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Ronald Ryan
Status	Executed by hanging
Spouse	Dorothy Janet (nee George)
Children	Janice, Wendy, Rhonda, Robert
Parent(s)	John Ryan and Cecilia (nee Young)

Conviction(s)	murder
Criminal charge	murder
Penalty	death

Ronald Joseph Ryan (21 February 1925 - 3 February 1967) was the last person to be legally executed in Australia. Despite inconsistencies in evidence, lack of scientific forensics and missing pieces of evidence, Ryan was found guilty of shooting and killing a prison officer during a prison escape from Pentridge Prison in Victoria on 19th December 1965. The hanging of Ryan sparked some of the biggest public protests ever seen in the history of Australia. His execution created massive public outrage and the subsequent abolition of the death penalty in Australia. To this day, the Ryan case provokes questions of whether Ryan was guilty beyond reasonable doubt. The case proving his guilt was not completely free from reasonable doubt.

Early life

Ryan was born on 21 February 1925 at the Royal Womens' Hospital in Melbourne's inner suburb of Carlton, to John (aka Big Jack) and Cecilia Thompson. Cecilia already had a son with her first husband George Harry Thompson and was living with John Ryan. Cecilia and George had separated in 1915 when George left to fight in the Great War. The relationship never resumed. Cecilia met John Ryan while working as a nurse in Woods Point where he was suffering lung disease. They formed a relationship in 1924 and later married after Thompson's death in 1927 from a car accident.

In 1936 Ryan was confirmed in the Catholic Church. He took as his confirmation name Joseph, and then became known as Ronald Joseph Ryan. The family lived in dire poverty. When Jack was completely unable to work due to lung disease and with most of his invalid pension spent on alcohol, the family move to a tiny cottage in Brunswick and things became even more desperate. Severe, neglected ulceration leaves Ronald almost blind in his left eye, which causes a slight droop to his damaged eye. Finally Mrs Ryan can no longer keep the state child welfare authorities at bay.

The Ryan children are made a ward of the state after authorities declared them as "neglected". At the age of ten Ronald Ryan is sent to the Salesian Brothers' Orphanage at Sunbury, on the outskirts of Melbourne. His sisters (Irma, Violet and Gloria) were sent to the Good Shepard Convent in Collingwood.

Ryan did quite well, captaining the football and cricket teams, joining the choir, and impressing other boys as 'a natural leader'. Ryan absconded from Rupertswood in September 1939 and joined his half-brother George Thompson, working in and around Balranald, New South Wales, spare money earnt from sleeper cutting and kangaroo shooting was sent money to his mother looking after their sick alcoholic father John Ryan.

At the age of eighteen, Ryan returns to Melbourne from Balranald and picks up his three sisters from the convent and buys them new clothes. Excitedly, he tells his sisters about the wide-open space in the "outback", and his plans to move them and their mother away from the violence and bad memories of the big city. Later that year, after months of hard work to prove his ability to support his sisters, the state child welfare authorities agree to young Ronald's plans. That Christmas the family are joyfully reunited at Balranald. Ryan is now the sole breadwinner for the family. While his sisters go to school and his mother looks after the house, Ryan takes on some farm work as well as his other jobs. Ryan's father Jack, stayed in Melbourne and died after a long battle with miners' phthisis turberculosis a year later. Ryan worked to support his mother and sisters.

Aged about 23, Ryan returned to Melbourne where he was employed as a storeman. On 4th February 1950, Ryan married Dorothy Janet George at St Stephen's Anglican Church in Richmond. She was the daughter of the Mayor of the Melbourne suburb of Hawthorn - a prominent figure in local government, from an old Melbourne family. Ryan's origins are firmly working class. Ronald and Dorothy then have three daughters, Janice, Wendy, Rhonda and Robert (died a few hours after birth).

Although Ryan had no trade, he was a versatile worker, managing to support a wife and three daughters. Each summer he works as a timber-cutter for a man named Keith Johanson, a logging and pulpwood contractor in the mountains near Matlock, eighty miles from Melbourne. Gradually, Ryan worked up to a position as sub-foreman, responsible for paying and organising a number of other men. Every second weekend, Ryan hitch-hikes home to Melbourne with a cheque for his family, but the precious hours with his wife and daughters are never long enough. Early Monday morning he went back to work in the forest.

Ryan works harder than ever, earning the respect of his employers and the men under him. When his daughters begin attending school and the timber-cutting season ended, there is not enough money. Ryan, now aged 31, is too proud to ask Dorothy's parents for financial help and instead begins to gamble heavily and passing forged cheques. He is soon caught and he pleads guilty. Ryan is released on a five-year good behaviour bond. In one report a detective describes Ryan as "highly intelligent". Ryan worked in a series of straight jobs closer to home. For three years he avoided crime, instead turning to gambling as a way to give his family what he believed they deserved. However this inevitably leads Ryan to store-breaking, then stealing, then factory-breaking. Again he is caught.

Ryan's Life

Ryan was a petty-thief, a small-time criminal, with no history of violence. Unlike many criminals, Ryan's police record did not begin until he was 31 years of age.

Ryan was first sent to prison for robbery. He had overcome the temptation to fall into a criminal life during a difficult upbringing, only to stumble in maturity.

Ryan's troubles began when he tried to live up to the social level of his wife's family, who were wealthy business people. In desperation Ryan turned to gambling, switched from manual work to passing bad cheques, received stolen goods, shopbreaking and burglary.

Ryan first served prison time at Bendigo Prison. His time in prison was productive and he exhibited a disciplined approach to study, completing his Leaving Certificate (year 11). Ryan was studying for his Matriculation Certificate (year 12) when he was released on parole in August 1963 He was regarded by the authorities as a model prisoner. Appearing to want to rehabilitate himself.

According to his wife Dorothy, in the documentary film The Last Man Hanged Ryan wanted to provide everything for his family and his gambling escalated. Ryan returned to crime. On 13th November 1964, Ryan received an eight-year prison sentence for breaking and entering. He was sent to Pentridge Prison.

Slightly built and 5 ft 8 ins (173 cm) tall, Ryan was a stylish-if spivvy'-dresser, who usually wore expensive, well-cut suits, silk tie and a fedora. He was always keen to impress as a man of means and consequence. He was of above-average intelligence and was described by not only the people who knew him, but also prison authorities, as a likable character with dignity and self-respect.

Prison Escape

After Ryan was sentenced to Pentridge, he was placed in 'B' Division where he met a fellow prisoner Peter John Walker (who was serving a 12 year sentence for bank robbery). When Ryan was informed that his wife was getting a divorce, he made a plan to escape from prison. Walker decided to go along with him. Ryan planned to take himself and his family and flee to Brazil, where there was no extradition treaty with Australia. In the documentary film The Last Man Hanged Dorothy Ryan confirms this fact.

At around 2 p.m. on Sunday 19 December 1965, Ryan and Walker put the escape plan into effect. As prison officers were taking turns attending a staff Christmas party in the officers' mess hall, Ryan and Walker scaled a five-metre prison wall with the aid of two wooden benches, a hook and blankets. Running along the top of the wall to a prison watch tower, they overpowered prison guard Helmut Lange, and Ryan took his M1 carbine rifle.

Ryan ordered Lange to pull the lever which would open the prison tower gate to freedom. Lange pulled the wrong lever. When Ryan realised Lange had tricked him, he threatened Lange by cocking the rifle (which Ryan could not operate) with the safety-catch on. This faulty operation (conceded by Lange and confirmed by ballistic experts during trial) would have caused an undischarged bullet to be ejected, spilling onto the floor of the tower. This bullet was one of eight rounds kept in every M1 carbine rifles issued to prison officers. Lange then pulled the correct lever to open the tower gate, the two escapees ran down the steps towards the prison car park.

Walker had hidden behind a nearby church wall. Prison officer Bennett had his rifle aimed at Walker and ordered Walker to halt or he would shoot. Bennett shouted to Hodson he had Walker pinned down. Hodson headed for Walker and in a scuffle he disarmed Walker of his pipe. Walker broke free so Hodson began hitting the fleeing Walker over his head with the piece of pipe. This wasn't the first time that Hodson used violence against a prisoner. The Truth Newspaper published letters from ex-prisoners claiming that Hodson was a violent heavy-weight bully who would bash prisoners with phone books, as not to leave marks on their bodies. Hodson was separated from his wife and daughter and living with his new family in the red-light center of Inkerman Street, St Kilda. The area was notoriously known for street prostition and illegal narcotics.

Walker was faster runner than Hodson, so Hodson continued to chase after Walker with the pipe still in his hand. Both men ran towards the armed Ronald Ryan.

The prison alarm was raised by prison guard Lange, and it began to blow loudly, indicating a prison escape. Prison guard William Bennett, standing on number 2 tower aimed his rifle at Ryan who was taking Hewitt as hostage. Ryan began running around on the road trying to seize a getaway vehicle. Ryan threatened a car driver and his passenger wife to get out of their car. The driver Frank Jeziorski, got out of his car and Ryan got in. Amazingly, the heavily pregnant Pauline Jeziorski refused to get out of the car. She was persuaded by Ryan to get out of the car, only to get back in the car to get her handbag. In frustration, Ryan then got out of the driver's seat and noticed Walker running towards him, being chased by Hodson who was holding the pipe in his hand. Walker was shouting frantically to Ryan that prison guard William Bennett, standing on the number 2 prison tower, had his rifle aimed at them. At this time, Hodson was running close behind Walker, who was near Ryan.

Meanwhile, confusion and noise was gaining strength around the busy intersection of Sydney Road and O'Hea Street, with vehicles and trams banking up and people running around between cars. Armed prison guards, including Robert Paterson, came running out onto the street. Armed prison guards appeared on prison walls and on top of prison guard towers. Paterson admitted that he came out of the prison main gate, stood on a low wall, aimed his rifle at Ryan, and claimed to have suddenly fired a shot in the air when a woman came into his sight.

In scenes of noise and confusion, a loud whip-like crack of a single shot was heard, and a prison officer George Hodson (closely running after Walker, not far from Ryan) fell to the ground. He had been struck by a single bullet, travelling from front to back in a downward trajectory. The bullet had exited through Hodson's back, about an inch lower than the point of entry in his right shoulder. Hobson died in the middle of Sydney Road. Later at trial, prison guard Robert Paterson testified he fired a shot.

Based on Hobson's injuries, Ryan's defence counsel argued at his subsequent trial for murder, that the ballistics evidence indicated that the fatal bullet entered Hodson's (shoulder) body at such a downward trajectory angle that Ryan (5 feet 8 inches (1.73 m) tall) would have had to have been 8 feet 6 inches (2.55 m) tall to have fired the shot. But the prosecution argued that Hodson (6 feel 1 inch (1.85 m) tall) could have been running in a stooped position, thus accounting for the bullet's fatal downward trajectory angle of entry.

Fourteen eyewitnesses testified in court that they heard only one shot - no person heard two shots fired. Paterson testified he fired a shot. If Ryan had also fired a shot, it is likely that at least one person would have heard two shots. All fourteen persons testified to hearing only one shot. Some witnesses testified they saw Ryan's rifle recoil when he fired - but the rifle actually had no recoil. Any gun not held properly will recoil. Some witnesses testified they saw smoke from Ryan's rifle - but the rifle was actually loaded with smokeless ammunition.

Later at trial, all prison officers testified that they did not see Hodson carrying anything, and they did not see Hodson hit Walker. However, two witnesses Louis Bailey and Keith Dobson, testified that they saw Hodson carring something like an iron-bar/baton as he was chasing after Walker.

On the run

Ryan and Walker successfully eluded their pursuers outside Pentridge and escaped using a car they commandeered outside the prison. The prison escape was dominating newspapers and the media. One newscast reported that "... Ronald Ryan, serving time for burglary, seized a prison officer and shot him dead." For the next nineteen days, daily coverage of the shooting of Hodson by Ryan dominated the news. The media coverage had already convicted Ryan of shooting Hodson.

On 24 December 1965, the Victorian Government announced a 5,000 pounds (AU$10,000) reward for information leading to the capture of the prison escapees, Ryan and Walker. It was reported in The Age newspaper that the Chief Secretary and Attorney General Arthur Rylah, issued a warning to the escapees that the killing of Hodson during the prison escape was the worst Victoria had known, and that the Hanging Act was still in force.

Recapture

Ryan and Walker were on the run for 19 days before being recaptured in Sydney. With a lack of other news over the quiet Christmas period, the Pentridge Prison escape and Hodson's "murder" are the biggest media stories in Australia. Hundreds of newspaper column inches and hours of electronic media reports have already tried Ryan and found him guilty.

Extradited

Ryan, Walker were extradited back to Melbourne. They were jointly tried for the murder of George Hodson. It is alleged that Ryan made three verbal confessions to police whilst being extradited to Melbourne. According to police, Ryan admitted to them he had shot prison officer Hodson. However, these verbal allegations were not signed by Ryan and he denied making such verbal or written confessions to anyone. The only signed document by Ryan was that he would give no verbal testimony.

Walker was also tried for the shooting murder of Arthur James Henderson during the period when he and Ryan were at large.

Trial and sentencing

On 15 March 1966, the case of The Queen v. Ryan and Walker began in the Supreme Court of Victoria. Justice John Starke instructed the jury of 12-men to look at the realities of things and ignore all that they had read and heard about the case in the media.

At trial Ryan testified, "At no time did I fire a shot. My freedom was the only objective. The rifle was taken in the first instance so that it could not be used against me".

The crown's case relied on eyewitnesses who were near the Pentridge Prison when Hodson was killed. Each witness had a different idea to where Ryan was standing when the shot was fired. Some witnesses testified they saw Ryan's rifle recoil when he fired and that they saw smoke from Ryan's rifle. But that type of rifle had no recoil and it contained smokless cartridges.

After a trial in the Victorian Supreme Court lasting twelve sitting days and despite inconsistencies in evidence, no scientific forensics of Ryan's rifle to prove it had fired a shot, the spent cartridge and the bullet that killed Hodson were never found, and the downward trajectory of Hodson's fatal wound, the jury found Ryan guilty of murder.

Ryan was convicted of the murder of Hodson and sentenced to death by Justice John Starke, the mandatory sentence at that time. Walker was found not guilty of murder, but guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to 12 years imprisonment. Asked if he had anything to say before sentencing Ryan stated; "I still maintain my innocence. I will consult with my counsel with a view to appeal. That is all I have to say!"

After the trial

According to the 12 male jurors, they evidently thought that the death sentence would be commuted, as had happened in the previous 35 death penalties cases since 1951. According to one jury member's later account of the discussions in the jury room, not one member of the jury thought that Ryan would be executed.

The jury had originally decided on a not-guilty verdict, but two jury members who thought Ryan was guilty convinced the others to bring in a guilty verdict. They were so sure that the death sentence would be commuted to life imprisonment, that they did not even discuss the issue of making a recommendation for mercy along with their guilty verdict. Later, some of the jurors came forth and stated they would never have convicted Ryan of murder had they known that he would in fact be executed.

Appeal

Opas decided to appeal against the murder verdict. The appeal was to the Victorian Court of Criminal Appeal, a bench consisting of three judges of the Supreme Court. His first ground was that the verdict was against the weight of the evidence. He argued that as a matter of law that the inherent inconsistencecies and improbabilites and even impossibilities in the evidence. The appeal was dismissed on June 8, 1966. In October 1966, a second appeal is rejected. Soon after, legal aid to Ryan is cut. Opas agrees to work without pay. Two months later Premier Bolte, announces that Ryan's death sentence will not be commuted. Opas flied to London to present Ryan's case to the highest judges in the Commonwealth. Despite Opas' efforts, the Privy Council refused the appeal. On 26th January 1967 a personal appeal to the Queen is is unsuccessful.

A Political Hanging

Henry Bolte, Victoria’s longest serving State Premier premier, was a key figure in the hanging of Ronald Ryan. Until this time, the State Government of Victoria had commuted every death sentence passed since 1951, after three people including a female, Jean Lee (the last female executed in Australia) had been executed for a single murder.

At the time of the Ryan sentence there were at least four State cabinet members who opposed capital punishment but Premier Bolte was determined to prevail. At the time, Victoria was facing another State election and Bolte wanted to win extra votes by taking the "tough on crime" stance. Bolte was reported over the media saying, a hanging is 10 percent of the vote. Justice John Starke reported that Bolte had insisted that the death sentence be carried out. Bolte's determination to hang Ryan to boost his votes is widely documented in the film The Last Man Hanged.

When it became apparent that the Premier Bolte intended to proceed with the execution, a secret eleventh-hour plea for mercy was made by four jury members who had found Ryan guilty of murder. They sent petitioning letters to the Victorian governor, stating that in reaching their verdict, they had believed that capital punishment had been abolished in Victoria and requesting that the Governor exercise the Royal Prerogative of Mercy and commute Ryan's sentence of death.

Bolte denied all requests for mercy and was determined Ryan would hang. The approaching execution of Ryan prompted widespread protests in Victoria and elsewhere around the country.

Newspapers in Melbourne, traditionally supporters of the Bolte government, deserted him on the issue and ran a campaign of spirited opposition on the grounds that the death penalty was barbaric. There is some evidence that, for premier Bolte, Ryan's execution was an opportunity for him to re-assert his political authority.

As Ryan's execution approached, his 75-year old mother made a final plea to Premier Bolte for mercy. Cecilia Ryan wrote; "I plead at this late hour you will reverse your decision to hang my son. If you cannot find it in your heart to grant this request then I pray you will grant me one last favour, that the body of my son be given into my custody after his death so that I can give him a Christian burial. I pray to God for the success of this last prayer". Premier Bolte promptly replied in a letter, saying that her son would not be spared the death penalty and that his body would not be returned to her for a Christian burial.

Churches, universities, unions and a large number of the public and legal professions opposed the death sentence. An estimated 18,000 people participated in street protests and 15,000 signed a petition against the hanging. Melbourne newspapers The Age, The Herald and The Sun, ran campaigns opposing the hanging of Ryan. The Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC) suspended radio broadcasts for two minutes as a protest.

On the last night before his execution, Ryan wrote letters on toilet paper, to his family and to those who had fought tirelessly on his behalf. Ryan maintained his innocence to the end. Ronald Ryan's last words were to the hangman; "God bless you, please make it quick."

A nationwide three-minute silence was observed at the exact time (8 AM) that Ryan was hanged on the hot morning of Friday 3rd February 1967. Thousands of people protested against the hanging outside Pentridge Prison. Inmates staged a sit-in as a protest against Ryan's hanging, refusing to obey orders to go to work.

A young female reporter asked Bolte what he was doing at 8:00 a.m. Bolte replied; "One of the three S’s I suppose" when asked what he mean’t by that, Bolte replied; "A shit, a shave or a shower!".

Execution

All calls for clemency, petitions and protests were to no avail. Ryan was hanged in 'D' Division at Pentridge Prison at 8.00 AM on Friday 3 February, 1967. Only minutes before Ryan was led from the condemned cell to the gallows, Prison Governor Grindlay said to Ryan; You killed one of my men. Ryan replied; I didn't do it Gov, I swear I didn't shoot him. Ryan insisted he was not guilty of murdering Hodson. Ryan was not given any sedatives and walked calmly onto the gallows trapdoor. The hangman wasted no time and quickly pulled the lever. Ryan fell through the trapdoor with a loud crash. Several media journalists were invited to witness the execution.

A nationwide three-minute silence was observed at the exact time that Ryan was hanged on the hot morning of Friday 1967. Thousands of people protested against the hanging outside Pentridge Prison.

Later that day, Ryan's body was buried in an unmarked grave within the "D" Division prison facility. The exact location of Ryan's grave has never been released by the authorities.

While the biggest public protest ever seen in the history of Australia was not successful in averting Ryan’s execution, the protest campaign to save Ryan from the gallows ensured that governments around Australia regarded it as too difficult politically to ever resort to the death penalty again.

Within twenty years, capital punishment would be abolished federally and in all state and territory jurisdictions. In 1985, Australia officially abolished capital punishment.

Today, almost all federal and state politicians from all political parties are opposed to the reintroduction of capital punishment in Australia, for all crimes. Whether these politicians are representative of their voters is less clear. In recent years, Australian politicians (both government and opposition) have made various comments that have changed Australia's opposition to the death penalty. The implications of this shift in Australian policy have not yet been fully explored or debated.

Forty Years Later

Forty years after Ronald Ryan was hanged, his family members made a request to have his body exhumed and placed with his late wife Dorothy, at Portland Cemetery. Victorian Premier John Brumby, gave permission for archaeological work and exhumation of Ryan's body.

Only recently has it been revealed by undertakers John Roy V. Allison that Ryan was buried in a highly polished darkwood coffin with the best trimmings, high-quality handles, satin lining, and a crucifix attached to the coffin. In a protest against the hanging, the undertakers added the best of everything to Ryan's coffin, so that his daughters would know he had a bit of dignity.

However, the daughter of murdered prison guard, Carole Hodson-Barnes-Hodson-Price, strongly objected and claimed Ryan did not deserve to be buried in consecrated ground. She was a 13-year-old at the time of her father's death and had not lived with her father for a number of years. When visiting Ryan's unmarked grave recently, she danced and jumped on it.

Carole Hodson angrily demanded to know who was funding Ryan's exhumation and made a plea to Victorian Premier John Brumby to ensure Ryan's remains not be removed from the prison grounds and not be returned to Ryan's family members. But Mr Brumby supported the views of Ryan's relatives to have his body exhumed so it could be cremated and placed with his late wife Dorothy, buried at Portland Cemetery.

Carole Hodson has been unable to bury the bitterness and get any sense of peace after so many years. She has been vocal and angry and doesn't believe Ryan deserves any consideration. Her request to the journalist for media interview has been ignored.

The effects of the death penalty experienced by families of executed criminals are documented in two books; Hidden Victims: The Effects of the Death Penalty on Families of the Accused by Susan F. Sharp (Associate Professor of Sociology) and Capital Consequences: Families of The Condemned by Rachel King (Lawyer). The books highlight the death penalty's hidden victims - the families of executed offenders and how the execution trickles down to those closely connected to the offender. Family members and friends experience a profoundly complicated and socially isolating grief process - economic, social and psychological repercussions that shape the lives of the forgotten families of executed offenders. Post-traumatic stress disorder can also affect these innocent family members.

The family members of Ronald Ryan - the unseen and unheard innocent victims of Ryan's execution, have been devastated and have suffered without sympathy or comfort, having had a ripple effect through to the future generations. The Ryan family have kept a low-profile over the decades, but have endured public scrutiny, been subjected to harassment, and are struggling to live with the knowledge that Ryan may have been innocent of murder when he was executed by the State of Victoria. The emotional pain of Ryan's family members tends to attract less attention and empathy from the media and the public, than that of the victim's family members.

The Case for Innocence

Australian Criminologist Professor Gordon Hawkins, at Sydney University Law School doubts the validity of the unsigned confessions of Ryan in a television film documentary, Beyond Reasonable Doubt. Although verbal confessions are not permissible in court, in the 1960s the public and therefore the jury, were much more trusting of the police.

Evidence pointing to the innocence of Ronald Ryan may have been lost when prison guard Helmut Lange, committed suicide by shooting himself in the head whilst on duty at Pentridge Prison, two years after Ryan was hanged. It is alleged that a close friend of Lange (who wanted to remain anonymous) claimed Lange had been troubled since the prison escape and committed suicide.

This anonymous friend of Lange, telephoned Ryan's defence attorney Dr Philip Opas QC, years after Lange's death to claim that Lange confessed to finding the missing bullet casing in the prison guard tower and told his friend he had made an official report to prison authorities at the time, attaching the missing bullet casing.

But Lange had been ordered by "someone" to make a new statement, excluding any reference to the missing bullet casing. Fearing for his job, Lange made a new statement. At trial, Lange testified that he did not see a bullet casing. Dr Opas advised the caller to inform the Police but it is unknown whether in fact the caller did. Police refused to comment.

In 1993, a former Pentridge prisoner Harold Sheehan claimed he had witnessed the shooting but had not come forward at the time. Sheehan saw Ryan on his knees when the shot rang out and therefore, Ryan could not have inflicted the wound that passed in a downward trajectory angle that killed Hodson.

All prison authorized M1 carbine rifles were issued with eight rounds of bullets, including the rifle seized by Ryan from Lange. Seven of the eight rounds were accounted for. If the eighth fell on the floor of the prison watch tower when Ryan cocked the rifle with the safety catch on, thereby ejecting a live round, then the bullet that killed Hodson must have been fired by a person other than Ryan.

Nineteen years after Ryan's execution, a prison officer Doug Pascoe, confessed on-air to Channel 9 and the media, that he fired a shot during Ryan's escape bid. Pascoe believes his shot may have accidentally killed his fellow prison guard, Hodson. Pascoe had not told anyone that he fired a shot during the escape because at that time, "I was a 23-year-old coward". In 1986, he tried to tell his story but his claim was dismissed by police, because his rifle had a full magazine after the shooting and he was too far away.

It was also were discredited by the authorities because according to the staff roster book Pascoe was on duty at another part of the prison. Whether the staff roster book even existed after 19 years remains questionable. The roster book may have been meaningless on that particular day anyway, because prison staff were taking turns standing-in for workmates as required, while they attended the staff Christmas party.

Contesting the fatal shot, Dr Opas explains in detail the facts, which he claims cannot lie - which cannot be mistaken - that not only did Ryan not fire a shot, but he could not have fired a shot. Witnesses for the prosecution claimed to have seen Ryan's recoil the rifle, shoulder jerk back, and smoke coming from the barrel of the gun. In fact, that type of rifle had no recoil and it contained smokeless cartridges.

In a letter, Opas on Ryan - The Innocence of Ronald Ryan written to The Victorian Bar Association and published in The Bar News in Spring 2002, Dr Opas responds to a recently made assertion by Julian Burnside (who was reviewing Mike Richard's book-for-profits The Hanged Man, and who was not involved with the Ryan case in many manner whatsoever,) that Ryan was guilty, the verdict was correct but the punishment was wrong. It is important to note that Burnside's "personal assertion" is based on one book-for-profits that was published 35 years after Ryan was hanged. After 35 years, many people directly involved in the Ryan case had died, the stories within the book cannot be confirmed, therefore the author's account of the truth is unreliable and in total contrast to the many researched documentary films and articles on the Ryan case. In addition, the editors of The Victorian Criminal Bar Association admitted that Julian Burnside personal assertion of Ryan's guilt is wrong.

Dr Opas vehemently disagrees with this assertion and refuses to believe that at any time did Ryan confess to anyone that he fired a shot. Burnside has been asked on several occasions to explain how came to his assertion, but has refused to explain. Dr Opas vehemently states that there is no evidence anywhere, that Ryan ever confessed guilt to anyone, either verbally or in writing.

Ryan gave evidence and swore that he did not fire at Hodson. He denied firing a shot at all. Ryan denied the alleged verbal confessions said to have been made by him. Dr Opas says the last words Ryan said to him were; We’ve all got to go sometime, but I don’t want to go this way for something I didn’t do.

On 1st March 2004, in an interview with the Australian Coalition Against Death Penalty (ACADP), Dr Opas said; I want to put the record straight. I want the truth told about Ronald Ryan - that an innocent man went to the gallows. I want the truth to be made available to everyone, for anyone young and old, who may want to do research into Ryan's case or research on the issue of capital punishment. I will go to my grave firmly of the opinion that Ronald Ryan did not commit murder. I refuse to believe that at any time he told anyone that he did.

On 23 August 2008, Dr Philip Opas QC, who had received an OBE died after a long illness at the age of 91. Opas maintained Ryan's innocence to the end. He was posthumously awarded an AM : Australia Day Honours in February 2009 - defended Ronald Ryan in 1966.

Mr. Justice Starke the judge at Ryan's trial, and a committed abolitionist, was convinced of Ryan's guilt but did not agree Ryan should hang. Until his death in 1992, Starke remained troubled about Ryan's hanging and would often ask his colleagues if they thought he did the right thing.

Prison Chaplin Father John Brosnan

Father Brosnan was a saintly Catholic priest for 57 years. For 30 years he was Pentridge Prison chaplain and one not easily fooled by the prisoners. He knew Ronald Ryan very well. Father Brosnan was convinced and always believed Ryan was innocent.

On 26th March 2003, Father Brosnan was interviewed by The Australian Broadcasting Commission National Radio, and, as Brosnan was often asked in the past, about Ronald Ryan - who it was believed fired the fatal shot during the prison breakout. Father Brosnan replied; I don't know whose bullet killed who, but a friend of mine (Ryan) died. I don't want to make a hero out of Ryan but I'll tell you what, he had heroic qualities."

Ryan's defence lawyer and the priest developed a close friendship while working on the Ryan case. Dr Opas believes that Father Brosnan would have told him if Ryan had confessed guilt. Father Brosnan accompanied Ryan to the gallows and he believed Ryan was innocent.

Facts

Ryan's rifle was never scientifically tested by forensic experts.

There was no proof that Ryan's rifle had been fired.

The fatal bullet that passed through Hodson's body was never found.

The spent cartridge, also, was never found.

It was never proven that the fatal bullet came from the weapon in Ryan's possession.

All fourteen witnesses testified they heard one single shot.

Paterson admitted and testified he fired one single shot.

No person heard two shots fired. If Ryan had also fired a shot, at least one person would have heard two shots. Only one shot was heard.

Balistic evidence indicated that Hodson was shot in a downward trajectory angle.

The measurement of the entry and exit wound on Hodson's body indicated that the shot was fired from an elevated position.

Ryan (a shorter man) could not have fired at Hodson (a taller man) in such a downward trajectory angle, as both were on level ground.

Witnesses testified seeing Ryan recoil his rifle and smoke coming from the barrel of his rifle. In fact, that type of rifle had no recoil and it contained smokeless cartridges.

-Not true M1 Carbines do recoil and modern weapons do in fact emit smoke when fired. Check out youtube; search on M1 carbines, live firings clearly show recoil and smoke.

Alleged Confession

In a book-for-profits by Mike Richards entitled The Hanged Man, (released and published in 2002) makes allegations that Ryan confessed guilt to Pentridge Prison Governor Ian Grindlay the night before the hanging. According to the book that was only released 35 years after Ryan was hanged is in total contrast to the many researched past documentary films on the Ryan case. According to this book Ryan said to Grindlay, "I did shoot him (Hodson) but I didn't mean to kill him only to stop him." It should be noted that Grindlay died more than one decade before the book that contains this allegation was published. Therefore, the author's account of the truth cannot be confirmed and is unreliable. Also, the author makes various unconfirmed allegations against now deceased persons directly involved in the Ryan case. Richards allegations in his book-for-profits are merely "hearsay" in an effort to gain notoriety.

The historical "fact" (something that is absolutely indisputable) and supported by Dr Opas and the many other meticulously researched documentaries, stories and articles on the Ryan case, is that there is no evidence, nor are there any documented records, anywhere whatsoever, that Grindlay (while still alive) said to anyone, at anytime, that Ryan had confessed guilt.

CONCLUSION - Who shot Hodson?

To this day, the the events surrounding the prison escape, the inconsistencies in evidence, lack of forensics, and the many unexplained incidents, continue to cast doubt on Ryan's guilt. for example; Police testified in court that the M1 carbine rifle stolen by Ryan from Lange "looked as if" it had been fired. For some mysterious unknown reasons, the rifle in Ryan's possession had not been scientifically examined.

The most crucial fact remains:

There was no evidence of proof that Ryan's stolen M1 rifle had been fired.

All the bullets in Ryan's M1 carbine rifle were accounted for. When Ryan cocked the rifle with the safety-catch on, this faulty operation (conceded by Lange and confirmed by ballistic experts at trial) would have caused an undischarged bullet to be ejected, spilling onto the floor of the guardtower.

The fact that Ryan's rifle was never scientifically examined by forensics to prove it had fired a shot is not "hearsay" and is "fact".

Last Legal Execution in Australia Documentary Film

The Last Man Hanged is a dramatised documentary released in 1992 based on miticulous research, with a mixture of re-creating interviews with the people directly involved in the Ryan case and archival material depicting the events leading up to the hanging of Ronald Joseph Ryan in Pentridge Prison. What evolves in the documentary is a powerful and emotional statement about capital punishment - a universal story about the social and political pressures that can lead a government to take the life of a human being and the story of a complex Ronald Ryan, who was as much a victim of politics as the victims of society he had violated - a man who believed ultimately he had to die.

Featuring candid interviews with the people who knew Ryan well - his wife, lawyer, fellow escapee, trial judge, the priest, politicians, the journalist who witnessed his execution. The Last Man Hanged is the story of Ronald Ryan, a petty-thief with no record of violence, but whose botched escape from prison resulted in his execution - the story of a brutal, cold-blooded murder by the State.

Film and Television Documentaries

The Last Man Hanged, historical documentary, ABC, Australia, 1993
The Last Of The Ryans, television movie, Crawford Productions, Australia, 23 April 1997
Beyond Reasonable Doubt - The Case of Ronald Ryan, documentary series, 1977 Australian Film Commission
Odd Man Out - The Story of Ronald Ryan Three-part television mini-series
Who Hung Ronald Ryan? Australian Broadcasting Corporation Film (A Documentary Film on The Execution of Ronald Ryan - released 1987)
The Blood of Helmut Lange - The Unjustified Execution of Ronald Ryan] The Factory Theatre Crime Scenes.

Publications

Dr Philip Opas, QC The Innocence of Ronald Ryan Victorian Criminal Bar Association. (Newsletter, Spring 2002).
The Hanging of Ronald Ryan (Part 1) Transcript, News Articles, Video.
The Hanging of Ronald Ryan (Part 2) Transcript, News Articles, Video.
The Hanging of Ronald Ryan (Part 3) Transcript, News Articles, Video.
Dickens, Barry, Remember Ronald Ryan: A Dramatic Play, Currency Press, Sydney, 1994, ISBN 0868193925
Dickens, Barry, Guts and Pity - The Hanging that ended Capital Punishment in Australia, Currency Press, Sydney, 1996 ISBN 0868194247

External links

"New resting place for Ronald Ryan", National Nine News, 29 October, 2007
Ewart, Heather, "35th anniversary of Australia's last execution", 7.30 Report, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 14 March, 2002
Norden, Fr. Peter, "Remembering a hanging", Jesuit Communications Australia, 10 September, 2007
Opas, Dr. Philip, "The Innocence of Ronald Ryan", The Victorian Criminal Bar, 2002
"Ryan, Ronald Joseph (1925 - 1967)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 16, Melbourne University Press, 2002, p. 157.
Ryan, Michael, "Ryan Still able to joke: mother", Home News, 27 January, 1967
The Last Man Hanged (documentary) at IMDb

Cited references

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