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Revision as of 03:30, 27 February 2006 by 144.137.41.185 (talk) (→Last legal execution in Australia)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Template:Australian criminals Ronald Moose Ryan (c. 21 February 1926 - 3 February 1967) was the last man to be legally executed in Australia.
He was a small-time criminal with no recorded history of violence. He was sent to prison in 1964 for shop-breaking and weapons offences with a 13 year sentence.
On 19 December 1965, Ronald Ryan and fellow prisoner Peter Walker escaped from Pentridge Prison. Prison guard George Hodson was killed during the escape, after Ryan overpowered a guard and took his rifle. Forensic evidence later indicated that the fatal bullet entered Hodson's body at such an angle, that Ryan would have had to have been 12 feet above where he was, when Hodson was shot. He was standing on the footpath outside the main gate of Pentridge, trying to stop a car in which to escape.
At the time, Victorian law included a felony murder rule so whether Ryan actually did or did not fire the weapon that killed the warder was legally irrelevant.
Ryan and Walker were captured in Sydney after 19 days on the run, and extradited back to Melbourne. Ryan was charged with the murder of Hodson. He was found guilty, convicted and sentenced to death.
References
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