Charli Brown: Family pays tribute to 'loving, beautiful' daughter who drowned in Thames speedboat tragedy

Tragedy: Charli Brown
MPS
Ramzy Alwakeel13 December 2015

The devastated family of a young woman killed in a speedboating tragedy on the Thames have paid tribute to their “cheeky, loving, vibrant” sister and daughter.

Charlotte “Charli” Brown, 24, had been on a dinner date at The Shard on Tuesday evening before the speedboat ride.

Business development consultant Ms Brown, who lived in Finchley, north London, had been speaking to the man online for about a month before their first date, and was “excited” to see him in person, her family said.

But the night ended in tragedy when the pair were thrown from the speedboat near Wandsworth Bridge and plunged into the freezing water.

The man, 29, was rescued, but Ms Brown was pronounced dead in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Her family said they had been touched by the “outpouring of love” and paid tribute to “her cheeky smile, loving heart and vibrant personality”.

Sister Katie, 27, said: “Charli had never been on a speedboat before in her life – she was obviously excited to be on one.”

Scene: Police retrieve the boat from the water Alex Lentati
Alex Lentati

English literature graduate Ms Brown was a “confident swimmer”, they said – but it is feared she was not wearing a life jacket.

“Even the best swimmer in the Thames, at this time of year, with the current conditions and the cold – I don’t see many people standing a chance without a life jacket.

“We don't know exactly what happened. If she was wearing a life jacket there is a chance she could still be here today.”

Ms Brown’s mother Roz Wickens, 50, a former London Ambulance Service worker, said she was “so totally devastated I can’t put it into words”.

She added: “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.”

Ms Brown's father Graham, 52, a civil servant, was said to be "inconsolable".

The family said in a joint statement there were “no words to describe our grief”.

Police are treating the death as non-suspicious.

Additional reporting by Press Association

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