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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
National
Tom Place

Speedboat killer charged with attacking new girlfriend after prison release

A man who killed a woman in a speedboat crash on the River Thames has been charged with attacking his new girlfriend after his release from prison.

New parole board documents reveal that Jack Shepherd, 38, has been charged with two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH), criminal damage, intentional suffocation, and controlling and coercive behaviour.

The alleged victim, known as Ms X, is a woman in her fifties who lived in the same building as Mr Shepherd following his release.

A public hearing has been granted as the parole board announced the charges.

Jack Shepherd in a Georgian court in 2019 (AFP/Getty)
Jack Shepherd in a Georgian court in 2019 (AFP/Getty)

Mr Shepherd was given a 10-year sentence after crashing his speedboat in London during a first date with Charlotte Brown, 24, in December 2015.

Both Ms Brown and Mr Shepherd were thrown overboard by the crash, and while he survived and surfaced, police had to recover Ms Brown’s body.

Mr Shepherd was sentenced for manslaughter and wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm (GBH) in absentia in 2018.

Prior to the trial, Mr Shepherd fled to the former Soviet country of Georgia, and began a romance with Georgian TV reporter Maiko Tchanturidze for four months, while working as a freelance web designer.

He eventually confessed to Ms Tchanturidze that he was a fugitive, and handed himself in. He was extradited to the UK in January 2019.

He was released from prison early in January 2024, and met Ms X shortly afterwards.

Charlotte Brown died after a speedboat date in December 2015 (Metropolitan Police/PA Wire). (PA)
Charlotte Brown died after a speedboat date in December 2015 (Metropolitan Police/PA Wire). (PA)

According to the report, by August 2024, the two had begun an intimate relationship, which continued even after Ms X was told by the police about Shepherd’s history.

The report adds that towards the end of 2024 Mr Shepherd became violent and coercive towards Ms X, who complained to the police.

Mr Shepherd was then arrested for controlling, coercive and violent behaviour on August 5, 2025 , with incidents of violence from February, June and July 2025 detailed in the statement Ms X made to the police.

Mr Shepherd denied the allegations and was released on bail, but his licence was revoked, and he was recalled to custody on September 3, 2025.

In a written judgement on behalf of the chair of the Parole Board, His Honour Nicholas Coleman ruled that a public parole hearing would now take place to decide whether Mr Shepherd can be released from prison again.

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