In August, 1891, 29-year-old Percy Greathead paid a visit to Whitechapel to view the murder sites, and found himself being accused of being Jack The Ripper.
His story is an interesting one in that it illustrates the fact that three years after the murders and the panic that they generated, the fact that the killer was still at large caused people to be on the lookout for his potential return.
Percy Greathead inadvertently drew attention to himself when a local resident called to a man in the street by his nickname "big head." The similarities between "big head" and his own name, Greathead" led poor old Percy to think she was insulting him.
The situation may well have been satisfactorily revolved, had it not been for the fact that Percy Greathead was in the habit of carrying a revolver with him wherever he went.
He proceeded to pull out his revolver and threatened to shoot the woman whom he felt had insulted him, Margaret Sweeney. The result was that Greathead ended up being arrested, and he appeared in court later that day. There was great excitement in the court when word spread that Jack the Ripper had been captured.
In this video, we follow the full story of Percy Greathead's experience, right through to his sentencing by the magistrate.