Speedboat killer Jack Shepherd warned 'justice is coming' by victim's father
A global manhunt is under way for Jack Shepherd, who has not been seen since being convicted over the death Charlotte Brown.
Monday 30 July 2018 10:11, UK
The father of a woman who died in a speedboat crash during a late-night ride on the River Thames has warned its fugitive owner that "justice is coming".
An international manhunt is under way for Jack Shepherd, 30, who skipped his trial and was convicted in his absence of manslaughter by gross negligence over the death of 24-year-old Charlotte Brown.
Ms Brown, who met Shepherd on dating website OkCupid, drank champagne with him on his boat at the end of a night out in December 2015.
Both took turns at driving the 14ft Fletcher Arrowflyte GTO vessel, which ended up hitting a submerged log and tipping over near Wandsworth Bridge, sending them crashing into the river.
Shepherd - who drove the boat at more than double the 12 knot speed limit - was found clinging to the hull, while Ms Brown was pulled from the water unconscious and unresponsive.
He was given a six-year jail sentence but failed to show up for his trial and sentencing due to "cowardice", his barrister said.
Police have been unable to track him since then, but Ms Brown's father says he is sure that he will eventually be found.
In an interview with The Sun, which is offering a £10,000 reward to anyone who helps find Shepherd, Graham Brown urged people with information about his whereabouts to contact police.
"Those who know something need to examine their consciences," said the 52-year-old.
"I'm sure someone will make that call. Justice is coming, of that I'm certain."
Other members of the Brown family have made several appeals for Shepherd - a web designer originally from Exeter - to turn himself in, but to no avail.
Ms Brown's sister Katie called on him to "assume the responsibility of his guilt and the devastation he caused", and her mother, Roz Wicken, questioned why he had failed to offer an explanation for what he has claimed was an accident.
"The fact is, if Charlotte had not met him she would still be alive today," she said.
Detective Sergeant Christopher Davis said after Shepherd's sentencing on Friday that police have had "indications" as to his whereabouts "but it would be wrong to speculate at this time".
He added: "We are open to the fact he may be in or out of the country."
Shepherd - who married a childhood friend shortly after the fatal crash and now has a two-year-old child - was said to have a "totally cavalier attitude to safety" by judge Richard Marks QC.
The Old Bailey heard how he bought the boat from Gumtree to "pull women", and that he had entertained up to 10 women on board before meeting Ms Brown, who died after suffering from hypothermia and going into cardiac arrest.