Victoria’s first executions occurred in 1842 when two Aboriginal men were hanged outside the site of the Melbourne Gaol for the killing of two whalers in the Westernport district.[5] Ronald Ryan was the last man executed at Pentridge Prison and in Australia. Ryan was hanged on 3 February 1967 after being convicted of the shooting death of a prison officer during a prison escape from Pentridge Prison, Coburg, Victoria in 1965. Ryan was the last of 186 executions.[6]
Victoria was also the state of the last woman executed in Australia. Jean Lee was hanged in 1951. She was accused of being an accomplice in the murder of 73-year-old William ('Pop') Kent. She, along with her accomplices were executed on 19 February 1951. Victoria would not carry out another execution until 16 years later when it became the last state to carry out an execution in 1967 with Ronald Ryan.[7]
Not all those executed were murderers. Albert McNamara was hanged for Arson in 1902 and David Bennett, hanged in 1932, was convicted of raping a four-year-old girl.[8] The number includes the triple murderer Edward Leonski, executed by the U.S. Army in 1942.[9]
The beam used to execute the condemned prisoner was removed from Old Melbourne Gaol and installed in D Division at Pentridge Prison by the condemned child rapist David Bennett. It was used for all 10 Pentridge hangings. After Victoria abolished capital punishment in 1975 the beam was removed and put into storage. It was reinstalled at the Old Melbourne Gaol in August 2000.[10]
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