Who is speedboat killer Jack Shepherd and what happened to Charlotte Brown?
JACK Shepherd was dubbed the speedboat killer after the death of Charlotte Brown.
She was thrown into the River Thames, falling from a speedboat on a date with Shepherd after the pair had met on Tinder.
Who is Jack Shepherd?
Shepherd was sentenced to six years in 2018 for the manslaughter of Brown.
It was reported he had bought the boat to “pull women” and been drinking heavily before his date with Charlotte.
Website designer Shepherd, originally from Devon, was initially treated as a witness after the crash.
But he was eventually convicted after a jury heard the boat was speeding at more than twice the limit when it capsized, and also had a number of defects, including faulty steering.
Shepherd then fled to Georgia from the UK in March 2018 and was convicted in his absence in July.
The case sparked outrage when The Sun revealed he won taxpayer-funded legal aid to appeal his conviction while on the run.
He eventually turned himself in to the Georgian authorities, but still maintained his innocence, claiming that Charlotte was driving at the time the speedboat crashed.
He told news channel Rustavi 2: “This was a tragic accident. It’s an established fact that Charlotte was driving at the time.”
Shepherd claimed on January 25, 2019, that his life would be in danger in a British prison after he received death threats since Charlotte’s death.
He complained in court he had been left suicidal after the crash, describing the night in question his “greatest regret”.
Shepherd, who also claimed he was an alcoholic, told the Georgian court: “Not a single day passes when I don’t think about the passing of Charlotte’s life and the effect on her family.
“I wish I’d sat down with Charlotte’s family to explain.”
He added: “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.”
Shepherd was jailed for a total of 10 years after finally admitting to attacking a barman with a bottle before going on the run.
He was told he must serve four years for “unlawfully and maliciously” smashing ex-soldier David Beech in the face with a vodka bottle.
The sentence for the attack is on top of the six years Shepherd is already serving for the manslaughter of Charlotte Brown, and six months for fleeing the country.
A court heard Shepherd had been drinking with an old school friend at the White Hart Hotel in Moretonhampstead, Devon, when he was asked to leave by Mr Beech, who had noticed he was drunk.
Shepherd then became “confrontational” – asking “why are the heavies kicking us out?”.
As the Afghan vet turned, the drunk web designer then grabbed a bottle of vodka, using both hands to smash it down onto his forehead.
Other guests rushed to help Mr Beech, who said it felt like he had been “smashed in the head with a baseball bat”, as two men, including an off duty cop, grappled with Shepherd who continued to swing the bottle.
He finally faced UK justice in April 2019 after extradition papers were signed, flying back to Britain under police guard on April 10.
Shepherd had spent a year on the run in the former Soviet republic of Georgia, but he was forced to surrender after an international manhunt – backed by a £10,000 reward from The Sun – cornered him.
Shepherd told the BBC he regretted going on the run and did so out of “animalistic fear”.
Shepherd challenged the ruling but the Court of Appeal dismissed this in June 2019.
What happened to Charlotte Brown?
Charlotte, from Clacton, Essex, died on December 8, 2015, after the speedboat she was on crashed on the River Thames.
It was said to have been a champagne-fuelled first date with Shepherd, who managed to get to safety when the boat smashed into and log and flipped.
Charlotte was pulled from the water unconscious and unresponsive after being thrown from the boat.
A post-mortem examination found she died from cold water immersion.
Charlotte Hare, Brown’s best friend, told “Charli was the biggest personality in the room, she drew attention, she was so funny, so clever and so quick and you wanted to be in her presence.”
Where is Jack Shepherd now?
Currently, Jack Shepherd is serving his sentence at HMP Frankland in County Durham.
Serving a six-year term it seems he will be set to walk free in January.
A Ministry of Justice source said: “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.”