Speedboat killer Jack Shepherd agrees to return to UK
Shepherd spent six months on the run after the death of Charlotte Brown, who was killed during a speedboat date on the Thames.
Tuesday 26 March 2019 11:02, UK
Speedboat killer Jack Shepherd has agreed to be extradited back to the UK.
Shepherd, 31, went on the run as he faced trial over the death of Charlotte Brown, 24, on a champagne-fuelled first date when his speedboat overturned in the River Thames in December 2015.
He was convicted of her manslaughter in his absence at the Old Bailey and sentenced to six years in jail.
The UK has submitted a formal request asking Georgia to extradite the web designer, who is in prison in Tbilisi, after handing himself in to authorities in January.
Tariel Kakabadze, the lawyer for Shepherd, said: "He is not fighting extradition."
In earlier comments, Mr Kakabadze said his client intends to challenge his conviction in the Court of Appeal and could return to the UK as early as this week.
No date has been set yet for Shepherd's appeal hearing.
Ms Brown, who met Shepherd on dating website OkCupid, drank champagne with him on his boat at the end of a night out.
Both took turns at driving the 14ft Fletcher Arrowflyte GTO vessel, which ended up hitting a submerged log and tipping over near Wandsworth Bridge, sending them crashing into the river.
Shepherd - who drove the boat at more than double the 12 knot speed limit - was found clinging to the hull, while Ms Brown was pulled from the water unconscious and unresponsive.
In January, Jack Shepherd's lawyer told a court in Tbilisi he had been warned his life would be in danger in a UK jail and he gave the judge a false address as he battled to avoid extradition.
At the time, his lawyers argued that he should be allowed to remain in Georgia to conduct his appeal against his conviction, potentially via Skype.