Last public hanging at Grand Casemates Square

Capital punishment in

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

included public execution in the nineteenth century until 1864. The last sentence of death was passed in 1952. Under British law, capital punishment was almost abolished in 1965, in line with British practice. It was entirely abolished in 2002 along with all other

British Overseas Territories The British Overseas Territories (BOTs), also known as the United Kingdom Overseas Territories (UKOTs), are fourteen dependent territory, territories with a constitutional and historical link with the United Kingdom. They are the last remna ...

History

During the 18th and 19th centuries a gallows was accessible from within the 18th century tunnels inside Willis' Gallery in the northeastern part of the

Rock of Gibraltar The Rock of Gibraltar (from the Arabic name Jabel-al-Tariq) is a monolithic limestone promontory located in the British territory of Gibraltar, near the southwestern tip of Europe on the Iberian Peninsula, and near the entrance to the Mediterr ...

. The nearest entrance to this part of the tunnel system is by

Princess Anne's Battery Princess Anne's Battery is an artillery battery in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. It is located on Willis's Plateau at the northern end of the Upper Rock Nature Reserve, above Princess Caroline's Battery. It was named after Anne, ...

. The gallows and floggings were administered in sight of the Spanish troops who manned the

Spanish Lines The Lines of Contravallation of Gibraltar (Spanish: ''Línea de Contravalación de Gibraltar'' or ''Línea de Gibraltar''), known in English as the "Spanish Lines", were a set of fortifications built by the Spanish across the northern part of the ...

across the isthmus (the Spanish fortifications were later dismantled). Prior to the foundation of the

Alameda Gardens The Gibraltar Botanic Gardens or La Alameda Gardens are a botanical garden in Gibraltar, spanning around . The Rock Hotel lies above the park. History In 1816 the gardens were commissioned by the British Governor of Gibraltar General George ...

in 1816, its location (the Grand Parade, an assembly ground situated to the south of the town, beyond

Southport Gates The Southport Gates are three city gates in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. They are located in the Charles V Wall, one of the 16th century fortifications of Gibraltar. The gates are clustered together, with the South Bastion to ...

) was the place of public executions. During the 19th century, public military hangings were carried out at

Grand Casemates Square Grand Casemates Square (colloquially Casemates Square or Casemates) is the larger of the two main squares within the city centre of Gibraltar (the other being John Mackintosh Square). The square takes its name from the British-built Grand Casema ...

, with the last one held in 1864. Subsequent hangings took place at the HM Prison

Moorish Castle The Moorish Castle is the name given to a medieval fortification in Gibraltar comprising various buildings, gates, and fortified walls, with the dominant features being the Tower of Homage and the Gate House. Part of the castle itself also house ...

. Gibraltar's last hanging for

murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person wit ...

took place on 3 July 1931 when 31-year-old Ernest Opisso went to the gallows. He was executed for the murder of his employer in the flat above her shop where they both worked. It was the first execution in Gibraltar since 1896.

World War II

Two

Spaniards Spaniards, or Spanish people, are a Romance peoples, Romance ethnic group native to Spain. Within Spain, there are a number of National and regional identity in Spain, national and regional ethnic identities that reflect the country's complex Hist ...

from La Línea de la Concepción recruited by the German intelligence service, the

Abwehr The ''Abwehr'' (German for ''resistance'' or ''defence'', but the word usually means ''counterintelligence'' in a military context; ) was the German military-intelligence service for the ''Reichswehr'' and the ''Wehrmacht'' from 1920 to 1944. A ...

, 23-year-old Luis López Cordón Cuenca and 19-year-old José Martín Muñoz, were hanged on 11 January 1944 for offences committed during World War II. The hangings were carried out by famous British hangman Albert Pierrepoint, who had travelled undercover to Gibraltar to carry out the executions.

Post-war

Barring two exceptions, capital punishment was almost completely abolished in Gibraltar on 8 November 1965, in line with British practice. However, death sentences were last passed in Gibraltar in 1952.Capital punishment in Europe
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2000s

In 2001, Gibraltar still retained capital punishment for treason and piracy. However, capital punishment was abolished in 2002, when the death penalty was outlawed under all circumstances in all the

References

External links

7 Days Interview: Tito Vallejo
{{Gibraltar topics