The father of a woman who died when a man she was on a first date with crashed a speedboat on the River Thames has demanded her killer is never released.
Charlotte Brown, 24, suffered fatal injuries when Jack Shepherd flipped the boat they were both in after losing control in a champagne-fuelled crash in December 2015.
Following the incident, which saw the boat they were on hit a log and capsize, throwing them into the river near Wandsworth Bridge in London, her killer fled the country to Georgia.
When he returned to Britain, Shepherd was given a six-year determinate prison sentence after being convicted of manslaughter by gross negligence as well as a further four years after admitting hitting a barman over the head with a vodka bottle in a hotel in Devon.
But amid reports he is due to be eligible for early release in the coming weeks, Charlotte’s father Graham Brown, has said the remorseless and ‘evil’ killer is not released.
Jack Shepherd was jailed for six years for manslaughter after a speedboat crash killed a woman he was on a first date with. Pictured: Shepherd in court in Tbilisi, Georgia, where he fled during his trial
Charlotte Brown received fatal injuries after being thrown from the speedboat into the River Thames when it crashed. Pictured: Ms Brown in a photo released by her family
The speedboat (pictured) owned by Shepherd was found to be riddled with defects after the crash
Speaking to the Mirror, Mr Brown, 60, demanded that the man responsible for his daughter’s death stays behind bars ‘until he tells us the truth’ about what happened on that fateful day.
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.
‘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.’
The grandfather-of-three said that despite Shepherd apologising to Charlotte’s family, he still blamed her for the crash by claiming she was behind the wheel of the defect-laden 14ft Fletcher Arrowflyte GTO which he had bought from Gumtree.
He added that the killer’s actions after Charlotte’s death, which saw him get married, have a child and flee the country, reveal Shepherd’s true nature.
Mr Brown told the Mirror: ‘One thing we can be sure of is that Jack Shepherd is a misogynist, he only cares about himself, he’s got no respect for women.
‘After he had killed my daughter, he got married and had a child. Then he went to Georgia and got another girlfriend. The man is evil and is a complete danger.’
He added: ‘He’s an evil man. He’s got no idea of the devastation he’s caused. I have this vision of him just shrugging it off, saying, ‘It wasn’t my fault’.’
Mr Brown said there’s no way his daughter, who he says was ‘Mrs Sensible’, would have driven the boat at high-speed.
He said: ‘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.
Jack Shepherd is set to be freed after serving half of his sentence for the champagne-fuelled accident that killed Charlotte Brown
‘She was 24 years old when she lost her life. She had just been promoted and was just about to start a new job. She has been robbed of having a family.
‘She’s never been able to lead that life because Jack Shepherd robbed her of it. There’s not a day goes by that we don’t think of Charlotte.’
Shepherd had fled Britain after being charged with Ms Brown’s manslaughter, and was given a six-year prison sentence in his absence.
The fugitive finally handed himself into Georgian police after an international manhunt was sparked and the Daily Mail put up a £25,000 reward for information leading to his arrest.
In July 2020, Shepherd had 78 days cut from his 10-year jail term because of time he served waiting for extradition after fleeing the UK to Georgia.
Three appeal judges said the 78 days Shepherd spent in custody awaiting extradition in Georgia should count as part of the jail term he is serving.
Shepherd’s trial in July 2018 heard how he had bought the 1980s boat on Gumtree and had tried to impress women with it.
But his first date with Ms Brown ended in tragedy when the 14ft Fletcher Arrowflyte GTO, which was riddled with defects, hit a log and capsized, throwing them into the river near Wandsworth Bridge.
He later sparked outrage by launching an appeal against the conviction while on the run in Georgia – and he was awarded funds to do so.
After spending ten months on the run, Shepherd was finally extradited and ordered to serve six years with six months consecutive for skipping his bail in April 2019.
The web designer then admitted hitting a barman over the head with a vodka bottle in a hotel in Devon and was given four more years.
In 2019, Shepherd was moved to a different high-security jail after being bullied by other inmates.
He was transferred for his own safety to HMP Woodhill, near Milton Keynes.