apr 1, 1965 - Murder Act 1965 (Abolition of Death Penalty)

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In 1965, the Murder Act was released by the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The Murder Act contains the abolition of the death penalty for the crime of murder in Great Britain. Instead of death penalty, the new punishment for murder became imprisonment for life. Labour MP Sydney Silverman introduced the act to the Parliament. In 1956, Silverman already tried it, but it only became restricted to special types of murder (e.g. if a police officer shot a thief). Since Britain had a long history of possibilities of how to kill people because of death penalty (from hanging to beheading and burning or even the “Bloody Code”) in the 20th century the situation changed. On August 13, 1964, Peter Allen and Gwynne Evans were hanged in Britain – the last people hanged for the crime of murder. By the way, until 1955, women have always been reprieved from death penalty, until Ruth Ellis shot her boyfriend outside a pub in London. Ten years later, the death penalty was terminated.

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