Charlotte Brown, 24, was thrown into the Thames river after she and Jack Shepherd took his boat out onto the water during a boozy date in London in December 2015
Speedboat victim Charlotte Brown’s father has told her on-the-run killer he can’t evade the authorities forever after the fugitive was sentenced to jail for manslaughter.
Graham Brown issued the warning to Jack Shepherd, 30, who has been on the run since March and is thought to be hiding abroad in popular holiday spots such as Greece or Spain.
Charlotte Brown, 24, died after being thrown into the Thames when she and Shepherd took his speedboat out onto the water during a boozy date in December 2015.
Now the victim’s father has appealed for anyone who has seen Shepherd to ‘examine their conscience’ and to turn him in.
Speaking to the Sun, Mr Brown said: ‘I’m sure someone will make that call. Justice is coming, of that I’m certain.’
Shepherd was convicted of Ms Brown’s manslaughter by gross negligence last week after a jury heard the boat was speeding and had a number of defects, including faulty steering.
Judge Richard Marks QC jailed him for six years, although Shepherd was not present for his trial as he has been on the run, having not even spoken to his mother.
Despite being at large, Shepherd was able to communicate with his lawyers but authorities can’t use that to trace him due to legal protection.
Shepherd, 30, has been on the run since March and is thought to be hiding abroad
Charlotte’s father Graham Brown (left) issued a dark warning for the fugitive, saying: ‘Justice is coming, of that I’m certain.’ Pictured: Ms Brown’s father, sister Katie and mother Roz Wicken (pictured left to right)
Shepherd was convicted of Ms Brown’s manslaughter by gross negligence last week after a jury heard the boat (pictured) was speeding and had a number of defects, including faulty steering
Both the Scotland Yard and National Crime Agency are working together to hunt Shepherd down.
A police source told the Sun they are urging holidaymakers to take note of their surroundings and to take a second look at any expat barmen or hotel workers.
They added: ‘Any sighting could lead to a vital breakthrough.’
Appearing on Good Morning Britain on Monday, Charlotte’s mother, Roz Wickens called for new legislation to make waterways safer, by introducing stronger laws on wearing life jackets, speeding and drinking.
She said: ‘The thing that’s been driving me than anything, regardless of the outcome, we need to reflect on what happened that night.
‘There’s no legislation on waterways, there’s no legislation for life jackets, speed, excess alcohol, for private vessels there’s nothing.
‘There’s one for commercial but nothing for private vessels, so it’s open for anyone to do anything they want and there’s no law against it.’
Ms Brown, pictured left, was pulled from the water after the crash but died from cold water immersion during a date with Jack Shepherd (right). He has since gone on the run but was jailed for six years today with his sentence to start when he is caught
According to police, Shepherd was last seen in Devon in March and police have urged the public to come forward with information.
A jury at the Old Bailey had heard Shepherd had bought the red 14ft Fletcher Arrowflyte GTO boat from Gumtree to ‘pull women’.
He met Ms Brown on dating website OK Cupid and they shared two bottles of wine over dinner at The Oblix restaurant before taking to the river in December 2015, bringing champagne with them.
In the video she made on their way up the Thames to the Houses of Parliament, Ms Brown could be heard yelling: ‘Oh my God, you’re going so fast’.
The boat then hit a partially submerged tree trunk, catapulting the couple into the freezing Thames.
Police said Shepherd was ‘desperate to show off’ and in handing over the controls to an inexperienced person he created a ‘recipe for disaster’.
The jury heard Shepherd bought the red 14ft Fletcher Arrowflyte GTO boat, pictured, from Gumtree to ‘pull women’
The speedboat pictured on the River Thames bank after the fatal incident
Charlotte’s mother, Roz Wickens, said: ‘There are no words in the universe to describe how wonderful Charlotte was. [She was] the best daughter ever, my best friend. We’ll never get over losing her.
‘Life won’t be the same. Every breath that I take, is a guilty breath, that I’m taking breath and she’s not.’
Shepherd managed to cling onto the upturned bow and call for help, but Ms Brown, known to her friends and family as Charli, was unresponsive when she was pulled from the water.
Neither were wearing lifejackets and the speedboat had serious defects including a ‘wobble’ in the steering system and damaged windscreen and seats.
The boat was also not fitted with a ‘kill cord’ which cuts the engines in the event of an accident.
Shepherd told police in his interview that two lifejackets were aboard the vessel but that he did not tell Miss Brown about them.
Charlotte Brown, left, pictured with her sister Katie at a wedding earlier this year. Charlotte died after a date went horribly wrong
Miss Brown’s parents Graham Brown (left) and Roz Wickens, have been at the trial throughout
In tears, he added: ‘I didn’t even ask her if she could swim’.
The speedboat capsized opposite Plantation Wharf, near Wandsworth Bridge and Shepherd was found clinging to upturned bow of the boat.
He was unsteady on his feet and still reeked of alcohol after lifeguards hauled him from the river.
Shepherd was slurring is words as he asked: ‘Is she alright? Have you found her?’.
Riverside resident Steven Morrissey told the court that he heard a young man screaming for help.
He said in a statement: ‘He kept saying ‘Help me, help me, somebody help me’. It was just ‘Help me’ – not ‘us’, or ‘her’.’
When he took Charlotte out on December 8 2015, just hours after they met for the first time, ‘it went horribly wrong,’ Mr Jafferjee said.
‘It was cold, it was dark, we submit, it was sheer madness.’
Jurors took just over 25 hours to find Shepherd guilty of gross negligence manslaughter by a majority of 11 to one.