Speedboat death: Victim was 'too cold' for medics to find vein

Charlotte Brown was driving the speedboat when it hit a log and flipped over, the court has heard

A woman who fell into the Thames after a speedboat crash was so cold that paramedics had to drill into her bone to try to save her, a court has heard.

Charlotte Brown was killed when she was thrown into the water along with Jack Shepherd, 30, while the pair were on a first date in December 2015.

The Old Bailey was told her body temperature was just 25C when she was pulled out of the river by the RNLI.

Mr Shepherd, from Paddington, denies manslaughter by gross negligence.

The jury has heard he had tried to impress Ms Brown, 23, with a boat trip past the Houses of Parliament after a meal at The Shard.

However, the craft flipped over when she was driving and hit a log in the river.

Jack Shepherd told police he bought the speedboat to "pull women"

The web designer was found clinging to the upturned hull of the boat and Ms Brown was pulled from the water by RNLI crew members. Ambulance crews then battled to save her.

Paramedic Andrew Alcroft told jurors Ms Brown was in cardiac arrest and hypothermic when she was found.

He said medics had to drill into a bone to administer fluid as they could not access her veins.

"We were unable to get intravenous access because no veins came up," he told the jury.

Prosecutor Michelle Nelson asked: "You say that it was so cold you could not get access to her vein?"

"Yes. There was no blood pressure because of the cardiac arrest," he replied.

Jack Shepherd is being tried in his absence

He also told the court Ms Brown was considered hypothermic as her body temperature was below 30 degrees.

Normal body temperature is 36.9C.

The court has heard that a post-mortem examination recorded the cause of death as cold water immersion.

The trial continues.