A speeding chauffeur who knocked down and killed a mother of three was found guilty of manslaughter and jailed, while his boss had to pay out compensation.
Amelia Dean, a dresser at the Shakespeare Theatre in Fraser Street, was on her way to work on 11th June 1925 when she alighted a tramcar on London Road. As she was crossing she was hit by a car driven by 22 year old chauffeur Francis Sheppard, who lived at Potters Bar in London. She clung desperately to the bonnet but on falling off she was then run over and died under the wheels.
On 3rd November Sheppard appeared at the Liverpool assizes before Mr Justice Fraser. He claimed that Amelia had slipped and he had slowed down and beeped his horn but he was found guilty of manslaughter. Learning that Sheppard had been driving at forty miles per hour,double the speed limit the judge told him that 'the public must be protected' as he imposed a sentence of eighteen months imprisonment.
Amelia, who was 49 years old and had three children, was the principal earner in their Kensington home, with her husband George only earning a modest wage as a gardener's labourer. George successfully sued Sheppard's employer Mr Lucy for damages and was awarded £500 in compensation.
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