Shepherd’s speedboat hit a submerged log in the River Thames in London and capsized – throwing both passengers into the cold water Shepherd was sentenced in absentia to six years in jail after being found guilty of manslaughter by gross negligence and having gone on the run LONDON: A man whose date died in a speedboat crash was sentenced to six years in jail on Friday, after a court found him guilty of manslaughter by giving her the wheel after drinking. Web designer Jack Shepherd, 30, had been trying to impress 24-year-old Charlotte Brown on their first date on December 8, 2015. But their wine and champagne-fueled night ended in tragedy when his speedboat hit a submerged log in the River Thames in London and capsized, throwing them both into the cold water. Brown was pulled from the river unconscious and unresponsive. Shepherd was sentenced in absentia to six years in jail on Friday, after being found guilty of manslaughter by gross negligence and having gone on the run. He jumped bail and did not attend the trial at England’s Old Bailey central criminal court in London. Police have since been unable to track him down. “He could not have faced the Brown family from the dock and it’s cowardice he could not do so,” said his lawyer Stephen Vullo. On the night in question, Shepherd took Brown for an expensive meal where they drank two bottles of wine. They then drank champagne at his home before getting in the speedboat for a spin past the Houses of Parliament. Mobile phone footage showed him driving it at more than double the 12-knots ( 22 kilometers) per hour speed limit. She then followed suit on the return journey and hit the log, flipping them both into the water. The court heard how Shepherd had bought the 14-foot (4.3-meter) 1980s boat online in order to “pull women.” He had taken up to 10 women on the boat and been caught speeding more than once. Judge Richard Marks said Shepherd had a “totally cavalier attitude to safety.” “What is clear beyond doubt in my judgment is the defendant should never have allowed Charlotte to drive the boat at any time,” he said. “She had been drinking, it was dark, and he must have known the river potentially contained hazards... she had no previous boating experience at all.” Brown’s mother Roz Wickens told the court: “If it was a dreadful accident, as he has claimed, why hasn’t he explained what happened that night and at least sent his condolences? “If Charlotte had not met him she would still be alive.” Police said afterwards that they were open to the possibility that Shepherd had left Britain.