James Pratt and John Smith

[3] Pratt and Smith were arrested in August of that year after being spied on through a keyhole allegedly having "carnal knowledge" of each other in a room rented by William Bonill, a friend or acquaintance of one of the men, or possibly both.

[1] Pratt, Smith and Bonill were tried on 21 September 1835 at the Central Criminal Court, before Baron Gurney,[6] a judge who had the reputation of being independent and acute, but also harsh.

Modern commentators have cast doubts on their testimony, based on the narrow field of vision afforded by a keyhole and the acts (some anatomically impossible) the couple claimed to have witnessed during the brief length of time they were looking.

His cheek rested upon his hand; and, with his face a little raised, and his eyes wildly staring before him, he seemed to be unconsciously intent on counting the chinks in the opposite wall.The gaoler who was escorting Dickens confidently predicted to him that the two would be executed and was proved right.

Seventeen individuals were sentenced to death at the September and October sessions of the Central Criminal Court for offences that included burglary, robbery, and attempted murder.

[15] There had been previous reprieves of men sentenced to death for sodomy, such as Martin Mellet and James Farthing who had been condemned in 1828 but were instead transported to Australia.

[22] Bonill was one of 290 prisoners transported to Australia on the ship Asia, which departed England on 5 November 1835 and arrived in Van Diemen's Land (now Tasmania) on 21 February 1836.

[24] A collection of contemporary documents, including petitions made on behalf of the men, and letters about their case are held by the United Kingdom National Archives.

[30] The case of Pratt and Smith is the subject of the non-fiction book James and John: A True Story of Prejudice and Murder by Chris Bryant MP published in February 2024.

[31] In April 2024, Southwark Liberal Democrat councillor Victor Chamberlain proposed a rainbow plaque be unveiled on Blackfriars Road to commemorate Pratt and Smith.