Speedboat killer Jack Shepherd appeals conviction while on the run
An international manhunt is ongoing for Jack Shepherd, with a 拢10,000 reward having been put up by a national newspaper.
Thursday 30 August 2018 14:22, UK
A man who skipped his sentencing hearing after being found guilty of killing a woman in a speedboat crash on the River Thames has lodged an appeal against his conviction - even though he is still on the run.
Jack Shepherd has been in hiding ever since he was found guilty of manslaughter by gross negligence over the death of 24-year-old Charlotte Brown, who was thrown into the cold water during a late-night date in December 2015.
He was given a six-year jail sentence but failed to show up for his trial and sentencing due to "cowardice", his barrister said, prompting an angry response from Ms Brown's family.
An international manhunt is ongoing for the 30-year-old fugitive, whose lawyers have now lodged an appeal against both his conviction and sentence, the Court of Appeal has revealed.
He is listed as "still outstanding" by the Metropolitan Police, with a £10,000 reward put up by The Sun newspaper after an arrest warrant was issued.
But there remains no sign of Shepherd, who killed Ms Brown after taking her out on his 14ft Fletcher Arrowflyte GTO vessel for a high-speed journey up the river in London.
The pair had met online via OkCupid and Shepherd tried to impress her by offering her champagne and driving the boat at more than double the 12 knot speed limit.
It ended up hitting a submerged log and tipping over near Wandsworth Bridge, sending them crashing into the river.
Shepherd, a web developer, was found clinging to the hull, while Ms Brown was pulled from the water unconscious and unresponsive.
She died after suffering from hypothermia and going into cardiac arrest.
Shepherd, who lived on a houseboat in Hammersmith but is originally from Exeter, had told his lawyers he did not plan to attend the trial but promised to be in contact throughout.
He married a childhood friend shortly after the fatal crash and now has a young child.