24 January 2024 , 11:57
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Speedboat killer Jack Shepherd has walked free from jail after serving just half a six-year sentence for killing his Tinder date, the Mirror can reveal.
Shepherd, 36, left his cell in Cat B HMP Dovegate, Staffs., despite pleas from victim Charlotte Brown’s father for his release to be blocked. He was ghosted out of the 1,150-capacity privately-run jail yesterday , with sources claiming he left in the back seat of a silver estate car just after 5pm.
The “evil” killer claimed Charlotte, 24, was partly to blame for her death after his vessel capsized on the Thames in 2015. He had taken her on the champagne-fuelled trip after their first date. Despite fleeing to Georgia before his trial, Shepherd was found guilty of manslaughter by gross negligence and jailed for six years.
He spent 10 months as a fugitive - enjoying ski trips and striking up a romance with a TV broadcaster - before returning to the UK where he was sent to prison. A source said: “Charlotte’s family are devastated. They believe he should have been convicted of murder.”
Charlotte Brown was thrown from the boat when it capsized on the River Thames during their first date in December 2015. (PA)
Jack Shepherd was released on Tuesday, the Mirror can reveal (devon police)Speaking exclusively to the Mirror last month, Charlotte’s father, Graham, said: “Jack Shepherd should not be released until he tells us the truth."
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Graham, who works for the prison service, added: "The only one who knows what really happened is Shepherd. We want to know what happened. But evil men like this who do these sorts of things never admit or tell anyone how it happened. He shouldn't be released until he tells us what he did."
Business consultant Charlotte drowned on her first date with Shepherd when he invited her on to the clapped-out speedboat he had bought on Gumtree. The 14ft Fletcher Arrowflyte GTO, which was riddled with defects, hit a log and capsized, throwing them into the river near Wandsworth Bridge.
Charlotte's father had begged for Shepherd's release to be blocked (Phil Harris / Daily Mirror)Shepherd was charged with manslaughter but fled to Georgia, where he lived in a tatty Soviet-era flat on the outskirts of capital Tbilisi. He surrendered in January 2019 after an international manhunt and was deported back to the UK in April.
In his absence, Shepherd, 35, from Exeter, was given a six-year determinate prison sentence after being convicted of manslaughter by gross negligence. He was also handed a further four years after admitting hitting a barman over the head with a vodka bottle in a hotel in Devon. But his fixed term means he was allowed to go free this week - just halfway through his sentence.
The boat had been purchased on Gumtree (PA)Graham says it is a bitter blow and branded Shepherd a "misogynist" who still posed a danger to women. The Ministry of Justice said they do not comment on individual cases.
Mr Brown, who describes Charlotte as 'Mrs Sensible' says there is no way she would have driven the boat at high-speed. "I believe she thought it was going to be a toddle up the Thames. I'm sure she had no idea he was going to put his foot down," he added.
During Shepherd's trial in July 2018, the jury heard how he had purchased the second-hand 1980s boat in a bid to impress women. Mr Brown said it was his 'dangerous party trick' and an accident waiting to happen. The father continued: "Sometimes people say to me, ‘It was just an accident’
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Shepherd went on trial in July 2018 (AFP via Getty Images)"Let’s be clear, Jack Shepherd’s routine, his modus operandi, was to go on a dating site, take them to the Shard and then on his speedboat. He did this with multiple women, he’d just move on to the next woman. The speedboat that he bought on Gumtree would never have passed a speedboat MOT, if they existed.