What happened to David Blakely? All about Ruth Ellis' boyfriend ahead of A Cruel Love

David Blakely was born in Ecclesall, Sheffield, to a Scottish father and an Irish mother. Following his parents' split, his mother remarried in 1941. Educated at Shrewsbury, he developed a passion for racing, competing at Brands Hatch and securing a notable finish in 1954.

He met Ruth Ellis in 1953, and their relationship soon turned volatile, marked by physical abuse. As per The Sun on December 5, 2024, in 1955, after a miscarriage caused by Blakely, Ellis confronted him and fired six shots. Moments later, she calmly asked a bystander to call the police.

David Blakely, the British racecar driver, is at the center of A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story, a four-part British miniseries premiering on BritBox on February 17, 2025.

The series, produced by Silverprint Pictures for ITVX, is based on Carol Ann Lee’s biography A Fine Day For Hanging: The Real Ruth Ellis Story, and scripted by Kelly Jones, with Angie Daniell producing, and Lee Haven Jones directing all episodes. It explores the themes of class, violence, and justice through the real-life events surrounding Ruth Ellis, the last woman executed in the United Kingdom.

---

Ruth reportedly pulled Cussen’s .38 Smith & Wesson revolver from her handbag and shot David Blakely at close range in 1955

David Blakely, a British racing driver, was shot and killed by Ruth Ellis outside the Magdala pub in Hampstead, London, on April 10, 1955. The incident followed a series of altercations over the Easter weekend, during which Ellis had been trying to reach Blakely, who was staying with friends.

According to the Lancashire Evening Post on April 28, 1955, Blakely had gone to stay with the Findlater family, when Ellis repeatedly called their flat, demanding to speak with him. After being denied access, she arrived at the residence, smashed Blakely’s car windows, and was eventually removed by the police.

On Easter Sunday, David Blakely and his friend Clive Gunnell left a party to get more drinks from the Magdala pub. As they exited, Ellis, waiting outside, pulled out Desmond Cussen’s .38 Smith & Wesson revolver and fired multiple shots.

According to The Standard, February 27, 2024, Desmond Cussen was a former RAF pilot turned accountant who became romantically involved with Ruth Ellis; he provided her with financial support, gave her the revolver used in the shooting, and allegedly drove her to the crime scene on the night she killed David Blakely.

Lancashire Evening News reported in April 1955 that Blakely was struck several times, collapsed on the pavement, and Ellis fired more shots into his back as he lay on the ground. After emptying the revolver, she calmly stated, “Phone the police.”

---

The Trial and execution of Ruth Ellis

Ellis was immediately arrested by an off-duty officer present at the scene. During her trial at the Old Bailey on June 20, 1955, she pleaded guilty. When prosecutor Christmas Humphreys asked her,

"When you fired that revolver at close range, into the body of David Blakely, what did you intend to do?"

Ellis responded,

“It is obvious… when I shot him, I intended to kill him” (London Historians' Blog, July 13, 2019).

The jury took fourteen minutes to find her guilty, and she was sentenced to death. Despite widespread public outrage, Ellis was executed by hanging at Holloway Prison on July 13, 1955. London Historians' Blog, on July 13, 2019, reported that 500 people gathered outside the prison the night before, protesting against the execution. A petition with 50,000 signatures requesting a reprieve was rejected by the Home Secretary.

The execution of Ruth Ellis marked a turning point in Britain’s legal history. She was the last woman to be hanged in the country, and her case fueled debates about capital punishment. Years later, her case was referred to the Court of Appeal in 2003, but her conviction remained unchanged.

---

Stay tuned for more updates.