Tags: Criminal.
Ronald Joseph Ryan (21 February 1925 – 3 February 1967) was the last person to be legally executed in Australia. Ryan was found guilty of shooting and killing prison officer George Hodson during an escape from Pentridge Prison Victoria in 1965. Ryan’s hanging was met with some of the largest public protests in the history of Australia and led to the end of executions in the country. The death penalty was abolished in Australia in 1985.