Speedboat Killer Jack Shepherd Jailed Again
Violently assaulted partner while out on licence
Jack Shepherd during his extradiction from Georgia. Picture: Facebook
September 15, 2026
Jack Shepherd, the man from Hammersmith who was responsible for the death of a young woman while riding on his speedboat near Hammersmith Bridge, has been jailed again, this time for a series of violent attacks on his girlfriend while on licence from his previous sentences.
Shepherd, now 39, was sentenced at Isleworth Crown Court on 14 September to 20 months in prison and a four-year extended licence after admitting two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and one count of criminal damage. The offences, committed in early and mid-2025, took place while Shepherd was living in shared accommodation and in a relationship with the victim.
Judge Edmunds KC said the impact of Shepherd’s violence was “aggravated by your notoriety”, noting that the defendant’s past — including the death of Charlotte Brown on the Thames in 2015 — had intensified the victim’s fear and anxiety.
The court heard that Shepherd and his victim became friends while playing badminton. Their relationship began in August 2024 but deteriorated rapidly. In February 2025, during an argument sparked by the victim threatening to contact his probation officer, Shepherd pinned her down on a sofa and punched her repeatedly, leaving bruising to her arm and leg.
A second assault followed in June 2025. After drinking wine and beer at a pub, Shepherd began cooking at home and burned a pizza. When the victim pointed this out, he stabbed her in the breast with a pair of barbecue tongs, causing a bleeding wound, bruising and permanent scarring.
Later that month, Shepherd committed criminal damage by reaching into her car and snapping her keys in half as she attempted to leave during another argument, depriving her of the means to escape.
Judge Edmunds noted the clear pattern: Shepherd becoming violent when drunk, apologising afterwards, and blaming alcohol — behaviour consistent with his earlier offences. “Your pattern is to commit offences and afterwards apologise, and produce excuses,” he told Shepherd.
Shepherd’s notoriety stems from the death of 24-year-old Charlotte Brown, who drowned after a late-night speedboat trip on the Thames during their first date on 8 December 2015.
Shepherd, who lived on a houseboat moored near Hammersmith Bridge, had taken Charlotte back there after dinner at the Shard, telling her they could take his speedboat, Arrowflyte, out on the river. A message she sent to her sister at 10.12pm from the houseboat read: “Still alive. Waiting for the tide so we can take it out.”
The pair drank alcohol on board as Shepherd drove the boat from Hammersmith to central London and back. Witnesses later described seeing a poorly lit red Fletcher-style boat travelling erratically at speed.
At around 11.43pm, the boat struck a submerged object — likely a tree trunk — and capsized a few hundred yards before Wandsworth Bridge. Shepherd was found clinging to the upturned hull as it drifted eastwards in the strong current.
Charlotte’s body was recovered from the Thames at 12.10am west of Wandsworth Bridge, after being spotted by the police helicopter crew. Despite attempts at CPR, she was pronounced dead at St George’s Hospital at 1.55am.
Charlotte 'Charli' Brown
Shepherd failed to attend his Old Bailey trial in July 2018, disappearing shortly before the verdict. He travelled to the Republic of Georgia, where he lived for months while subject to an international arrest warrant. His whereabouts were unknown until early 2019, when the National Crime Agency received information that Georgian police had detained a man believed to be Shepherd.
At the time, the Metropolitan Police said his identity had not yet been officially confirmed, but that extradition proceedings would begin immediately once it was. The case attracted national attention, with Downing Street acknowledging “significant public concerns” about Shepherd’s disappearance.
Shepherd’s lawyers lodged an appeal against his conviction and sentence while he was still abroad, funded by legal aid. But once Georgian authorities confirmed his identity, he was extradited back to the UK, arriving in April 2019 to begin serving his six-year manslaughter sentence.
Shepherd’s offending history formed a significant part of the court’s assessment. In addition to the manslaughter, he had assaulted a bar worker with a bottle in Newton Abbot in March 2018 while on bail, receiving a further four-year sentence.
He was released on licence in January 2024 but was recalled to prison following his arrest for the new offences. He will now remain in custody on his previous sentences until at least January 2029 unless re-released earlier.
Judge Edmunds imposed an extended sentence after concluding that Shepherd poses a “significant risk of causing serious harm” to future partners, particularly when drinking. The extended licence period means Shepherd will remain under supervision for five years and eight months from the date of sentencing.
The judge rejected submissions that Shepherd was remorseful, stating he placed “no faith or value” in such claims.
Shepherd’s new 20-month term will run concurrently, as required by law.
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