Wednesday 18 October 2017

First-Date Thames Speedboat Tragedy: Man Charged With Manslaughter

Leaving Court: Jack Shepherd
A man whose late-night speedboat date ended in a drowning tragedy, appeared in court for the first time today charged with the manslaughter of the young woman.

Charlotte Brown, 24, a business development consultant died in the early hours of December 9, 2015 after plunging into the Thames.

It was her first date with website developer Jack Sebastian Shepherd, 30, of The Laureate, Charles Street, Bristol after meeting on an online app and dining at the Shard.

He appeared at Wimbledon Magistrates Court, which sent him to appear at the Old Bailey on November 15. 

He is charged with one count of manslaughter at Butlers Wharf, Wandsworth on December 9, 2015. 

Many members of Ms Brown’s family were in court for the short hearing.

At Plantation Wharf near Wandsworth Bridge the pair were in a speedboat that capsized, throwing them both into freezing waters just after 10pm on December 9.

Ms Brown, from Welling, south-east London was pronounced dead at 1.55am the next day.

Tragedy: Charlotte Brown
Wandsworth police and Marine Support Unit searched the area, alongside the National Police Air Service and the RNLI

She pulled from the water at around 11.45pm.

The charge follows a twenty-month investigation by Scotland Yard’s Homicide and Major Crime Command.

District Judge James Henderson bailed Shepherd unconditionally.

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