Jack Shepherd: Web designer who killed date in speedboat crash jailed for six years

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A web designer who killed a young woman in a speedboat crash on the River Thames has been jailed for six years .

Jack Shepherd, 30, drunkenly flouted basic safety measures when he took 24-year-old Charlotte Brown for a spin on his rickety vessel, trying to "seduce" her with a thrill-seeking ride to see iconic London landmarks.

Despite her being a complete boat novice, Shepherd gave control at "full throttle" to Ms Brown, moments before the speedboat hit a semi-submerged log and tossed them both into the icy waters.

While Shepherd was found clinging to the hull of the upturned boat and survived, Ms Brown was found unconscious in the water and could not be saved.

Shepherd was charged with gross negligence manslaughter, but went on the run instead of facing an Old Bailey trial.

Guilty: Jack Shepherd has been jailed over the death of Charlotte Brown
PA

He was found guilty by a jury yesterday, but failed to attend court today for the sentencing hearing.

"It's cowardice, not a clever trick to avoid justice", said his barrister Stephen Vullo QC. "It's an inability to face the responsibility and an inability to face Ms Brown's family, knowing the pain they must have suffered."

Judge Richard Marks QC sentenced Shepherd in absence to six years in prison, saying he had a "cavalier attitude" to safety and adding: "This was an accident waiting to happen

An image of Jack Shepherd's speedboat released by police
PA

"It is abundantly clear there is no way they should have been out on the boat that night, still less that Charlotte should have been permitted to drive", he said.

The judge said Shepherd was "a person susceptible to drink" and was "well under the influence of alcohol at the time he embarked on that fateful journey".

"The defendant should never have allowed Charlotte to drive the boat at any time, given the fact she had been drinking as well as the fact it was dark and he must have known the river was potentially hazardous.

"Moreover she had no previous boating experience at all."

Police are hunting for Shepherd to bring him to justice, but fear he may now have fled abroad.

Ms Brown's family are campaigning for a dramatic overhaul of river safety regulations to leave a "legacy" in her name.

"We cannot allow Charli's passing to be in vain", said her sister Katie yesterday. "Her legacy will be to highlight the appalling lack of legislation and safety measures present on our waterways.

"Our family will work tirelessly with support from the RNLI to campaign for a review and change of regulation in memory of Charli.

"Our efforts aim to stop the heartache we have felt being repeated in other families, whilst the shortcomings in regulation continue to exist."

The family - mother Roz Wickens, father Graham Brown and sisters Vicky and Katie - have already taken their campaign to Parliament, having learnt of the soft-touch rules that govern the waterways in the two-and-a-half years since Ms Brown's death.

During the trial, it emerged that Shepherd had repeatedly used his 1980s speedboat to try to "pull" women, taking them for a spin along the river to see landmarks including the Houses of Parliament.

Crash: Chilling footage was shot from Miss Brown's phone moments before the fatal crash
Met Police

He met Ms Brown through dating app OK Cupid, and they agreed to go on a date on the night she died, on December 8, 2015.

They shared two bottles of wine during a £150 dinner at The Shard, before Shepherd suggested they take glasses of champagne out on to his speedboat.

The boat had defects including poor steering, Shepherd ignored basic safety measures including life jackets, and he admitted later that he had not even asked Ms Brown if she could swim.

He also had a track record of flouting the river's speed limit, despite police warnings, and in a video shot minutes before the fatal crash, Ms Brown can be heard telling him to slow down.

Shepherd had also previously been spotted driving his boat with a woman sat straddling the bow, which one witness described as "absolutely crazy".

In a heartbreaking victim impact statement, Ms Wickens described her daughter as the "light of my life" who has been "robbed of her life".

"Every day is the worst day of my life, because it is yet another day without Charlotte. People say time heals, but that is not the case when you have lost a child."

She added: "I want Jack Shepherd to know that when he is enjoying himself with his family, I in fact am not enjoying myself and never will. The truth is I will be visiting Charlotte's grave.

"Also, if it was a dreadful accident as he has claimed, why hasn't he explained to us what happened that night, and at least sent his condolences?"

Mr Vullo told the court Shepherd got married after the crash and while awaiting trial and now has a two-year-old child. But his marriage has broken down due to his excessive drinking and he struggles to find a job.

Shepherd, who was living in Hammersmith, denied but was convicted of manslaughter. He will be brought to serve his sentence once found by the police.

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