John Howard's Trial

John Howard, the 27-year-old manager of the Ambassador cinema from Pendleton, was acquitted of manslaughter charges related to the death of 7-year-old Constance Crawford, from Pendleton. The incident occurred when Howard's car collided with a tram on which Constance was standing. The impact dislodged the tram's step, causing Constance to be thrown under the car, which then ran over her. She died on route to the hospital. Howard claimed he was traveling at 30 mph, and did not see the tram guard's signal, and had swerved to avoid hitting another child, Constance’s 10-year-old cousin Jean Anderson, who had run across the road having jumped off the tram. The jury found him not guilty.

Returning to work must have been incredibly challenging for John, even after being found not guilty. The emotional toll of driving past the spot where the accident occurred, day in and day out on the way to the Ambassador, must have been heavy. My heart also goes out to Constance's parents, who lived just yards from where it happened and around the corner from the Ambassador. The pain of losing their daughter so close to home must have been unimaginable

Kinematograph Weekly - Thursday 26 March 1931