After a libel trial that backfired on Oscar Wilde, he was found guilty for committing acts of gross indecency on May 25th, 1895. In April of 1894, John Sholto Douglas, also known as Queensberry, wrote to his son Alfred Douglas to stop all, possible homosexual, interactions with Oscar Wilde or he would cut off all money supplies going to him. Queensberry would go on to visit London’s Albemarle club and have the porter give Wilde a note from him that read “For Oscar Wilde, posing sodomite.” Wilde would be disgusted by this note and go on to accuse Queensberry of libel. The trials began in April of 1895 with the first trial focusing more on Wilde’s possible past relationships with men. Throughout the first trial’s dates, Queensberry was not called to testify at any time. 

Wilde withdrew his libel accusation and would be accused of gross indecency beginning April 26th 1895. While this second trial failed to imprison Wilde, the third trial was more focused and reportedly weaker witnesses were dropped from the stand when it began. The prosecutor claimed that the court must show that Wilde is a guilty man through the verdict of the trial. Several hours later, on the trial date, Oscar Wilde was convicted of gross indecency and sentenced to two years of hard labor in jail. His family would end up moving away to Switzerland and changing their last name to “Holland” to distance themselves from Wilde. Two years later Wilde would be released from prison and pass away bankrupt in France. 

Sources: 

1. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/oscar-wilde-is-sent-to-prison-for-indecency 

  2.  https://www.biography.com/news/oscar-wilde-trials-downfall-gross-indecency