An Australian man named Colin Campbell Ross was pardoned, only, 86 years after being executed by hanging to death in 1922. He was charged with murder and rape of a young girl and dumping her body in an alley in 1921. But only recently, new tests found evidence against him was flawed – which led to him being to be acquitted of the crime.
“This really is a tragic case where a miscarriage of justice has resulted in a man being hanged,” Victoria’s Attorney-General Rob Hulls said on Tuesday. “This pardon is a recognition that there are serious doubts about Mr Ross’s conviction for murder.” Australia is a strong opponent of the death penalty, with the last hanging taking place in Melbourne in 1967 when petty criminal Ronald Ryan was executed for his involvement in a prison escape, during which a prison guard was shot dead.
