spectators cheered the witnesses for the prosecution and insulted those for the defence. One of the claimed victims confessed that she had not been attacked at all. The court granted Williams a retrial. In the new trial Williams' defence lawyer was Irish poet Theophilus Swift, whose tactic was to accuse Porter of a scheme to collect the reward, Porter having married Coleman, who had received the reward money. Despite the fact that a number of alleged victims gave contradictory stories and that his employer and co-workers testified that he had an alibi for the most infamous attack, Williams was convicted on three counts and sentenced to two years each, for a total of six years in prison. He was released in December 1796. Historians have speculated whether Williams was the culprit and have even questioned whether the London Monster existed at all. Reports of Monster-like attacks continued to be reported for many years, although they lessened somewhat while Williams was imprisoned. Due to the likelihood that several attackers emulated the original attacker, the London Monster is regarded as possibly one of the first copycat cases. It has also been compared to Jack the Ripper, who murdered several prostitutes in London a century later and also received a similar media coverage and press sensationalism. See also Garrow's Law (episode 2 of this TV series had its plot based on the London Monster case) Halifax Slasher, a similar incident in 1938 in Halifax, West Yorkshire Jack the Ripper Mad Gasser of Mattoon Spring-heeled Jack Thames Torso Murders Whipping Tom Notes References Jan Bondeson — The London Monster: A Sanguinary Tale (2000) William Oldnall Russell - Treatise on crimes and indictable misdemeanours Vol 1 p620-621 (1826) ISBN (none) The 'monster' that terrified Georgian London - BBC Reel External links Old Bailey Proceedings, 8 July 1790 Renwick Williams in the Newgate Calendar 1780s in London 1788 crimes in Europe 18th-century English criminals Year of death missing Year of birth missing English male criminals London crime history People whose existence is disputed Women in London