Infamous 'speedboat killer' Jack Shepherd has pleaded guilty to violently attacking his girlfriend, including striking her with a pair of barbecue tongs. The 38-year-old entered guilty pleas via a prison video link on Tuesday to two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and criminal damage.
Details of the Assaults
The attacks took place in February and June last year, triggering Shepherd's recall to prison. He originally received a 10-year sentence for manslaughter in 2018 following the death of 24-year-old Charlotte Brown, who died when his speedboat capsized during a first date. Shepherd absconded from his Old Bailey trial while hiding in Georgia, before being extradited back to the UK. He was released on licence in January 2024, but was recalled to prison in September last year after allegations of violence against a new partner.
At Tuesday's hearing, Shepherd pleaded guilty to three offences after prosecutors agreed to drop two further charges of controlling or coercive behaviour and intentional suffocation. The pleas were entered via video link from HMP Swaleside in Kent. He confessed to pinning down the woman and punching her in February 2025, hitting her in the chest with barbecue tongs in June 2025, and damaging her keys during the same month.
According to prosecution documents, Shepherd restrained the woman and "punching her several times causing bruising to her arm and top of leg" amid a dispute. In a separate incident, he became angry after his partner burnt a pizza at a barbecue and "proceeded to hit her with the barbecue tongs on her left breast which caused a permanent scar".
Background: The Speedboat Tragedy
During his manslaughter proceedings, jurors heard that Shepherd, a web developer, met Ms Brown from Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, on a first date and proposed a journey along the River Thames aboard his speedboat. Both had consumed champagne, and Shepherd transferred control of the vessel to Ms Brown moments before it hit a submerged tree and capsized, plunging both into the cold water. While he was rescued alive, Ms Brown was found unconscious and unresponsive. Shepherd denied manslaughter by gross negligence but absconded during proceedings. After being returned to the UK, he received an additional four-year jail term at Exeter Crown Court in 2019 for a drink-fuelled assault on a barman in Newton Abbot, Devon.
His most recent offences came to light last month in a Parole Board report following his recall to prison.
Next Steps in Court
Judge Martin Edmunds KC, the Recorder of Kensington and Chelsea, remanded Shepherd into custody ahead of a sentencing hearing in September. The judge requested a probation assessment of Shepherd's conduct during his time at liberty in 2024 and early 2025. Addressing the court directly, Shepherd confirmed his anticipated release from custody, after completing his manslaughter term, is scheduled for January 2029.
