Jack Shepherd, 38, has pleaded guilty to violently assaulting a woman, including attacking her with a set of barbecue tongs. The plea was entered via a prison video link on Tuesday to two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and damaging property.
Guilty Plea Details
The assaults took place in February and June 2025. Shepherd admitted pinning down the woman and punching her in February, striking her in the chest with barbecue tongs in June, and damaging her keys that same month. Prosecutors agreed to drop two other allegations: controlling or coercive behaviour and intentional suffocation. Shepherd entered his guilty pleas from HMP Swaleside in Kent.
Background: Manslaughter of Charlotte Brown
Shepherd was originally jailed for 10 years for the manslaughter of 24-year-old Charlotte Brown in 2018. Brown died when his speedboat crashed on the River Thames during a first date in December 2015. Shepherd skipped his Old Bailey trial while on the run in Georgia before being extradited back to the UK to serve his sentence.
Recall to Prison
Shepherd was released on licence in January 2024 after serving less than six years. He was recalled to prison on September 13, 2024, for breaching his licence conditions, including allegedly writing to his latest victim in breach of bail conditions and missing his 11pm curfew. A parole board report later revealed the new charges and ruled that a future parole hearing should be held in public.
Victim's Family Reaction
Speaking on Good Morning Britain in 2019, Charlotte Brown's father Graham expressed the ongoing pain: "Jack Shepherd wasn’t at his trial, he was found guilty in his absence and he absconded. It left a gap of emptiness, really. It’s been absolutely devastating. Charlotte was a beautiful daughter. She was a beautiful soul and a beautiful daughter.... Everyone I’ve spoken to and come in touch with have been incredibly supportive. I would say thank you to the press and to everyone who supported us through this process, the police and everybody."
