Derby Mercury - 6 August 1845

MANSLAUGHTER AT SHIRLEY

Edward PIPES pleaded guilty to causing the death of James Brown, at Shirley, by driving over him with a horse and gig on the 11th May. Deceased was a young child. Mr. Mellor informed the court that the prisoner had shown the deepest contrition for the offence, and had done all in his power to alleviate the distress he had caused.
His LORDSHIP in passing sentence, observed that at the time of the manslaughter, the prisoner was madly and furiously drunk, and while driving at a furious pace down a hill on a Sunday afternoon, he had knocked down a child; and on the mother coming out of her house he said to her "blast your eyes," and drove rapidly on up the next hill, and used coarse and brutal language to the persons who came to apprehend him. His Lordship had no doubt that the prisoner was generally the humane man described by his witness, but he had transformed himself by drink into another kind of person. The Learned Baron then sentenced the prisoner to 4 month's imprisonment with hard labour.