affair, helium told the jury, "I americium definite that you, similar immoderate different right-minded persons volition beryllium filled with disgust astatine specified a notion", portion helium besides inaccurately questioned the reliability of a witnesser who had told the tribunal helium heard Edith outcry "oh, don't, ohio don't" connected the nighttime of the killing.

As the lone grounds submitted against Edith Thompson, the 26 emotion letters she wrote to Freddy Bywaters utilized during the proceedings were cardinal to the case.

In his summing up, Mr Justice Shearman told the assemblage the "necessary lack of evidence" successful the lawsuit made the information of them "of truthful overmuch importance".

An interrogation fixed by 1 assemblage subordinate 30 years aft the proceedings revealed they took this to heart, telling a paper the word "nauseous" was "hardly beardown capable to picture their contents".

"The assemblage performed a achy duty, but Mrs Thompson's letters were her ain condemnation," they added.

However, modern investigation of the notes has shone a antithetic airy upon them.

Criminal scientist Dr Donna Youngs studied them for the BBC One programme Murder, Mystery and My Family successful 2018 and recovered they showed Edith's "general immaturity of cognition", adding that determination was "nothing... which is accordant with a genuine committedness to sidesplitting her husband".

In a comparatively abbreviated effect sent connected 19 October 2022, seen by the BBC, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said the justness caput could not urge a pardon due to the fact that nary caller grounds astir the lawsuit had been provided, arsenic was required for a Royal Prerogative of Mercy.

It added that Prof Weis would not beryllium capable to entreaty against the determination but helium had besides not yet approached the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), which had the powerfulness to notation cases for appeal.

Nevertheless, Prof Weis's solicitors replied the pursuing period saying they were "extremely concerned" by the reasons fixed to crook down the application, which they believed were a misunderstanding of the instrumentality astir pardons.

They besides explained Prof Weis did not person the statutory close to attack the CCRC arsenic that could lone beryllium done by the MoJ.

A fewer days earlier Christmas, the solicitors served announcement connected the MoJ of their determination to proceed to a judicial reappraisal implicit the rejection and received a enactment the pursuing time that said the authorities section would present reconsider the pardon and that the process had started again.

Speaking astir the government's archetypal response, Prof Weis said helium "found it profoundly shocking that connected a substance of specified motivation importance, the convulsive decease a young woman... the MoJ, successful each our names, should spot acceptable to reply with a copy-and-paste civilian work template".

"If we judge successful a conscionable law, past we indispensable besides judge that past mistakes, miscarriages of justness arsenic patent and arsenic crassly gendered arsenic this one, tin beryllium acceptable right," helium added.

"Nothing tin reconstruct her stolen beingness to Edith Thompson but pardoning her for thing she did not bash indispensable beryllium right."

The MoJ was approached for comment.