Jack Shepherd jailed for 20 months for assaulting girlfriend
Speedboat killer Jack Shepherd, already in prison for manslaughter, has been sentenced to 20 months for assaulting his girlfriend, including stabbing her with barbecue tongs.
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Jack Shepherd, the man convicted of manslaughter over the death of Charlotte Brown in a speedboat crash, has been sentenced again for assaulting his girlfriend. At Isleworth Crown Court today, he was given 20 months for three offences, all committed while he was on licence after being released early from his original sentence.
Shepherd, 32, admitted the assaults earlier this year. The court heard that at the start of 2025 he became increasingly jealous and violent in the relationship, behaviour made worse by alcohol. In February, during an argument, he pinned the woman down on a sofa and punched her several times, leaving bruises on her arms and upper legs. In June, after the couple had been at a pub and returned home for a barbecue, he burnt a pizza. When his girlfriend pointed this out, he stabbed her in the left breast with a pointed barbecue tong. The wound bled and left a permanent scar. On a separate occasion in the same month, while he was drunk again, she tried to escape from their home. He followed her to the car, grabbed her keys from the ignition and broke them.
Shepherd appeared in court via video link from prison. He had been recalled to custody last year after the offences came to light. He was previously sentenced to six years for the manslaughter of 24-year-old Charlotte Brown, who died in December 2015 when his poorly maintained speedboat hit a submerged tree on the River Thames and overturned. He handed her the controls just before the crash. He was rescued alive but she was found unconscious and did not survive. He fled to Georgia before his trial and was extradited, starting his sentence in 2019. He was released early on licence in 2024.
While on bail for that case in 2018, he also hit a barman with a bottle and received an additional four-year sentence. Today's 20-month sentence does not change his latest release date of 2029, but it will extend the time he remains under licence after release.
On screen
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Key Claims
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Channel Perspectives
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ITV focused on the detailed court report from its correspondent, giving a chronological account of the offences and Shepherd's background. It provided specific details of each assault and the legal context, including his previous convictions and his early release. The tone was factual and straightforward, with a strong emphasis on the victim's injuries and the timeline.
- “Jack Shepherd became well known in 2018 when he fled his trial for the manslaughter of Charlotte Brown, who was killed on his speedboat during their first date.”
- “he pinned her down to the sofa, punching her several times, leaving bruises on her arms and upper legs.”
- “stabbed her with a pointed, sharp barbecue tong in her left breast.”
5 News recapped the story for viewers who might have remembered the original speedboat crash, highlighting the victim's age and the new girlfriend's age. It gave a concise summary of the assaults and noted that Shepherd had been recalled to prison. The tone was slightly more conversational, with the presenter addressing viewers directly and using phrases like 'give you a flavour of the incidents.'
- “Jack Sheppard will serve 20 months, in fact, for being violent towards his girlfriend.”
- “after she pointed out to him, he'd burnt the pizza and he ended up stabbing her in the chest with barbecue tongs and it caused her to bleed and went on to leave a permanent scar.”
- “he was also serving a four-year sentence for hitting a barman with a bottle whilst on bail.”
Broadcast Timeline
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