Speedboat killer Jack Shepherd STILL blames his victim

Speedboat killer Jack Shepherd STILL blames his victim because she was driving as he admits he is ‘very, very frightened’ of being extradited to face British justice

  • Jack Shepherd, 31, told Georgian prison guards yesterday that he was ‘sorry’  
  • He is still protesting his innocence as he flies home to face British justice  
  • Shepherd, originally from Exeter, is due to fly into Gatwick on Wednesday

Jack Shepherd, 31, told Georgian prison guards yesterday that he was ‘sorry’. He is due to come back to Britain on Wednesday

Speedboat killer Jack Shepherd has issued a reluctant apology to the parents of victim Charlotte Brown, but continues to blame her for the crash.

Speaking ahead of his extradition from Georgia on Wednesday, he said: ‘Her actions led to the fatal accident.’

Miss Brown, 24, a business consultant from Clacton in Essex, was killed when a speedboat she and Shepherd were in crashed on the Thames in December 2015.

The pair were on a first date on his boat, which he used to ‘pull women’, when it hit an obstacle. They were both were thrown into the icy water.

Convicted killer Shepherd, 31, continued to shift the blame for his date’s death on to her, insisting: ‘Ultimately, it was her action to accelerate in the manner that she did.’

He added: ‘There are matters of luck and fate – an unseen log in the path of the boat. In the end I survived while Charlotte lost her life. These things could have been very different.’

Shepherd has been found guilty of manslaughter after Charlotte Brown, 24, died in 2015 when his speedboat flipped on the Thames while they were on a first date

Shepherd has been found guilty of manslaughter after Charlotte Brown, 24, died in 2015 when his speedboat flipped on the Thames while they were on a first date

The web developer told The Sun: ‘I agree with the assessment that I bear some of the moral responsibility for Charlotte’s death and I can understand why her family apportion the entire blame on me. But the reality is not quite so simple.’

Referring to Miss Brown’s parents, Graham Brown and Roz Wickens, he said: ‘Absolutely, unreservedly, I apologise for the role I played and undeniably I did play a part.

‘They have my sincere sympathies and condolences and I understand why they apportion the blame as they do. If I was in the same situation I would probably feel the same way.

‘I am very sorry for what happened. It was a tragedy and if I could do anything to change what happened I really would.’

Shepherd fled Britain after being charged with Miss Brown’s manslaughter, and was given a six-year prison sentence in his absence. The fugitive finally handed himself into Georgian police after an international manhunt was sparked and the Daily Mail put up a £25,000 reward for information leading to his arrest. He has since been in Gldani Prison No 8 in Tbilisi, the Georgian capital.

Asked if he regretted fleeing before his trial, he said: ‘Primarily, yes. The consequences for me and others, the way I’m perceived, it’s upset a lot of people and it was against my own interests also.

‘I truly believe if I’d been there in court to explain myself, the jury would have come to a different conclusion. But also, the choice I felt I faced at the time was between running and suicide, so in a way I’m not entirely regretful because at least I didn’t choose the other option.’

Two months after Miss Brown’s death, Shepherd married his fiancee who did not know he had been romancing other women and had been involved in Miss Brown’s death. The pair, who lived in north London before moving to Wales, have a young son together.

He admitted he would not go back to his wife, but would fight to see his child, whether that was in Britain or another European country.

He said: ‘My son is in Britain and I’ve always worked there. But it may be difficult for me to find work given the negative media coverage I’ve experienced. I do have obligations, debts, I want to provide for my son, so I’m going to have to find decent work somewhere, be that in the UK or another European country.’

Although he is yet to begin his sentence in Britain, he has also toyed with the prospect of a career change, saying: ‘It’s tempting. If some opportunity arises in prison to try my hand at something else like carpentry, I’d give that a go.’

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk