Speedboat killer Jack Shepherd should have his manslaughter conviction overturned because police failed to caution him when he was interviewed over his Tinder date’s death, his lawyer told the High Court in an appeal hearing today.
Shepherd was jailed for six years for killing 24-year-old Charlotte Brown, who was thrown from his high-powered boat when it capsized on the River Thames during their first date in December 2015.
But his lawyer claimed that police made a basic error when they failed to caution him before he was interviewed, meaning the trial judge should have ruled his interview inadmissible.
Charlotte Brown’s sister Katie and mother, Roz Wicken, arrive at the Royal Courts of Justice today to watch speedboat killer Jack Shepherd appeal his manslaughter conviction
Ms Brown’s father, Graham Brown, (left) arrives at court in London today followed by the victim’s mother and sister
The 31-year-old web developer went on the run ahead of his Old Bailey trial and was convicted in his absence of manslaughter by gross negligence at the Old Bailey in July 2018.
He was more than twice the speed limit when he handed the wheel over to the business consultant, whose family attended today’s hearing.
Jurors heard the 14ft Fletcher Arrowflyte GTO was riddled with defects when it hit a log and capsized.
After spending ten months on the run in Georgia, Shepherd was finally extradited and ordered to serve six years with six months consecutive for skipping his bail in April this year.
Stephen Vullo, QC, representing Shepherd, told the High Court: ‘The only reason why Mr Shepherd was not cautioned and given his right to a solicitor on the day of the significant witness interview was due to a mistake by the police.
‘There was evidence at trial, and it appears at the agreed facts that what had happened is that the investigating team had contacted the Maritime Police to ask whether or not offences had been committed knowing as they did the bare facts at that stage.
‘They were told no offence had been committed including driving the boat with excess alcohol.
‘It was a surprising part of the trial that being in control of a vessel on the Thames having drank indeed, is not an offence apart from in a very short part of the Thames and it maybe that is where the confusion came from.’
Mr Vullo said his client should have been provided with legal representation.
‘The fact is it took place in circumstance absent of caution and absent of a solicitor,’ he said.
‘The police officers were not going into the interview cold. They had a lot of information.
‘He was positively told that he was only to be treated as a witness.’
Miss Brown’s sister Katie and mother Roz Wickens sat in the well of the court while bearded and shaven headed Shepherd appeared on video link from category A HMP Woodhill wearing a green jumper.
Asked by the clerk if he was Jack Shepherd, he replied: ‘Yes, I am’.
Aftab Jafferjee, QC, on behalf of the Crown Prosecution Service, will address the Court of Appeal judges later today.
Ms Brown (left) died in December 2015, while Shepherd (right, on June 13, 2019) fled the UK to avoid a trial over her death
Following his return from Georgia, Shepherd appeared at the Old Bailey in April and was sentenced to an additional six months for breaching bail.
He was jailed for a further four years at Exeter Crown Court last week after he admitted wounding with intent in relation to a drink-fuelled attack on a barman.
The attack happened while father-of-one Shepherd was on bail after being quizzed by police over the manslaughter Ms Brown.
Appearing via video link, Shepherd this afternoon insisted he was ‘not a violent person’ and ‘felt physically sick’ after watching CCTV of the brutal assault.
The footage showed him ‘cowardly’ hiding a bottle behind his back before unleashing a ferocious blow that Mr Beech said was like being ‘hit by a baseball bat’.
His victim had to have the wound stitched and glued in hospital and his PTSD suffered a ‘set back’.
Shepherd appeared to sob and wipe tears from his face during the hearing as the judge described him as a ‘man with certain puzzling or peculiar aspects to your character’.
He then jailed him for four years, to run consecutively on top of his six-year manslaughter sentence.
Shepherd was jailed for a further four years at Exeter Crown Court last week after he admitted wounding with intent in relation to a drink-fuelled attack on a barman
Shepherd took a bottle of vodka and smashed into David Beech’s face
How the speedboat killer case unfolded
December 8 2015: Jack Shepherd and Charlotte Brown meet for a date where he takes her to the Shard for dinner, before taking a taxi back to Shepherd’s home, a houseboat in Hammersmith, where they took champagne on board his speedboat for their ride past parliament.
July 2018: An international arrest warrant is issued for Shepherd
July 26, 2018: Shepherd, despite being absent from court, was found guilty of manslaughter by gross negligence
July 27, 2018: Shepherd is sentenced to six years’ imprisonment – Shepherd’s wife is then said to have told police that the 33-year-old had travelled to Georgia.
December 2018: Shepherd is granted leave to appeal against his conviction despite still being on the run.
January 22, 2019: Family of Charlotte meet with Savid Javid before making a television appeal for Shepherd to ‘do the right thing’
January 23, 2019: Shepherd hands himself in to police in Georgia
January 24, 2019: Shepherd tells a television station in Tbilisi that he fled the UK because he feared the ‘power within the prison system’ held by Ms Brown’s father Graham, who he claims is ‘a civil servant of some influence’.
January 29, 2019: His legal team successfully fight a fast-track extradition to the UK.
March 26, 2019: Shepherd agrees to be extradited back to the UK following a hearing at Tbilisi City Court.
April 10, 2019: Shepherd is flown back to the UK in handcuffs and is handed over to the Met Police after arriving at London Gatwick at around 9.20pm.
April 11, 2019: Shepherd admits breaching bail and absconding before his trial at the Old Bailey in front of Ms Brown’s family. He is given an extra six months in jail on top of the six-year manslaughter sentence
June 6, 2019: Shepherd admits attacking barman David Beech with a bottle in March last year, while on bail for Ms Brown’s manslaughter. He fled Britain to Georgia shortly after.
June 13, 2019: Shepherd appears at the Royal Courts of Justice to appeal his conviction for the manslaughter.
