Speedboat killer Jack Shepherd back in jail 18 months after release

Jack Shepherd, the man convicted of killing his Tinder date Charlotte Brown in a booze-fueled Thames speedboat crash, has been returned to prison after breaching his license conditions, the Ministry of Justice said.

Brown, 24, was killed in December 2015 when Shepherd took her on a high-speed ride aboard a defective speedboat past the Houses of Parliament on the River Thames. She was thrown from the boat when it capsized near Wandsworth Bridge, and Shepherd was rescued from the water. A witness on a riverside balcony later challenged his account, saying she saw a single figure at the helm before the boat struck a pier. He fled to Georgia before being extradited to the United Kingdom to face justice.

Shepherd was tried in absentia and convicted of manslaughter by gross negligence at the Old Bailey in July 2018. The trial heard he bought vodka, shared two bottles of wine with Brown at a restaurant on the Shard, and downed champagne on the boat, which he had bought on Gumtree. He later admitted to smashing a bottle over the head of a Devon barman, David Beech, and was sentenced to an additional four years in prison. He also lost an appeal against his manslaughter conviction in June 2019.

In January 2025, Shepherd was released from HMP Dovegate in Staffordshire after serving roughly half of his sentence. Now, about 18 months later, he has been returned to custody after breaching his license conditions, according to the Ministry of Justice.

Charlotte Brown's father, Graham Brown, told The Sun that Shepherd is back where he belongs and that prison remains the best place for him, saying he has shown no remorse. A spokesman for HMPPS said the department would not hesitate to send offenders back to prison if they break the rules.