An official request has been submitted for speedboat killer Jack Shepherd to be extradited from Georgia.
Shepherd was convicted of killing Charlotte Brown, 24, on a Champagne-laden first date when the speedboat they were in overturned in the Thames.
The 31-year-old went on the run before his trial last year and is currently in prison in Tbilisi, the Georgian capital.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) confirmed it had prepared a request which has been sent to Georgian authorities by the Home Office.
It is unclear when the request was formally submitted. The Home Office did not immediately respond to inquiries.
His lawyer, Tariel Kakabadze, posted on Facebook saying a court hearing on the extradition was expected to start next week.
Shepherd was convicted of manslaughter by gross negligence in his absence last year.
Ms Brown, from Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, died after plunging into the icy water in December 2015.
The web designer, who was convicted of manslaughter at the Old Bailey, handed himself in to Georgian authorities last month.
Shepherd, originally from Exeter, was sentenced to six years in jail but remained at liberty.
Reporting by Press Associaton
