Doll

This handmade crochet doll was made by Jean Lee and gifted to Keith Yates, the warder assigned to supervise her in the days leading up to her execution.

Held in the National Justice & Crime Museum (Geelong Gaol) Collection.

19 February 2026, marks 75 years since Jean Lee was executed at Pentridge Prison — the last woman executed in Australia.

On 19 February 1951, Lee was hanged alongside Robert Clayton and Norman Andrews for the 1949 murder of William ‘Pop’ Kent in Carlton. Her case remains one of the most discussed capital cases in Victorian history.

The capital case files, including internal government deliberations and correspondence, are now available and accessible to the public at the Public Record Office Victoria (PROV), following the expiry of the 75-year closure period.