After 75 years of secrecy, the case file of Jean Lee has just been released to the public. She went on to become the last woman executed in Australia. This momentous step helps illuminate the life of activist and educator Lee. Sadly, she was hung with her partners for the murder of William ‘Pop’ Kent in 1951. Henceforth, that capital case file is completely unsealed under the Public Records Act. It exposes jaw-dropping facts that shed new light on a crime that transfixed the nation and remains the subject of discussion between historians and legal authorities.
Things took a dramatic turn in Jean Lee’s life after she divorced her husband in 1942. Unable to make ends meet for her daughter, Aria turned to sex work and petty crime. Her romantic entanglement with Robert Clayton, a petty criminal, became more serious during this time. The Kerns had teamed up with Norman Andrews to murder Kent. What did them in was their own actions that led to their arrest and conviction.
The Crime and Conviction
In March 1950, Jean Lee, Robert Clayton, and Norman Andrews were convicted of the murder of William Kent. The prosecution even argued that the trio had conspired to kill Kent as they knew he had a relationship with Lee. But even with the clear evidence against them, Jean Lee pleaded not guilty for the duration of trial.
“I didn’t do it!” she shouted over and over. She testified that Kent was still alive when she walked away from him. Her defense sadly became all but forgotten by the time the jury’s verdict came down condemning them to death. They were scheduled to be hanged on February 19, 1951.
Lee’s calls for justice didn’t stop after the trial. She declared her intention to appeal to the UK Privy Council in London. At the time, it was the highest court of appeal in the entire Australian justice system. Yet she had financial hurdles and required government backing to take her case that far.
A Distressing Final Day
As the date of her execution neared, Jean Lee became increasingly agitated. News accounts of her last hours indicate that she was extremely distressed. In one spectacular act of theatrical rage, she flung her final meal at a prison warden. Lee’s final days were filled with anguish as she struggled to come to terms with her death sentence.
May your next feed choke you, you hog you!” were the last words shouted in contempt at the authorities by Robert Clayton before he was hung. He testified eloquently and angrily at trial. He said, “all I can tell you is I’m not going to take the rap for what other people do.” This sentiment echoed Lee’s own frustrations as she lamented the circumstances that led to their convictions.
At 8 AM on February 19, 1951, the executioner and his assistant removed Jean Lee’s limp body from the condemned cell. She only knew that she lay very faint as they carried her. At the time of her execution, she was just 31 years old. She remains one of only two women executed in Australia during the 20th century.
Legacy and Ongoing Debate
The 1950 execution of Jean Lee remains a touchy issue even today among Australians and legal historians. John Cain, a prominent figure at the time, remarked on the gravity of executing a woman after such a lengthy hiatus: “The decision to hang Lee — a woman — is a course that has not been taken for over half a century and regardless of political feeling must be looked on with grave concern by most citizens.”
Her case file now open to the public has ignited discussions about justice and gender roles in crime and punishment during the mid-20th century. Supporters in Tasmania argued for her cause, insisting on a broader perspective toward justice: “I have a scheme in mind for a better world order based on truth, justice, tolerance and peace,” one supporter said.
