Jack Shepherd: Speedboat killer loses appeal against manslaughter conviction

The family of the victim of speedboat killer Jack Shepherd say they hope to bring their “heartbreaking chapter to a close” after he lost his appeal against his manslaughter conviction.

Shepherd, 31, was jailed for six years over the death of Charlotte Brown, who was thrown from his boat when it capsized on the River Thames in December 2015.

His lawyers argued the conviction was unsafe because some evidence at his trial came from an interview during which he was not cautioned or offered a solicitor due to a “mistake” by police.

But Court of Appeal judges rejected his bid to overturn his conviction for manslaughter by gross negligence on Thursday.

Delivering the judgment, Sir Brian Leveson said: “When granting leave (to appeal), the single judge made the point that the appellant should not be overoptimistic as to the outcome.

“That warning was prescient. The appeal against conviction is dismissed.”

Following the hearing, Ms Brown’s sister Katie said Shepherd had “not once shown any remorse or respect to our family, or to the legal system or even to Charlie”.

“We hope we can now bring this heartbreaking chapter to a close and fight for a change in our waterway laws for Charlie’s legacy,” she added.

Ms Brown’s family hope to bring in “Charlie’s law” for waterways – a law that would police and bring in safety measures for privately rented boats.

Her father Graham Brown said: “The right decision’s made and as a family we’re very relieved the appeal has not been upheld.”

“It was common sense,” Ms Brown’s sister Katie added.

Shepherd, originally from Exeter, went on the run ahead of his Old Bailey trial and was convicted in his absence in July 2018.

The web designer was later extradited to the UK from Georgia after handing himself in to police in the capital Tbilisi in January.

Jurors at Shepherd’s trial heard that he and Ms Brown, from Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, had been drinking champagne and went on a late-night jaunt in his boat past the Houses of Parliament.

Shepherd handed the controls to 24-year-old Ms Brown just before the boat overturned, tipping both of them into the cold water, the court was told.

He was plucked from the Thames alive, but Ms Brown was found unconscious and unresponsive.

Following his return from Georgia, Shepherd appeared at the Old Bailey in April and was sentenced to an additional six months for breaching bail.

On Thursday, the Court of Appeal quashed his bail conviction and sentence, but said he may face further proceedings in relation to his “egregious breach”.

Sky News correspondent Dan Whitehead said the court reached the decision “based on a technicality because Georgia could not have extradited him on that charge”.

Ms Brown’s sister Katie criticised the court’s decision to quash Shepherd’s bail conviction, saying her family “find it difficult to accept”.

“During the 10 months he spent on the run in Georgia, Shepherd caused our family further anguish and pain whilst he lived a normal life,” she said.

“Despite all sense of logic, he appears to have been able to abscond without penalty. What deterrent is this to other criminals not to do the same?”

Ms Shepherd’s father Graham added: “It does seem bizarre to the layman that he’s been able to abscond to Georgia without consequence.

“It think it’s very important that is looked at and everyone should face consequences for not appearing at their trial.”

Following the hearing, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said the court found Georgian authorities “did not specifically consent to Shepherd being dealt with for the Bail Act offence”.

“We are now considering our options, including whether consent could be formally obtained,” a CPS spokesman said.

Shepherd was jailed for a further four years at Exeter Crown Court earlier this month after he admitted wounding with intent in relation to a drink-fuelled attack on a barman.

The court heard he struck former soldier David Beech with a vodka bottle on 16 March 2018 after being asked to leave The White Hart Hotel in Newton Abbot, Devon.

(c) Sky News 2019: Jack Shepherd: Speedboat killer loses appeal against manslaughter conviction