Did An Innocent Man Hang? The Execution Australia Tried to Stop

Comments · 64

• RI

  @RichardFelstead1949 · 1 day ago (edited)

  January 1966 I was 17 and just started work ironically on the Australian television series "Homicide".One of the "Homicide" episodes was based on a prisoner escaping Pentridge and shooting a prison guard.The shooter portayed by Gerard Kennedy.Episode' 211 "I, Michael Ryan".

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• ST

  @stevehyland8345 · 23 hours ago

  The word is “hanged” not “hung”

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• PE

  @peterlovett5841 · 18 hours ago

  The last person to be executed in Tasmania, Frederick Henry Thompson, went to the gallows in 1946 declaring his innocence. He had been charged with the murder of a 7 year old girl and was convicted on the evidence of his having cloth at his home that was the same as that the body of the girl was wrapped in. There was no other evidence to connect him with the crime. There were questions concerning the police investigation and their omission to question a far more likely person to have committed the crime. Tasmania became the second state to abolish the death penalty in 1968.

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• MI

  @mikequinn6206 · 21 hours ago

  About 10 years ago I was speaking to the Sydney lawyer friend of my brother, on an unrelated legal matter. That lawyer is now a Judge. He informed me that, when you appeal a jury case that appeal can only concern the Judge’s handling of the case and not the jury’s verdict. I said that I thought that was just plain wrong and that “all I know is that the last man hanged in Australia was innocent”. His immediate reply was “yeah, the screw shot the wrong man”. Apparently a view held by many members of Australia’s legal fraternity.

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• NO

  @Nothinghappinghere-qz4ji · 1 day ago (edited)

  I had to give up a career in science to become the full-time carer of a loved one with a long [documented] psychiatric history, when they also acquired a [frontal lobe] brain injury. &nbsp;<br><br>I was soon given reason to discover that for someone in my position, involvement with the legal system was an occupational hazard.<br><br>I&apos;ve had to become a pretty good &apos;jail house lawyer&apos;, just to stay OUT of jail! &nbsp;Fortunately I am reasonably well educated, so &nbsp;it&apos;s been pretty easy for me to stand up for myself in the [predatory] face of &apos;the law&apos;.<br><br>As someone used to employing &apos;scientific rigour&apos; and never having reason to have many dealings the legal system before, I was shocked at how BAD and backward the legal system is.<br><br><br>I&apos;m so glad we don&apos;t have capital punishment anymore. &nbsp;With the arse-about [for profit] legal system the way it is, we&apos;d be sending so many innocent people to the gallows.<br><br>Plus, I never understood this &quot;never talk to the police&quot; mantra. &nbsp;If you&apos;re innocent of the crime they&apos;re investigating, and don&apos;t want to live in a crime-ridden society, wouldn&apos;t you WANT to assist the police in any way you can - I thought.<br><br>But, now I understand. &nbsp;It&apos;s counter to everything right with the world, but NEVER, ever, ever speak to the police - about anything! &nbsp;Especially if you&apos;re innocent of any wrong doing.

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• PA

  @paulweston285 · 19 hours ago

  The hanging haunted the lives of all who witnessed it.

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• JE

  @JessicaM65 · 20 hours ago

  My father retired at the rank of Detective Chief Inspector. He didn&apos;t support the Death penalty because in his words &quot;Despite our best efforts, sometimes innocent people are found guilty, &nbsp;you can&apos;t bring an innocent man back to life&quot; I was a supporter of the Death penalty, however look how many Americans have been cleared by DNA Evidence in the USA who were on Death row.

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• JO

  @JohnParmenter-m7n · 23 hours ago

  When l was a young bloke in Geelong when this bloke was hanged and as was done at the time, the whole street lowered and closed there blinds or curtains, thats what people did in those times when there was a hanging.

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• VI

  @vickiryan5681 · 17 hours ago

  Well uncle Ron is happy where he is now thanks to his daughters,resting peacefully with his family ❤❤❤❤

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• TR

  @tracesprite6078 · 1 day ago

  This is why capital punishment has been rightly stopped. It is easy to make a wrongful conviction.

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• JO

  @johnelove4714 · 23 hours ago

  It is not often mentioned that Warder Bennett , the man who most likely fired the fatal shot , later committed suicide ...<br>Three families lost her husband and father ..<br>The Hodgsons,, <br>The Ryans ,, <br>And the Bennetts ,,,<br>If Justice had prevailed TWO of those men would not have died !!

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• RO

  @robinbanks610 · 20 hours ago

  It was scientifically proven years ago the angle of the bullet that entered the guard came from the tower killed by the tower guard but no way was the government having it a guard killed another guard. So yep it was a filthy stitch up Ryan was hung!!!!!!!!

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