James Pratt and John Smith

James Pratt (1805–1835),^[1]^[2] also known as John Pratt, and John Smith (1795–1835)^[1]^[2] were two London men who, in November 1835, became the last two to be executed for sodomy in England.^[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. Bonill, although not present when the men were spied on, was nevertheless transported to Australia as an accessory to Pratt and Smith's alleged crime, where he died.

Some modern human rights activists have cast doubt on the facts and legality of the conviction.^[4] In January 2017, Pratt and Smith were among those who were posthumously pardoned by the Alan Turing law which pardoned those who had been convicted of same-sex carnal offences which no longer exist in the UK.^[5]

^ ^a ^b Cite error: The named reference OldBaileyProceedings was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ ^a ^b "Execution". The Morning Post. No. 20273. London. 28 November 1835.
^ Cook et al (2007), p. 109.
^ Cite error: The named reference Tatchell Foundation was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ "The tragic story of the last two men in the UK executed for being gay: 'Mercy could not be expected of men like them'". Pink News. 17 July 2017. Retrieved 31 October 2021.

[OldBaileyProceedings-1] Cite error: The named reference OldBaileyProceedings was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[MorningPost28Nov1835-2] "Execution". The Morning Post. No. 20273. London. 28 November 1835.

[Cook109-3] Cook et al (2007), p. 109.

[Tatchell_Foundation-4] Cite error: The named reference Tatchell Foundation was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[PinkNews-5] "The tragic story of the last two men in the UK executed for being gay: 'Mercy could not be expected of men like them'". Pink News. 17 July 2017. Retrieved 31 October 2021.

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