Jack Shepherd, the speedboat killer originally jailed for the manslaughter of Charlotte Brown, has pleaded guilty to violently assaulting a woman, including attacking her with a set of barbecue tongs. The 38-year-old entered his pleas over a prison video link on Tuesday to two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and one count of criminal damage.
Details of the assaults
Shepherd admitted pinning down the woman and punching her in February 2025, striking her in the chest with barbecue tongs in June 2025, and damaging her keys in the same month. The assaults sparked his recall to prison in September last year. Prosecutors agreed to drop two other allegations, of controlling or coercive behaviour and intentional suffocation.
Background of the case
Shepherd was originally jailed for 10 years for manslaughter in 2018 over the death of 24-year-old Charlotte Brown. She died in December 2015 when she was thrown from the speedboat he was controlling as it capsized on the River Thames after colliding with a submerged tree trunk. The pair had been enjoying champagne before the doomed boat trip past the Palace of Westminster. Shepherd was rescued alive, but Ms Brown was found unconscious and later died in hospital.
Shepherd skipped his Old Bailey trial while on the run in Georgia, before being extradited back to the UK to serve his sentence. He was released on licence in January 2024 but faced recall in September 2024 after the violence allegations.
Court proceedings
At court on Tuesday, Shepherd pleaded guilty to three offences over a video link from HMP Swaleside in Kent. According to Tristan Kirk, Press Association Courts Editor, the pleas were entered as part of a deal that saw two more serious charges dropped.
