THE grieving family of a woman who died following a speedboat crash has called for a change in the law in her memory.

Charlotte Brown, 24, died during her first date with Jack Shepherd when his speedboat crashed in the River Thames in December 2015.

Shepherd had encouraged her to drive the boat even though she had no experience and they were not wearing life jackets.

They were both thrown into the water and Charlotte died.

He was sentenced to six years’ imprisonment after being found guilty of manslaughter by gross negligence in his absence after failing to attend his Old Bailey trial.

An international manhunt is now under way to find Shepherd.

Charlotte’s sister Katie has now launched a petition calling for a change the laws and regulations on the country’s waterways in memory of Charlotte.

She said: “Charli was killed in a tragic boat incident on the River Thames.

“The man responsible has been convicted of manslaughter.

“He was speeding, drunk, aware of the defects on his boat and failed to offer Charli a life jacket to wear.

“No family should suffer similar again.

“There are no nationwide criminal laws on our waterways for private vessels regarding speed limits, alcohol drink drive limits, compulsory wearing of life jackets, mandatory safety training or vessel safety checks.

“We propose introducing the following criminal laws to be consistent across our waterways for private vessels, including speed limits, alcohol drink drive limits, mandatory wearing of life jackets, safety training and vessel safety standards.

“In memory of Charli, let’s make a change.”

If the petition gets more than 100,000 names, it will be considered for debate in Parliament.

To sign the petition, go to petition.parliament.uk/petitions/226218.