Father of speedboat crash victim blasts fugitive for ‘making mockery of justice’

Fugitive Jack Shepherd is "making a mockery of justice" by appealing his conviction over the speedboat killing of date Charlotte Brown while on the run, her father has said.

Graham Brown said he would “stop at nothing” to ensure Shepherd serves a six-year sentence for the death of his 24-year-old daughter.

Shepherd was given permission to challenge his conviction by a judge at the Court of Appeal on December 19.

According to reports he has received nearly £100,000 in legal aid, despite being a fugitive from justice.

The web designer, who is in his 30s, has been at large since being convicted in his absence of manslaughter by gross negligence at the Old Bailey in July.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, Mr Brown said he will do “whatever it takes” to make sure Shepherd goes to jail.

“It’s very important that Shepherd is caught, not just for my family, but for the wider public to have faith in the legal system.

“This fugitive is making a mockery of justice, being on the run while receiving tens of thousands of pounds of legal aid money to launch an appeal.

“The family are very keen that he comes back and serves his sentence, so that we can try to move on, and indeed so he can.”

Shepherd has ignored repeated pleas by Ms Brown’s family to hand himself in and the paper has offered a £25,000 reward for information that directly leads to his arrest.

He met Ms Brown on website OkCupid and went for their first date on December 8 2015.

Shepherd lavished Ms Brown with a £150 meal at Oblix in the Shard, where they drank two bottles of wine.

The couple took a taxi back to Shepherd’s home, a houseboat in Hammersmith, where they took champagne aboard the speedboat for a trip past the Houses of Parliament.

In mobile phone footage, Ms Brown could be heard shouting that they were going “so fast” as Shepherd drove at more than double the 12 knot speed limit.

On the return journey, Shepherd handed over the controls to business development consultant Ms Brown, who followed suit and went “full throttle”.

The speeding boat hit a submerged log and tipped over near Wandsworth Bridge, sending both occupants into the water.

Shepherd was found clinging to the hull and Ms Brown was pulled from the water unconscious and unresponsive.

Paramedics battled in vain to save her as she was already in cardiac arrest and suffering from hypothermia.

The court had heard how Shepherd had bought the 14ft Fletcher Arrowflyte GTO from Gumtree to “pull women”.

In the months before Ms Brown’s death, he had entertained up to 10 women on the 1980s model, having invited them back to his houseboat.

During that time, he had been caught speeding by marine police more than once and advised on the importance of wearing life jackets.

Anyone with information about Shepherd’s whereabouts is asked to call police on 020 8721 4005 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.