Referring to the rheumatic fever for which Ruth had been admitted to the hospital as a teenager, he said bones in her left-hand ring finger had been destroyed and were badly affected by septic arthritis. I recently came across a question in parliament dated 8th December 1955. Id uncovered a treasure-trove of spies addresses all in the same Kensington street - some dating back to 1932. She was convicted of shooting to death her lover David Blakeley, a racing driver. In return they did the dirty work, becoming a listening service for intelligence organisations, gathering information from high-powered men, generally in their beds, during the Cold War.Both Ward and Antony Beauchamp, about whom little was known, were members of the Little Club in Knightsbridge, also shrouded in mystery, the club where Ruth Ellis would become manageress in 1953.The Press tried to portray it as some sort of low-class dive for losers.Its membership actually included King Hussein of Jordan, film stars Douglas Fairbanks Jnr and Burt Lancaster, society photographer Baron a close friend of Prince Philip, racing driver Stirling Moss and Anthony Armstrong-Jones who became Princess Margarets husband.Ruth fitted the bill for Ward and Beauchamps game. As part of my research, I wanted to compare magistrates court statements with the trial transcript. The visit of Dr Joost de Blank who was the Bishop of Stepney at that time was mentioned in both of his published biographies. Mr Hyde, MP asked Gwilym Lloyd-George, the Home Secretary if he was aware that prisoners and staff were disturbed by the noise of scaffolding being erected for Ruth's execution just before she was hanged. Jakubait could be in line for compensation - awards are discretionary - as could her niece Georgina's six children. Muriel never could understand why her sister didnt put up a fight, if only for the sake of her children.But its the circumstances of Ruths police statement, in a previously unpublished Home Office file, which were odd.It sounded as if she had previously rehearsed her statement. May 29, 2022; kentucky flintlock pistol kit; grey's anatomy gallery exhibit location . The events of 10th April did not happen as she had described them in her police statement. The establishment murdered her. Mr Bickford, Ruths solicitor, had evidence but "felt it unwise to call it. Much later it emerged that her friend and "sugar. He had no idea, until our book was published three years later, that his Home Guard partner was the same man who would play an important role in Ruth Elliss life and death in 1955. It was the night he and his colleague Guy Burgess defected to Russia. Reluctantly, at midday on 12 July 1955, the day before her execution, Ellis, having dismissed Bickford, the solicitor chosen for her by her friend Desmond Cussen, made a statement to the solicitor Victor Mishcon (whose law firm had previously represented her in her divorce proceedings but not in the murder trial) and his clerk, Leon Simmons. What happened to Ruths blood spattered clothes? where so many protested Ruth's execution. As far as I am aware, they have not previously been made public. He must have known about the gun breaking. A further new discovery is that Ruth occasionally visited Tatsfield, a village north-west of Westerham and home to Soviet Super Spy Donald Maclean. "Cussen, on the other hand, verbally abused her and I guess she didn't know any better because of what our father was like." Muriel disliked wealthy businessman Desmond Cussen from the beginning. He was a member from the late 1940s until 1955. I have no information to indicate what Ruth was up to. It seems odd therefore that twenty-three days after the start of my research I began uncovering alarming inconsistencies to the accepted story about him.Was it just poor research by commentators over the last fifty years or had those writers been fed misinformation, part of the big lie being spread, to hoodwink the public about the real Ruth Ellis story? She said Ruth was wearing spotlessly clean, pale coloured clothing that night. She claimed at the time to have been given the gun by an American serviceman as security for a nightclub debt, and to have taken a taxi to the pub. Desmond Cussen works as a General Counsel at Fandom, which is a Broadcasting company with an estimated 200 employees; and founded in 1999. The statement was changed to read "The accused was firing the gun into his back," not the same. I wrote to Prime Minister Tony Blair for a reaction about the Home Secretarys decision; and to HM the Queen. Trivia (1) Cousin of Edward Cussen. The scandal that Keeler was having a simultaneous affair with a Soviet spy led to Profumos resignation.Years later it was revealed Ward had been a double agent, working for MI5 and for the KGB.Those who think his spying activities began and ended in 1963 should think again.Stephen Wards involvement with pretty, young girls who became the eyes and ears for his spying activities did not just start suddenly in 1963. She offered no resistance. Using new evidence that Ive uncovered, I say we now need to go back to the scene of the murder, choose a dark evening at about 9.30 pm and reconstruct the crime. She said, after being cautioned, "I am guilty. However I strongly suspect he grew up in a family that was used to deception. Ruth wasnt sentenced to death. The impression of the "ineffective drip" was quite misleading. It summed up the case to a tee. In the early 1970s, Mr Bickford, Ruths solicitor, made a statement to Scotland Yard from his home in Malta. There was no need to consider if 28 year-old Ruth, the 52," 7-stone woman with tiny bird-like hands, one gnarled as a result of rheumatic fever, with poor eyesight and suffering the after effects of a recent miscarriage, was physically capable of shooting anyone. The Welsh peroxide blonde glamour model turned cold . These thick padded calico knickers were brought and I was told they had to be put on her. Why werent samples taken from the accused as well as the deceased? Ruth and Rawlinson shook hands in her cell after the three-minute hearing. By 4th June 2002, three months after beginning my research, new light had been thrown on Cussens wartime activities. She hadnt spoken to him for over two days, she would not have known where he was going and she couldnt have seen where he was going. David Blakely was away at the Le Mans races. I wonder. The only documented evidence being two entries on the voters list for 1950 and 1951.The defection of Donald Maclean and Guy Burgess was being planned at that time.By 1949 Maclean was under suspicion for passing secrets to the Russians. The notebook tells a revealing story of its own. Firstly he joined the RAF aged seventeen, trained mainly in South Africa, was a bomber pilot, throughout the war, flying Lancasters and was demobbed in 1946. She shot her lover, David Blakely, outside the Magdala pub in Hampstead on the night of Easter Sunday, 1955, felling him with one bullet and pumping four more into him before an off-duty policeman removed the revolver from her hand. The jury took less than half an hour to reach a unanimous verdict of guilty. Sylvia remembers how the landlord, Ernie Dumbleton, would say, "Ruths here and boyfriend has hooked off again and shes quite tearful. Her counsel, Melford Stevenson, had wanted to argue provocation as a defence. Moreen Gleesons encounter with Ruth and Cussen and Ruths subsequent hanging, troubled her. But it was not enough to save her, although nine out of 10 women sentenced to death in the 20th century have been reprieved and served jail terms instead. At the Old Bailey on 20th June 1955, Christmas Humphreys assisted by Mervyn Griffith-Jones and Miss Jean Southworth, instructed by the Department of Public Prosecutions, appeared on behalf of the prosecution. His words "She was holding the revolver loosely" (crossed out) "pointing it downwards at a slant" (crossed out) became "she was holding the revolver in her right hand pointing it downwards.". This video. "As a barrister for fifty years I was just putting the facts of the actual murder. Forensic expert LC Nickolls said in his police statement, but did not repeat at the trial, that the Smith and Wesson he examined was oily. After all, he transformed her, gave her nice clothes, made her feel special.Vickie Martin, Ruths best friend, was another of Wards proteges. Where she was travelling to is another mystery. Stevenson stuck to his word. They said, "The Home Office does not hold the information that you have requested.". Desmond Cussen is Senior VP:Business/Gen Counsel at Gracenote Inc. See Desmond Cussen's compensation, career history, education, & memberships. Attorney Information. He was later captured by the Templars, who wished to obtain his ancestor's memories through the Animus to find Pieces of Eden. Her trial for murder was pushed through in just over a day. Public records show that the phone number (415) 923-6775 is linked to Belinda L Yan, Desmond Cussen Main Address 2765 Union St, San Francisco, CA 94123 Single Family, On street, Attached Garage, 1 space Five bedrooms, Six bathrooms Lot Size - 3,781 sqft, Floor Size - 5,500 sqft Parcel ID# 0950029 Last Sale Apr 2012 - Price $4,795,000 "This was the opinion that Christmas Humphreys, the prosecuting counsel at Ruth Elliss murder trial, was still vehemently defending twenty-seven years later when he spoke to Ruths son Andre McCallum. . Either way, the truth has been obscured. In a conversation with Sylvia Smith, she told me that Ruth Ellis and David Blakely, who she described as a "good looking young man" frequented the pub between approximately 1951 and 1953. In a postscript he added, "I should be interested to know from a medical point of view, the present state of her joints.". She wrote, "The charge was murder and the case had yet to be heard. Cussen had one gun and gave another to Ruth. He drove Ruth to Hampstead - that is not in doubt. Sylvia thought the couple rented a cottage in Ide Hill or Brasted Chart, adjacent hamlets east of Westerham and a short distance from Fort Halstead. I can only guess there was an unwritten law that exempted them from being properly cross-examined. After the visit he also said he could not forget Ruth Ellis's words to him: It is quite clear to me that I was not the person who shot him.When I saw myself with that revolver I knew that I was another person."". Since the winter of 2005 I have made discoveries about Cussens service record; thats another story. In his police statement he explained, "In order to fire 6 cartridges, it is necessary to cock the trigger six times, as in the case of a revolver pulling the trigger only fires one shot. She went round to the flat on Good Friday and made a scene, only leaving when he phoned the police. But there was more to the story than came out at the trial. Quite by chance, in December 2003 I made another major discovery. what happened to desmond cussen. The judge took away power of the jury.". From small beginnings about Cussens family home in Leatherhead, combined with solid research another side to Ruths alternative lover was emerging. She became the lover of the Maharaja of Cooch Behar before being killed in a mysterious car crash in January 1955.By chance I discovered Ward won Ruth a walk-on part in the 1951 film Lady Godiva Rides Again a comedy about beauty contests. "Is that all right?" A firearms expert advised me that accuracy with a .38 Smith and Wesson would have been hopeless except in trained hands. Ruth had protected Cussen in her police statement, claiming a man gave her the gun in a club three years previously. Did Stevenson choose not to explain this evidence to the Old Bailey jury? He looked like a spiv with dark, greased back hair; with a round boyish face and an unnatural looking thin moustache. The authorities considered prosecuting Cussen, who later died in Australia, as an accessory, but decided it would be impossible without Ellis as a witness. She continued the affair with Blakely, sometimes going to a hotel with Blakely. I have become even more fascinated by information that Id not found before. how are biotic and abiotic factors related; peterbilt 379 for sale in kansas; rental security deposit interest calculator pa In Tales of Tatsfield, author Doris Geary wrote, "I had known Ruth Ellis as a kind, good looking woman; we had laughed and talked together and we had liked each other." She was holding a gun, pointing it at a dying man. Two decades later, in the 70s, according to Bernard de Maid, the solicitor handling the appeal, Ellis's solicitor, John Bickford, a friend of Cussen, wrote to Scotland Yard admitting that he had concealed from the jury that "Cussen had driven her to Hampstead, provided the gun, and had goaded her into shooting Blakely to remove a love-rival from the scene.". He lied again at Ruths trial when he said on oath that hed known Blakely "Approximately three years.". That impression was untrue. Desmond Cussen was born in 1923 in Epsom, Surrey, England, UK. At the time of the trial, provocation was narrowly interpreted, applying only to killers who reacted "in hot blood" to something happening immediately before the killing. Its clear from a Holloway hospital case paper (opened since the publication of our book) that Ruths condition was known about. The Sevenoaks Chronicle, Warrington-Worldwide, Cornish Guardian and Northumberland Gazette are just a few of the local papers that published reports about the book. Dance with a Stranger (Widescreen): Amazon.ca: Miranda . The jury taking 23 minutes to find her guilty. Jakubait and her mother visited Ellis on the eve of her execution. It was organised like a military exercise by experts. Ruth Ellis with Desmond Cussen (Image: Daily Mirror) Blakely was pronounced dead at the scene and was found to have multiple injuries to the intestines, liver, lung, aorta and trachea. Mrs Gladys Yule was a prime witness for the prosecution. In a Prison Service file, recently opened for public scrutiny, I read that Ruth told the medical officer at Holloway prison hospital that her left hand and ankle had been affected by rheumatic fever. In December 1954, Ellis moved into Desmond Cussen's flat at Goodwood Court, Devonshire Street, Marylebone. If the gun had a long-standing defect, why did it not break on the first firing at the scene of the murder? Education. Contact info: dcussen@gracenote.com, desmondcussen@yahoo.com Find more info on AllPeople about Desmond Cussen and Gracenote, as well as people who work for similar businesses nearby, colleagues for other branches, and more people with a similar name. I noticed this statement made by Clive Gunnell who called himself a Mayfair car salesman. Hub Name . She was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison. Service records for RAF personnel after 1921 are MOD property. Ruth didnt murder anybody. Desmond has been featured in major outlets such as The New York Times, NBC News . With many theories about what really happened, this account attempts to lay out the facts, rather than speculating on hearsay and unprovable notions. Born 1923 Add or change photo on IMDbPro Add to list More at IMDbPro Contact info Agent info Credits IMDbPro Archive Footage Previous 1 The Ruth Ellis Files: A Very British Crime Story Self (archive footage) TV Series 2018 3 episodes Personal details Edit Born 1923 Too many crucial questions were left unasked. She told me about Ruths last few minutes before her execution. Registration Number: 2333870 : Full Name: DESMOND CUSSEN : First Name: DESMOND : It was accepted at the time that the residue from an exploding cartridge is driven backwards on to the hand that pulls the trigger. She saw "A lady on the pavement in front of the public house..and saw her chase a man.". On April 10 1955, Ruth was ready to end it all and headed to the Magdala pub where David was drinking. The next few months were busy. When questioned at the Old Bailey he merely repeated that on receipt the gun was in working order, and "The barrel was foul and consistent with having been recently fired." Fandom General Counsel. Although appearing to fire shots at Blakely she did not fire the gun which killed him. It followed my discovery of Desmond Cussen's signature on a business document in 1964 while he was lying low at a London hotel. This sensational finding was pivotal in uncovering the real Ruth Ellis story.Most people associate Wards name with the 1960s Profumo scandal. It was a place where the best people from London secretly congregated when there were parties on. Some of the properties have been demolished but two of the original houses are still standing. Furthermore the recoil after each shot would have knocked her backwards. He was perfectly placed when the Profumo fiasco broke in 1963.This discovery opened up a new line of investigation, which in turn led to the infamous spying activities of Donald Maclean and Guy Burgess.The convincing story, spun and repeated for fifty years, disguised the real Ruth Ellis. Barbershop customer Matthew - an eternal mature student who would ditch the books to spend his time in the shop - was played by Gyearbuor Asante, who sadly passed away in 2000. He was usually portrayed as Blakelys scathing rival for Ruths affections. Ruth had to be found guilty. The employer name is FANDOM, INC.. An early draft of RUTH ELLIS, MY SISTERS SECRET LIFE contained this information, but our publishers felt it was complicated and the whole section was dropped. pepperidge farm outlet store locations; marketisation of education sociology; brmp certification worth it; seneca . I suspect that forensics were not carried out on Ruth, and the gun conveniently broke during testing because the results would have saved her and proved she could not have killed Blakely. He groomed her; a fact previously unknown to the public. David Blakelys list of property in possession of the Hampstead police in 1955 was recently released for public scrutiny. We now know it was a pack of lies. ", In 1955, Ruth Ellis was hanged for murder. They are part of the Legal Counsel team within the Legal Department Desmond graduated from Cornell University School of Law in 1989 and is currently based in San Francisco, United States. It was all too quick. Hed been sent there during the war from south-east London suffering from a cerebral thrombosis following an injury sustained in the London Blitz. As well as provocation, they claim she suffered from diminished responsibility, another partial defence that can reduce a murder charge to manslaughter. In it was a small, tatty notebook-cum-address book (now kept safe in a bank vault). (Another missed entirely and winged a passerby.) It was my first lesson in detective work: examine every local connection. 27,814: Eleanor Hogg was the policewoman who guarded Ruth all night in her cell at Hampstead police station, following her arrest. She remembers Ruth as a "first class woman" whom she liked and says she was not the "troublesome blonde" that warders at Holloway had strangely been told to expect. Much later it emerged that her friend and "sugar. Found 250 colleagues at Gracenote. The day after our first interview I had a call from Mr Steel. At the end of January 2003 Muriel and I met Ross at the Museum to view the weapon used to kill Blakely. He then repeated that the other shots had been fired at a distance. At other times they were taken in a lorry to Bisley to practise with Sten guns. Ruth replied, "Quite right. General Ironside, who was one of Churchills generals in the Second World War, lived secretly in one. Mr Steel told me how he teamed up with a young man, an only child, about eighteen years old, with straight fair hair, about 59", of muscular build and handsome. Edward married Caroline Alice Cussen in month 1885, at age 21 at marriage place. I would say it was a set up from start to finish. It strikes me as strange, that Ruth Elliss mother had this address in her notebook 50 years ago. The authorities still keep some files to do with Ruths trial closed until 2031. The message reaching the public in 1955 was of the common, peroxide blonde, nightclub manageress who was a part-time prostitute.The message not reaching the public was about the poorly educated, gullible young woman, desperate for money and who probably unwittingly became involved with spying and died in a dramatic way for her country, in the process.Five years before her death, Ruth, looking very different with natural auburn hair, frequented the White Hart Hotel in Brasted, Kent, which was more like a private club. Desmond Miles was born into the Assassin Order, but he ran away from the lifestyle, hoping to pursue his own dreams.