A fugitive who was convicted of killing a woman in a speedboat crash on the Thames may resist extradition from Georgia, his lawyer has said.
Jack Shepherd, 31, handed himself in to police in the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, on Wednesday, six months after he was sentenced to six years in prison in his absence for the manslaughter by gross negligence of Charlotte Brown, 24.
Police issued an international warrant for Shepherd’s arrest after the web designer failed to attend his trial at the Old Bailey in July. Despite being on the run, he applied to the court of appeal via his lawyers for the right to appeal his conviction and was granted permission on 19 December.
The Crown Prosecution Service said on Thursday it was “consulting with the authorities in Georgia to progress our extradition request”. Shepherd is expected to appear in court in Tbilisi on Friday.
His lawyer in Georgia, Tariel Kakabadze, said Shepherd was considering fighting the extradition attempt. “We just need to study the case documents and I need to discuss it with my client before making the final decision about it,” he said. “As a lawyer, I have to agree each step with my client.
“If the extradition happens, it is important to make sure there will not be a danger to him in the UK. If I get assurances that his extradition is not dangerous, we might not disagree with extradition. Each step will be decided after we carefully study all the possibilities and options.”
Shepherd and Brown met on the dating website OkCupid and were on their first date when they were involved in a speedboat crash on 8 December 2015. Shepherd had taken her for a meal at the Shard in London before suggesting they go for a late-night boat ride past the Houses of Parliament.
The boat hit a submerged log near Wandsworth Bridge and capsized, flinging Brown into the river. Shepherd was rescued after being found clinging to the upturned hull. Brown was found unconscious and unresponsive. A postmortem ruled she died from cold water immersion.
A jury heard the boat’s lifejackets had been tucked away, the kill cord was not connected and the boat had a number of defects, including faulty steering. The prosecutor, Aftab Jafferjee QC, told the court it was “sheer madness” to take the boat out that night.
Footage on the Georgian television station Rustavi 2 showed a bearded Shepherd, wearing a long coat, jeans and a checked scarf, smiling as he entered a police station.
He told reporters: “Yes, my name is Jack Shepherd. I was involved in a tragic accident … in which a lady called Charlotte Brown tragically died … I hope the truth will be discovered, my appeal will end successfully and everyone can move on.
Shepherd continued: “Charlotte was driving the boat when the accident happened, but unfortunately this fact was forgotten and the media did not mention it either.”
Appearing on BBC Breakfast on Thursday morning, Brown’s sister Katie said the family were all “shocked and relieved” when they heard Shepherd had handed himself in.
She said that seeing him “stroll into the police station smiling and waving, it was unbelievable – his arrogance and everything”. She added: “He seems to be concerned about his own feelings and how he’s felt throughout the whole thing, and has had no empathy or remorse for his reckless actions. He has caused the loss of my sister’s life and, whilst he’s been off in Georgia, he claims that he went to see friends and he has always wanted to see the scenery there – almost like he was claiming it was a holiday. He said that he has been out socialising, going to nightclubs, so, whilst he has been doing that, we have been back here, had the agony of the trial, left to pick up the pieces.”
Brown’s family met the home secretary, Sajid Javid, on Tuesday to appeal for “justice to be served”. Writing on Twitter after Shepherd’s arrest, Javid said: “I welcome the news that Jack Shepherd is in police custody in Georgia. We will seek to swiftly extradite him to Britain. It is vital Charlotte Brown’s family see justice done.”
Georgian law states extradition is granted for convicted individuals if they have been sentenced to at least four months’ imprisonment.
