Man to stand trial over River Thames speedboat death following nightmare first date

A website developer whose date died after she fell from a speedboat into the River Thames will stand trial next year.

Charlotte Brown, 24, was pulled from the river in London in December 2015, but died later in hospital.

She was on a first date at the time of her death, having had a meal in The Shard skyscraper before going on a speedboat cruise on the Thames.

The incident near Wandsworth Bridge also saw her date, Jack Shepherd, pulled from the water. He survived.

The Met Police initially treated the death as non-suspicious, but in September detectives charged Shepherd, from Abergavenny, Wales, with manslaughter by gross negligence.

The 30-year-old is due to stand trial in July after appearing for a plea hearing at the Old Bailey on Wednesday (15 November).

Brown, from Welling, south east London, was described by her family as a "fun-loving" woman.

Her mother Roz Wickens, 50, paid tribute to her daughter's "cheeky smile, loving heart, and vibrant personality".

She said: "I am so totally devastated I can't put it into words, but when people see what a beautiful woman she is, they will know how everyone loved her, she touched so many hearts.

"This is the worst thing I have ever had to do in my life, it is so terrible."