Arrest of the London Monster

Background. The London Monster was an attacker of women in London between 1788 and 1790. His modus operandi involved verbal abuse followed by knife attacks, slicing clothing and flesh. Early victims were often young and attractive, but the pattern changed in 1790 with increased frequency and different weapons, leading to heightened public fear.

Escalation of Attacks. Attacks surged in 1790, with forty-four incidents between January and June. Specific incidents included six attacks on 18 January and seventeen in May. The violence shifted from simple stabbing to cutting hair and using different tactics, such as threatening a woman with a nosegay in early June, marking the fifty-seventh reported attack.

Legal Proceedings. Renwick Williams was arrested in June 1790. He faced trial at the Old Bailey on 8 July 1790. Senior English judges met on 10 November 1790 to discuss Williams's case. Williams was eventually sent to Newgate Prison for six years, though he later published a pamphlet appealing to the public in 1792.