Speedboat killer's fatal date - booze, death-trap boat and terror caught on film
Jack Shepherd pulled out all the stops for his first date with Charlotte Brown after meeting online, little did she know the date would be her last.
After going out for food and drinks at The Shard on December 8, 2015, they took Shepherd's speedboat out onto the River Thames, with a trip past the Houses of Parliament. According to Shepherd, he let Charlotte take over the steering before the boat crashed and capsized - claims her parents have long disputed.
Neither were wearing life jackets. The 24-year-old was pulled out of the water unconscious and a post-mortem found she had died from cold water immersion. Her body temperature was just 25C. Shepherd was found guilty of manslaughter by gross negligence and walked free today after serving just half of his six-year prison sentence. Here, we take a look at what happened on that fateful date...
Charlotte Brown was thrown off Shepherd's speed boat (SWNS.com)Charlotte, from Essex, was described as "the biggest personality in the room" by her friend. At the time of her killing, the business consultant was about to start a new job, with a bright future ahead of her.
She started talking to the then-28 website designer Shepherd, from Devon, online via a dating app, and he asked her out for some drinks. Nicknamed 'Champagne Casanova', he later admitted to drinking heavily that night during their champagne-fulled rendezvous and confessed to being an 'alcoholic'.
Speedboat killer Jack Shepherd 'to be freed after serving half his jail term'
The pair boarded his defect-laden 14ft Fletcher Arrowflyte GTO - which he had bought from Gumtree to 'pull women' - at Hammersmith Bridge, and he set off driving at speeds of 26 to 34 knots, more than twice the speed limit. They made it up to Westminster Bridge before turning around. The boat crashed into a floating piece of wood around Wandsworth Bridge, flipping the vehicle. Shepherd, who maintained his innocence, was found clinging to the boat's hull.
In harrowing footage recovered from Charlotte's phone after the crash, she could be heard shouting, "Oh my god, you're going so fast!"
He agreed that he bears "some of the moral responsibility" for the 24-year-old's death, but rejected the charge that he is to blame. As he insisted he was not solely responsible for the Thames tragedy, he "absolutely, unreservedly" apologised for the role he played.
Speaking to the Mirror last Christmas, Charlotte's father, Graham Brown, demanded her daughter's killer to stay in jail until he reveals the truth about his victim's final moments. He said: "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.
The Speedboat Killer is behind bars after being found guilty of manslaughter (rustavi2.ge)"He will never admit it, I know he won't. He will say it's not his fault. In my mind he murdered my daughter and should be doing a proper life sentence. He shouldn't be released until he tells us what he did."
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’.
"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.
The lethal speed boat purchased off Gumtree (PA)"What Jack Shepherd did was the equivalent of taking a car which was 30 years old, would never have passed an MOT, and then driving it at speed on the wrong side of the motorway. That’s how dangerous his party trick was. The speedboat was unsuitable for the River Thames and he broke the speed limits. It was an accident waiting to happen."
Following the crash, Shepherd fled to Georgia in March 2018 and was convicted in his absence in July. He eventually turned himself in to the Georgian authorities, telling the court: "I know it's caused them even more suffering and that's why I handed myself in to draw to a close this horrible accident and the terrible consequences."
Speedboat killer and his TV reporter lover split as he eyes release next year
Shepherd was sentenced to six years, plus another four to run consecutively after he admitted "unlawfully and maliciously" smashing ex-soldier and barman David Beech in the face with a glass bottle. Shepherd served his sentence atHMP Woodhill, near Milton Keynes.
A Ministry of Justice source told The Sun: "He has kept his head down and quietly done his time. He knows that a determinate sentence means his case doesn’t have to go to the Parole Board for its approval.
"If he behaves then there is no reason to keep him in jail beyond his halfway point. He will be free to simply walk out the door."
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