THE trail of destruction and heartache left behind by ‘speedboat killer’ Jack Shepherd stretches far wider than the River Thames on which his date died in a tragic crash.
With the womanising internet designer being released from prison this week, having served only half of his ten year sentence, his web of deceit continues to unravel.
Paul Edwards – The SunSpeedboat killer Jack Shepherd was released this week[/caption]
PA:Press AssociationCharlotte Brown was on a first date with Shepherd when she died[/caption]
Condemned as a “coward” by his own lawyer when he went on the run rather than show up to his trial on charges of the manslaughter of university graduate Charlotte Brown, convicted killer Shepherd, 35, has been accused of attempting to cover up the true cause of the accident.
His other victims include a war veteran with post-traumatic stress disorder, who Shepherd attacked with a vodka bottle, and the women he left broken-hearted.
Just nine weeks after Charlotte, 24, from Clacton, Essex, died on December 8, 2015, Shepherd married a woman in the sleepy Welsh town of Abergavenny, where they set up home and had a child.
Shepherd then moved on to a new love in Georgia, Maiko Tchanturidze, having fled to the Eastern European country after assaulting barman David Beech in March 2018 while awaiting trial.
TV journalist Maiko said they planned to get married – even though he still had a wife back in Britain.
Last night locals in the Welsh town made it clear Shepherd won’t be welcome back in Abergavenny.
One, who asked not to be named, told The Sun: “The guy was a tool – very arrogant and dismissive towards anyone who wasn’t useful to him in some way.
“He acted like he was too good to be living here.
“When we realised exactly who he was, it was no great surprise. It takes a cold heart to do what he did, then move on with a new wife and home as if nothing had happened.
“One thing’s for sure – if he ever has the nerve to come back to Abergavenny, he’ll be run out of town.”
Refer to CaptionShepherd claimed he wanted to marry Charlotte Brown after one date[/caption]
WNSShepherd moved to the sleepy Welsh town of Abergavenny, where he got married and had a baby before fleeing[/caption]
The dad of the woman Shepherd married, who has not been publicly named, also indicated the convict would not be made welcome if he returned to the area.
The father, a solicitor who lives near Monmouth, less than a 30-minute drive from Abergavenny, said when asked if he’d heard from Shepherd since his release: “Absolutely not, and I can tell you I’m utterly fed up with talking about this man.”
He declined to say where his daughter and grandchild were now living, or whether she and Shepherd are still married.
‘Narcissist’
The bearded charmer had a history of wooing women. Prior to the crash he ran his own dating website, offering advice to men on how to attract the opposite sex, and is said to have tried to impress several other females with his speedboat.
Even though it was only his first date with Charlotte, he took her for a £150 meal at a fancy restaurant in London’s Shard, Britain’s tallest skyscraper.
If he ever has the nerve to come back to Abergavenny, he’ll be run out of town
Local resident
Consultant clinical and forensic psychologist Dr Naomi Murphy told The Sun: “The behaviour he displayed – taking a woman on a first date at an expensive restaurant and then for a ride on his speed boat – could be described as over compensatory.
“This smacks of narcissism, a need to appear more special and display a higher status.
“In others this has been a sign of masking insecurity.”
Paul Edwards – The SunShepherd dated Maiko Tchanturidze in Georgia after splitting from his wife[/caption]
Time of ‘speedboat killer’ Jack Shepherd’s case
December 8 2015: Following a date in London, Jack Shepherd and Charlotte Brown went for a speedboat ride on the Thames. At around 11.45pm police were called to help rescue Charlotte and Shepherd near Wandsworth Bridge. Charlotte died later in hospital.
September 20 2017: Shepherd is charged with manslaughter by gross negligence.
January 26 2018: He pleads not guilty at the Old Bailey in London.
March 16 2018: Shepherd attacks barman David Beech at a pub in Devon.
Mid-May 2018: Shepherd informs his legal team that he won’t attend his trial.
July 10 2018: He is found guilty in his absence.
July 27 2018: Shepherd is sentenced to six years in prison.
January 23 2019: Shepherd hands himself in to police in Georgia’s capital Tbilisi.
January 29 2019: His lawyers prevent a fast track extradition.
March 26 2019: Shepherd agrees to extradition.
April 10 2019: He arrived back in England.
April 11 2019: Shepherd pleads guilty to absconding before his trial.
June 6 2019: He is sentenced to four years in prison after admitting wounding David Beech with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. This is added to his six years for manslaughter.
June 19 2019: He loses an appeal against his manslaughter conviction.
January 23 2024: Shepherd is released from HMP Dovegate in Staffordshire.
Still searching for answers
The question is whether Shepherd has truly been reformed by his time behind bars.
Charlotte’s family believe he has never displayed true remorse or told the full truth about what happened on the Thames.
According to Shepherd, Charlotte was at the wheel of his 14ft long red Fletcher Arrowflyte GTO boat when it collided with a piece of wood beneath the surface.
That, he claimed, caused the boat to flip over, sending her into the depths of the fast flowing, cold and dark river near Wandsworth Bridge.
But eyewitness Stacia Read reported seeing one person peering into the water as the boat moved slowly, before hearing a “loud bang”.
Then she heard Shepherd crying out for help as he grabbed hold of the overturned hull.
EPAJack’s speedboat had a wobbly steering wheel[/caption]
Ray Collins – The SunCharlotte’s grieving family are still looking for answers[/caption]
This week Charlotte’s heartbroken father Graham Brown said: “Shepherd has never said what really happened that night.
“I wish he would just tell the truth. I feel that he will never do that.
“My daughter would not have been driving that boat. In my own mind, I’m fairly confident that she thought it was just going to meander, turn around and go back.
”She would have had no idea what he was going to do. She would have been absolutely terrified.”
It has been suggested that Charlotte might have fallen from the small craft when Shepherd, who admitted to the police that he had been drinking heavily prior to taking the boat out, drove recklessly.
Shepherd has never said what really happened that night. I wish he would just tell the truth. I feel that he will never do that
Graham Brown, Charlotte’s father
When Shepherd was sentenced for manslaughter in his absence in July 2016, the judge did so on the basis that the killer displayed a “totally cavalier attitude to safety”.
Judge Richard Marks, QC, said that even if Shepherd’s date had been driving, it was still an offence because “the defendant should never have allowed Charlotte to drive the boat at any time”.
Its steering wheel was faulty, and he had previously been warned by the river police for speeding.
Charlotte’s father, a semi-retired prison officer, supported that point of view, pointing out: “The pure fact that he took my daughter out on a dodgy speedboat at ten o’clock at night, without life jackets, on a very dangerous stretch of the River Thames, and accelerated up to 30 knots, and then to turn around and say it was her fault…”
Sadly, no cameras recorded events on the Thames when Charlotte drowned.
Arrogance and entitlement
Refer to CaptionJack Shepherd denied manslaughter[/caption]
A failure to accept true responsibility for Charlotte’s death is problematic, Dr Murphy warns.
Co-host of the Locked Up Living podcast, she explains: “Jack Shepherd does appear to display a pattern of avoiding responsibility.
“Fleeing is an extreme action, it didn’t seem to be done impulsively because it was reported that he informed his lawyers that he didn’t intend to attend his court hearing.
“The interview he gave in Georgia also displayed a sense of arrogance and entitlement.”
One of the best ways to prevent re-offending is for criminals to face those most affected by their actions.
Dr Murphy says explains: “What would be more effective could be Shepherd undergoing restorative justice where he would have to speak to the people he had harmed – Charlotte’s relatives.
“This is a man who doesn’t want to take responsibility for his behaviour and that would put him in a situation where he had to face up to a painful truth.
If he hasn’t taken responsibility for his decisions he is likely to make poor decisions again in the future
Dr Naomi Murphy
“If he hasn’t taken responsibility for his decisions he is likely to make poor decisions again in the future.”
Shepherd also did not tell the truth when he was first questioned about his attack on barman David Beech at the White Hart Hotel in Moretonhampstead, Devon, on March 16, 2018.
He claimed he’d acted in self-defence, but CCTV footage later showed that Shepherd’s assault on Beech, an ex-Royal Tank Regiment soldier and former frontline Challenger Tank driver, was unprovoked.
‘Spineless liar’
Beech previously described Shepherd as “a spineless liar, a snivelling little coward, and a sociopath who tries to manipulate everybody and every situation to his own advantage”, and said the attack triggered horrifying flashbacks to when he was shot in the head.
If Shepherd does commit any further offences in the next five years, a court is likely to send him back to prison.
Shepherd has been told he is welcome back in the former Soviet state of Georgia, but he is not allowed to travel abroad without permission under the terms of his release.
His former lawyer in Georgia, Mariam Kublashvili, 38, wrote: “Dear Jack, I’m so happy to hear you are a free man. You paid a very high price, but did so with dignity and your head held high.
“You are very welcome to return to Georgia, where you have friends who would welcome you.”
AP:Associated PressJack’s lawyer in Georgia, Mariam Kublashvili[/caption]
WNSThe town of Abergavenny this week[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
