Speedboat killer Jack Shepherd was given another 20 months today for attacking his latest girlfriend with burning hot barbecue tongs.

Appearing via video link from prison, the 39-year-old was told he was a danger to society – and in particular women.

Shepherd expressed remorse and promised to fix his drinking problem but Judge Martin Edmunds KC told him: ‘I place no faith or value in such expressions of responsibility and remorse’.

The self-styled Casanova became infamous after going on the run following the death of his 24-year-old date Charlotte Brown when he drunkenly flipped his speedboat.

Shameless Shepherd skipped bail in 2018 rather than face his Old Bailey manslaughter trial. He spent 10 months on the run in Georgia, until he was flushed out of his hideaway by the Daily Mail in January 2019.

Hauled back to London, the fugitive was given a 10-year sentence – six years for the speedboat manslaughter in London plus four years for viciously ‘glassing’ a barman in a Devon hotel who had refused him a drink.

A court artist sketch of Shepherd who pleaded guilty via video link to two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and damaging property

He was freed on licence halfway through the 10 years, in January 2024. But instead of taking the chance to start fresh, he fell back into his old ways of abusing alcohol – and women.

Having moved into a shared house in Southall, west London, he became friendly with another tenant, a woman in her 50s. They played badminton together and, by August 2024, she had become his girlfriend. 

But in 2025, Shepherd began calling her an ‘old lady hag’ and a ‘rat’, and belittling her with jibes about her weight and age and accusing her of flirting with other men.

Then in February last year, Shepherd became angry when she threatened to speak to his probation officer about him. Pinning his girlfriend down, he punched her repeatedly, causing bruising to her arm and the top of her leg, Isleworth Crown Court heard.

In a second incident, in June 2025, Shepherd was cooking a barbecue for them, and she made a comment he had burnt a pizza, said prosecutor Katherine Lloyd. 

‘The defendant had some sharply-pointed barbecue tongs, and he turned and stabbed the tongs into the victim’s left breast,’ she said. It broke her skin and started bleeding, and she ran to the bathroom. Shepherd followed her, said it had only happened because he was drunk. She is left with a permanent scar.  

After she reported him to the police, shameless Shepherd tried to blame his victim. He was recalled to prison a year ago, in September. He pleaded guilty at a hearing this July and was sentenced today at Isleworth Crown Court in west London.

Charlotte Brown was killed when Shepherd took her on a high speed ride past the Houses of Parliament in his defective speedboat

Shepherd had previously been jailed for the manslaughter of Charlotte Brown, 24, who died when Shepherd’s speedboat crashed while they were on a date in 2015

When he went on the run in Georgia, Shepherd had tried to make a new life for himself in the former Soviet republic, but caused public outrage by launching an appeal against his manslaughter conviction from his sunshine hideaway. To add insult to injury, British taxpayers were funding his appeal via legal aid, despite him having dodged his trial.

With the backing of Miss Brown’s devastated family, the Daily Mail ran a campaign to hunt him down, and in January 2019 we succeeded in flushing out Shepherd who gave himself up in the capital Tbilisi as the net closed in.

Inside the converted property in Southall, west London, where Shepherd admitted he carried out two violent assaults on his new girlfriend

Shepherd, pictured in 2019 at a court in Georgia, admitted assaulting his new girlfriend

Extradited back to Britain in April 2019 and put before an Old Bailey judge, Shepherd was asked by a court clerk to admit he had breached bail and absconded from justice, and he replied: ‘Er, yes.’

He begged to be given credit for handing himself in to police in Georgia, but Judge Richard Marks said he had only given himself up because of the Daily Mail, telling him: ‘It was only a matter of time before the net closed in on you.’

Kevin Hollinrake MP for Thirsk and Malton, is one of four MPs who have written jointly to Andy Burnham arguing that upgrading the route would help deliver his pledge to drive economic growth across the country.

Mr Hollinrake, along with Sir Alec Shelbrooke, Tom Gordon and Julian Smith say the A64 is a “vital economic artery” linking York with Malton, Scarborough and the Yorkshire coast, as well as providing important connections to communities including Bridlington, Filey, Selby, Harrogate and Wetherby.

However, significant stretches remain single carriageway, which they say causes congestion, unreliable journey times and acts as a barrier to investment, tourism and economic growth.

Their intervention follows the establishment of the Government’s new Number 10 North initiative, which Mr Burnham has said will put the weight of central government behind regional economic growth and infrastructure.

In their letter, the MPs say: “The establishment of No10 North presents an opportunity to break that deadlock.

“Dualling the A64 would improve safety and journey times, strengthen connections between York and our coastal and rural communities and, crucially, unlock investment, productivity and growth across North Yorkshire.”

Mr Hollinrake said he and fellow North Yorkshire MPs had campaigned for improvements for more than a decade, repeatedly raising the issue with transport and Treasury ministers.

The Hopgrove to Barton section was previously included in the Government’s roads programme, with former Prime Minister Boris Johnson saying in 2020 that work should enable the scheme to be funded for construction during the 2025-30 investment period.

The York and North Yorkshire devolution deal subsequently stated that the Government would consider proposals to improve the A64 between Hopgrove Roundabout and Barton Hill as part of decisions on its third Road Investment Strategy.

However, the MPs say that more than ten years after the campaign began there is still no clear route to delivering the upgrade.

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They have now asked Mr Burnham to make the A64 a priority for Number 10 North and work with them to establish a route towards finally dualling the road.

They added: “This is an opportunity to demonstrate in a tangible way what your commitment to growth across the North can mean in practice.”

The MPs have also requested a meeting with the Prime Minister and his Number 10 North team to discuss taking the project forward.

North Yorkshire Council has previously backed the dualling of the road and pledged to work cross-party with national and local politicians to secure the upgrade.

York and North Yorkshire Mayor David Skaith has previously pointed out that both Labour and Conservative governments have chosen not to press ahead with the dualling work.

A Reform council has hired private security guards in three town centres to ward off ‘gatherings of male migrants’ after reports they were intimidating locals and ‘wolf-whistling at schoolgirls’.

Essex County Council said six ‘operatives’ will patrol Braintree, Colchester and Chelmsford town centres from today for an initial three-month trial period.

The decision follows Government plans to expand the number of asylum seekers housed at nearby RAF Wethersfield – a former airfield – from 800 to 1,245. The Home Office has also said it will now be operational beyond 2027.

Men housed at the migrant accommodation centre – the largest of its kind in Britain – are often bussed into local towns to shop and access services. 

Reform said the patrols – named Operation Vanguard – came as a ‘direct response to concerns raised amongst local residents, particularly women and girls, over gatherings of male migrants in town centres’.

One Braintree resident, Mike Readon, 66, last month said he saw the effect of migrants in his town centre first-hand as they are dropped off by the busload in the morning – smartphones in hand and often masked.

He said: ‘They hang around the bus station and they whistle at the schoolgirls coming off the buses.

‘It’s horrendous. Lots of women just avoid the town entirely on a Thursday because it’s a totally different environment.

Reform UK-run Essex County Council has hired new security guards to ward of ‘gatherings of male migrants’ in town centres after reports of intimidation, like here in Braintree

Migrants are dropped off by the busload and are seen perching on the roadside 

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The new guards will cost £118,000 plus VAT and patrol Braintree (pictured) Colchester and Chelmsford town centre from 10am to 6pm seven days a week, Reform UK said

‘You see them hanging around the cash machines and then going into charity shops, haggling for a shirt that only costs a pound, trying to get it for 50p.

‘My wife and her friends, they wouldn’t come in on a Thursday, certainly not alone anyhow.’

Reform’s Peter Harris, the leader of Essex County Council, said: ‘Today, Operation Vanguard moves from words to action.

‘Six trained security guards, two each in Braintree, Chelmsford and Colchester, will provide a visible and reassuring presence on our streets, particularly for women and children. Our message is simple: the safety of Essex residents comes first.’

New Essex Police Chief Constable Rachel Nolan has said crime linked to the large asylum accommodation in the county was ‘very low’.

‘Certainly, as far as I’ve seen, there is absolutely no reason for anyone to be concerned about criminality associated with migrants from the Wethersfield camp in Essex,’ she told BBC Look East. 

The new patrols will cost around £118,000 plus VAT and will be funded by using up to £150,000 from a community improvement fund, the party said. 

The guards will work from 10am to 6pm seven days a week to ‘deter anti-social behaviour,’ the council said, and provide ‘reassurance’ to residents and ‘gather evidence’ on whether additional support is needed.

Mr Harris, writing in the Daily Mail last month, described Wethersfield as a ‘holiday camp’, noting luxuries included a fully kitted-out gym, complete with a fitness studio, a full-sized football pitch, indoor sports hall, television room and pool table.

But reports from inside Wethersfield paint a concerning picture, with one 25-year-old migrant, Adnani Mohammed, sentenced to 150 hours of unpaid work earlier this year for ‘violently’ attacking staff in a drunken rage.

Chelmsford resident Kevin Taylor last month described how young men coming from the camp had affected his town.

He told the Daily Mail: ‘The men hang around in gangs. Women and children are intimidated by the courthouse; there are big groups of them there.

‘I feel the UK has lost its way; they should respect our environment. Letting anyone in, mostly men, it’s too many handouts. Everyone is scared. It’s sad, really.’

While there is no known record of any conviction for serious incidents of criminality in the town linked to the camp, there has been a claim of assault on a woman. 

On the other side, angry hard-Right protestors, calling themselves ‘auditors’, hurl abuse at the incoming migrants while local people are caught in the middle of the aggressive maelstrom.

Wethersfield migrant camp is the largest migrant camp in Britain and currently houses 800 asylum seekers, but the Government has announced it will increase the population to 1,245 and will continue using the base beyond 2027

Last month, Reform UK leader of Essex County Council, Peter Harris, writing in the Daily Mail, described Wethersfield as a ‘holiday camp’

Migrants are carted off to nearby towns by minibuses regularly, like Braintree (pictured) only seven miles away 

One clip, shared by Nigel Farage to his 2.3million followers on X, showed a group of migrants sitting around waiting for their minibuses to pick them up on the edge of Braintree town centre for the 20 minute drive back to the camp

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Reform’s patrols have drawn strong criticism from opposing councillors, including Labour’s Lee Scordis, who said the ‘decision is clearly driven by prejudice’.

He said: ‘The council’s own report and the police tell us there is no evidence of any rise in crime from asylum seekers in Colchester.

‘This decision is clearly driven by prejudice. We have no answers over what they will do, the powers they will have and even if the council has consulted the police on this.’

Private security guards have no powers of arrest and any reports of crime will have to be handed to the local police. 

A council report titled Launch of Operation Vanguard stated that the Home Office claims ‘there is no evidence of Wethersfield AAA (Airfield Asylum Accommodation) having an impact on crime levels’.

It then says: ‘Regardless of this there is anecdotal evidence – which the Home Office has publicly acknowledged – that the presence of this community of asylum seekers creates a fear and perception of a risk of crime.’

Reports of fears over migrants in the community have stretched back in the area as far as May this year.

One local woman posted a video of migrants in the town waiting to be picked up with a caption saying: ‘Thankfully a friend walked me to the bus stop the other night. It’s extremely intimidating walking past groups of undocumented men in Braintree. Women and children aren’t safe.’

The new guards will primarily work in the areas where the migrants are dropped off in the selected towns but will assist with other security issues where necessary, an Essex County Council spokesman said.

Protesters demand the ex-military base at RAF Wethersfield is closed during a demonstration in September last year

Liberal Democrat councillor Stephen Robinson, leader of Chelmsford City Council, also took issue with the extra use of security guards. 

He said: ‘We need to make sure our communities are safe and cohesive, but stoking fear and stirring up stereotypes about asylum seekers, which is what Reform UK is doing, will not achieve that.

‘We need effective policing, wherever crime and anti-social behaviour occurs, and investment in projects that really make a difference like Liberal Democrat-led Chelmsford City Council’s Women’s Safety Charter… not ineffective, private security.

‘The asylum system is in a mess because certain Reform politicians, who used to be Conservative ministers, let the system spiral out of control.

‘This has resulted in the taxpayer forking out for hotels and temporary asylum accommodation.’

A Home Office spokesman said: ‘Public safety remains our first priority and we expect any criminality to be taken seriously. We work with local police to ensure the safety and security of local communities around the site, the staff who work there and those accommodated.

‘The concerns of communities are central to our immigration reforms. We are working to fairly house asylum seekers across the country, close every asylum hotel and move asylum seekers into alternative accommodation including former military sites.’

Elsewhere, in the Oxfordshire village of Piddington, its 350 or so residents will on Tuesday cast a vote in a ‘referendum’ on leaving the UK.  

The stunt is the latest stage in the community’s fight to stop a former Ministry of Defence site on the edge of the village being repurposed as a hub for undocumented male immigrants for up to ten years.

It comes after 133 women in the village – who would be outnumbered nearly ten to one by the new arrivals – issued an open letter to every female MP last week to share their concerns. An accompanying online video was viewed more than two million times.

There is no legal mechanism allowing them to declare independence so the Piddington referendum at the village hall will not be binding.

Ian Senior and his wife Paula retired to the village three years ago in the hope of living out their years in peace and quiet.

Women in the Oxfordshire village of Piddington are campaigning against plans to house 1,250 asylum seekers nearby 

Mrs Senior, 61, is now suffering sleepless nights worrying about the camp which sits just 650 yards from their garden.

The former administrator enjoys crafting in her shed but says she’d be too scared to spend time there with 1,250 undocumented men a field-and-a-half away.

‘They say it’s a secure camp but it’s only secure for the people living there,’ she said. ‘We’ll be voting on Tuesday. It’s a shame the referendum isn’t binding.’

The votes will be counted on Tuesday evening with the result announced at 7am on Wednesday – a day before the consultation into the project closes.

The Government has promised to end the use of hotels for asylum seekers and will use former military sites instead. Two are already up and running – Wethersfield and Crowborough in East Sussex. 

Andy Burnham has said middle-class areas such as Piddington should ‘play their part’ in housing asylum seekers. 

Wynsors World of Shoes, which has more than 45 branches nationwide Adidas, Skechers, Clarks, Timberland, Nike and Crocs, previously announced 17 shops are set to close.

One of these will be the branch on Blackburn Road in Astley Bridge.

In a previous statement, a spokesperson for the company said: “It’s with sadness that we announce that certain Wynsors stores will be closing their doors.

“We’d like to say a huge thank you to all of our customers who have shopped with us and supported the store over the years.

Wynsors World of Shoes offers a range of brands (Image: Getty Images)

“Your support has meant so much to the whole team.”

Branches also closing in Greater Manchester will be Bury, Salford, Oldham and Rochdale while further afield in the North West they will close in Bacup, Fleetwood and Birkenhead.

These closures come after a warning from private equity owner Modella Capital earlier this summer about job cuts and changes to its store estate.

Mondella Capital has endured a challenging 2026.

Claire’s and the Original Factory, both owned by Mondella, fell into administration earlier this year, resulting in the closure of all of the combined total of 291 stores.

Closure dates for the Wynsors stores have yet to be announced.

The Glens have taken just seven points from their opening six Irish Premiership games, and are already nine points behind the Bannsiders

Greg Sloggett has urged Glentoran to stick together and seize the chance to revive their season against league leaders Coleraine on Tuesday night.

The Glens have taken just seven points from their opening six Irish Premiership games after Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Bangor, but Sloggett insists there is no panic inside the dressing room.

The game marked Sloggett’s competitive debut for Declan Devine’s side, having moved from Dundalk over the summer.

The experienced midfielder admits Glentoran have yet to hit the standards they expect, but says the focus is firmly on finding solutions, as they take on the title favourites this season at the BetMcLean Oval.

“We will come through this together,” said the 30-year-old. “We need a performance and a result to give everyone the lift we are looking for.

“We are Glentoran and we should never have any hesitation about playing anyone. We know the results have not been what we hoped for at this stage of the season and that we have not yet reached the level of performance we know we are capable of.

“There have been a number of factors involved, but we are not looking for excuses. We are looking for solutions.

“As players and coaches, we are working hard to turn things around. We fully understand the frustration of the supporters because we feel it too.”

Coleraine could hardly provide a tougher test. The Bannsiders have carried their strong form from last season into the new campaign and currently sit at the summit.

But Sloggett sees the fixture as an opportunity rather than a threat.

“Some people may look at Coleraine as the worst possible fixture for us, but that is certainly not how we see it within the squad,” he said.

“We are relishing the game. From my point of view, there is no better fixture in which to start putting things right.

“Coleraine are a very good side. They have carried their form from last season into this campaign and are top of the league on merit.

“We are a good side too, though, and these are the games you want to be involved in as a player. It is now up to us to produce the performance we know we are capable of.

“A positive result could give us the lift we need and help get our season moving.”

The 30-year-old has endured a frustrating start to his Glentoran career after a knee injury delayed his debut following his move from Dundalk.

“It is always frustrating when you are ruled out through injury, but it is even more difficult when you have just joined a new club and the results are not going the way you would want,” said the Co Meath native.

“When you join a new club, you want to be involved as quickly as possible and show everyone what you can contribute.

“The results added to the frustration because you are watching from the sidelines and cannot influence what happens on the pitch. I do not think I have ever met a player who enjoys doing that.

“All I could do was support the lads and reinforce the messages coming from the manager and coaches.

“Thankfully, I am now fit and it was a great feeling to get on at half-time on Saturday. I would gladly have exchanged the appearance for three points, but unfortunately it was not to be.

“Hopefully, we will now see more players returning and give the manager as many options as possible. When you look around the squad, there is a huge amount of quality here.

“The players demonstrated that during last season’s excellent league run and there is no reason why we cannot rediscover that form.

“The important thing now is that we stand together and work our way through this difficult period. I have been in football long enough to know that tough times do not last.

“Results will turn when you continue to work hard. What matters is how you respond to difficult moments and what you learn from them.”

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Global stock markets slipped on Monday as a sharp drop in technology equities and rising crude prices rattled investors ahead of anticipated interest-rate increases in the United States and Japan this week.

Brent crude rose by almost 3 per cent after fresh strikes targeted Saudi Arabia and Gulf shipping, following a previous attack on a Saudi oil pipeline.

A scheduled Monday meeting in Oman between Iran and Gulf Arab states to negotiate opening the Strait of Hormuz was also postponed.

Sentiments were further depressed by Friday’s higher-than-expected US consumer inflation data.

Markets now indicate a near-90 per cent likelihood of the Federal Reserve raising rates on Wednesday, which would mark its first increase since mid-2023.

The European Central Bank increased rates last week, signalling further action if inflation accelerates.

Additionally, artificial intelligence shares were dragged down after leaders at OpenAI and Anthropic urged a slowdown in AI development to mitigate risks and safeguard humanity.

“There’s been no real equity-market drama in the face of 5% yields and high oil prices. But, clearly, one thing we have to add to the mix is that if the disruption in Hormuz continues, were going to have to add a couple of hikes by central banks, which is what the market is pricing,” Lombard Odier chief economist Samy Chaar said.

“The Fed is more ‌impatient than it was, and central banks are more impatient than they were, the ECB included. They’re not just going to let time do its work. They want to get ahead of it,” he said.

Oil price spike

Brent futures were last up 2.5% at $107.18 a barrel, having gained almost ‌9% last week.

Prices for diesel, gasoline and jet fuel are all far higher than ‌they were before the war, meaning a direct hit for consumers.

In Europe, the STOXX 600 was down 0.3% as gains in oil and gas stocks were offset by losses in tech, which were swept lower after the concerns expressed in a letter by Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, echoed by Elon Musk, who runs xAI, and Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI.

For markets, the immediate ⁠risk is that of a slowdown in the billions of dollars being spent on the AI boom, particularly after Altman also said his company would not proceed with an IPO this year, citing safety concerns.

“This is a highly unusual unified message from a group of tech CEOs, and it is weighing on the AI trade this morning,” XTB research director Kathleen Brooks said.

“Is this warning about AI a sign that hyperscaling AI compute and infrastructure has reached its endpoint? If so, this will have massive repercussions for financial markets, and it could also lead to a sharp selloff in chip stocks and other components of the AI trade at the start of the new trading week.”

S&P 500 futures fell 0.7%, while Nasdaq futures fell 1.7%, reflecting the premarket slide in shares of AI staples such as Marvell, Intel and Micron , which fell between 4.5% and 5.7%. Tech-heavy ​markets in Asia, such as Tokyo and Seoul, fell between 1% and 3%.

High yields test equity valuations

Government bond yields, which ‌posted their worst weekly performance since mid-May last week, edged higher.

Yields ⁠on benchmark 10-year Treasuries are on the verge of hitting 5%, the most since 2023, while German 10-year yields topped 3.53% to ⁠reach their highest since 2009.

Markets also imply around a 76% chance the Bank of Japan will lift its cash rate by a quarter point, to 1.25%, when it meets on Friday and is expected to signal further tightening couldtake place as it struggles to support the yen, after market intervention helped to pull it from a 40-year low.

The dollar rose 0.6% ​to 154.46 yen, having fallen around 4% over the last two weeks and away from a July peak of 163.99. The euro was 0.54% lower at $1.1535.