82 Facts About Ronald Ryan

Ronald Joseph Ryan was the last person to be legally executed in Australia.

Ronald Ryan's hanging was met with public protests by those opposed to capital punishment.

Cecilia met Ronald Ryan while working as a nurse in Woods Point where he was suffering from lung disease.

In 1936, Ronald Ryan was confirmed in the Roman Catholic Church.

Ronald Ryan took as his confirmation name Joseph, becoming Ronald Edmond Joseph Ryan.

Ronald Ryan did not like Edmond and from then on used "Ronald Joseph Ryan".

Ronald Ryan's sisters were sent to the Good Shepherd Convent in Collingwood.

Ronald Ryan absconded from Rupertswood in September 1939 and, with his half-brother George Thompson, worked in and around Balranald, New South Wales; spare money earned from sleeper cutting and kangaroo shooting was sent to his mother, who was looking after their sick, alcoholic father.

At the age of 20, Ronald Ryan had saved enough money to rent a house in Balranald.

Ronald Ryan collected his mother and sisters and they lived together in this house.

Ronald Ryan's father stayed in Melbourne and died a year later, aged 62, after a long battle with miners' disease, phthisis tuberculosis.

Aged about 22, Ronald Ryan decided to join his brother, who was tomato farming near Tatura, Victoria.

Ronald Ryan started visiting Melbourne on weekends and during one of these weekend trips Ryan met his future wife, Dorothy Janet George.

On 4 February 1950, Ronald Ryan married Dorothy at St Stephen's Anglican Church in Richmond, Victoria.

Ronald Ryan converted from Roman Catholicism to the Church of England to marry her.

Ronald Ryan converted back to Catholicism shortly before his execution.

When it was too wet to cut timber, Ronald Ryan got a job painting for the State Electricity Commission.

Ronald Ryan was away for the weekend in Melbourne when the arsonist struck.

The arsonist was caught and claimed that Ronald Ryan had put him up to it in order to claim insurance money.

In 1956 Ronald Ryan appeared in court for passing bad cheques in Dandenong.

Ronald Ryan's partner was caught with the goods purchased with the bad cheques and handed Ryan over to the police.

Ronald Ryan received another good-behaviour bond after the arresting detective gave a favourable character reference on Ryan's behalf.

Ronald Ryan was studying for his Matriculation when he was released on parole in August 1963.

Ronald Ryan was regarded by the authorities as a model prisoner.

Ronald Ryan was charged with breaking and entering and theft offences on 6 January 1964.

Ronald Ryan later admitted to nine robberies in New South Wales between 4 April and 11 July 1964.

When Ronald Ryan was informed that his wife was seeking a divorce, he made a plan to escape from prison.

Ronald Ryan planned to take himself and his family and flee to Brazil, which did not have an extradition treaty with Australia.

When Hewitt told Ronald Ryan he did not have his car that day, Ronald Ryan rifle-butted him in the head causing serious injuries.

Les Watt, a petrol attendant who watched the escape from a petrol station on Sydney Rd, witnessed Ronald Ryan hitting Hewitt with the rifle.

The escapees then left the badly injured chaplain and Ronald Ryan ran out to Champ Street, directly in front of the south-west corner of the prison.

Meanwhile, confusion and noise were increasing around the busy intersection of Sydney Road and O'Hea Street and across to the Champ Street intersection, with Ronald Ryan waving the rifle around trying to get cars to stop so he could commandeer them, and people ducking for cover between cars.

Ronald Ryan threatened the driver and his passenger wife to get out of their car.

Ronald Ryan was persuaded by Ryan to get out, only to go back in the car to get her handbag.

Paterson, realising Ronald Ryan was armed, returned inside the prison to get a rifle.

Ronald Ryan grabbed her and pulled her away from the car.

In frustration, Ronald Ryan forced Mitchinson to back off, then got out of the passenger's side door and noticed Walker running towards him, being chased by Hodson who was holding the pipe in his hand.

Ronald Ryan had been struck by a single bullet that exited through Hodson's back, about an inch lower than the point of entry in his right chest.

Ronald Ryan had killed Henderson in a Middle Park toilet block, having shot him in the back of the head.

The only signed document by Ronald Ryan was that he would give no verbal testimony.

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

Ronald Ryan's rifle was never scientifically tested by ballistics experts to prove that it had fired a shot.

The fatal bullet and the spent cartridge casing were never recovered so no ballistic or forensic evidence was available to prove that Ronald Ryan had fired the fatal shot.

The Crown's case relied only on eyewitnesses who were near Pentridge Prison when Hodson was shot and killed, because there was no scientific forensic evidence to prove Ronald Ryan fired a shot.

Eleven eyewitnesses swore that they saw Ronald Ryan waving and aiming his rifle.

The owners of the car Ronald Ryan got into, Frank and Pauline Jeziorski, were two of the witnesses.

Pauline Jeziorski testified that she smelled gunpowder after Ronald Ryan had fired the shot.

The Crown relied upon unrecorded unsigned testimony that Ronald Ryan had, allegedly, verbally confessed to shooting Hodson.

Ronald Ryan grabbed Pete [Walker] and hit him with an iron bar.

Opas in defending Ronald Ryan put a lot of pressure on a warder who made conflicting statements, Paterson had made several mutually contradictory statements to police about what he saw, heard and did on that day.

Ronald Ryan testified that he kept his rifle to prove his innocence in the event of recapture, as he knew that forensic microscopic markings on the spent bullet would prove that it was not fired from his rifle.

Ronald Ryan denied firing a shot, denied the alleged verbal confessions said to have been made by him, and denied ever saying to anyone that he had shot a man.

Ronald Ryan was found guilty of manslaughter for the death of Arthur Henderson and received an 12-year sentence.

Ronald Ryan died on 5 March 2022, at the age of 80.

Gildea's account of the discussions in the jury room, not one member of the jury thought that Ronald Ryan would be executed.

Ronald Ryan was a bit too sure of himself in the witness box but the thing that decided us was handling the rifle which had killed Hodson.

When it was apparent that the Victorian Government was intent on hanging Ronald Ryan, Gildea contacted the nine other jury members he could trace.

Ronald Ryan argued that as a matter of law that the inherent inconsistencies and improbabilities and even impossibilities in the evidence.

Ronald Ryan had a right to increased free legal assistance for expert forensics analysis, to hire expert witnesses, and to present a series of appeals and recourses that were available to those facing execution by the government.

On 12 December 1966, the State Executive Council announced that Ronald Ryan would hang on 9 January 1967.

Opas, convinced of Ronald Ryan's innocence, agreed to work without pay.

On 4 January 1967, the State Executive Council stayed Ronald Ryan's execution pending an approach to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council.

Ronald Ryan's execution was delayed by Premier Bolte awaiting the Privy Council's decision.

On 23 January 1967, the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council refused Ronald Ryan leave for appeal.

At 23:00, Ronald Ryan was informed that his final petition for mercy had been rejected.

At the eleventh hour Ronald Ryan wrote his last letters to his family members, to his defence counsel, to the Anti-Hanging Committee and to Father Brosnan.

Ronald Ryan refused to have any sedatives but he did have a nip of whisky, and walked calmly onto the gallows trapdoor.

Later that day, Ronald Ryan's body was buried in an unmarked grave within the "D" Division prison facility.

Ronald Ryan's remains were cremated and placed next to his deceased ex-wife in Portland Cemetery.

Ronald Ryan had suffered an injury to his left eye as a child resulting in a permanent droop of his left eyelid.

Ronald Ryan favoured expensive clothing, aiming to impress others, and aspired to be known as Australia's leading criminal.

Ronald Ryan was of above-average intelligence and was described by the people who knew him and prison authorities as a likable character but a compulsive gambler.

Sister Margaret Kingston of the Good Shepherd Convent in Abbotsford, said Ronald Ryan told her that he had shot Hodson, but had not meant to kill him.

Watt, on the contrary, said that he saw Ronald Ryan take aim and fire and then saw Hodson fall flat on his face and not move.

Ronald Ryan signed only a statement saying that he would not be giving any statements, verbal or written, to anyone except his lawyer.

Ronald Ryan gave evidence and swore that he did not fire at Hodson.

Ronald Ryan denied the alleged verbal confessions said to have been made by him.

On 26 March 2003, just months prior to his death, Catholic priest Father John Brosnan was asked on ABC Radio by journalist Kellie Day about Ronald Ryan, who was believed to have fired the fatal shot during the prison breakout.

Mr Jones says he remains "unsure" of whether Ronald Ryan ever pulled the trigger.

Mr Jones, the former secretary of the Victorian Anti-Hanging Committee says he believes Ronald Ryan's hanging was an attempt by then Victorian Premier Henry Bolte, to push his law and order agenda.

Until his death in 1992, Starke remained troubled about Ronald Ryan's hanging and would often ask his colleagues if they thought he did the right thing.

Ronald Ryan was a pretty talkative fellow, he might have.