Prosecutors have filed a request with authorities in Georgia to extradite Jack Shepherd, who was found guilty in his absence last year of the negligent manslaughter of a woman in a boat crash.
Shepherd, 31, went on the run after he was charged with killing Charlotte Brown, 24, with whom he was on a date when he took her for a speedboat ride on the Thames in London in in December 2015.
The boat overturned after hitting a submerged log and Brown, from Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, died in the water near Wandsworth bridge. Shepherd was found clinging to the upturned hull.
He is currently in prison in Tbilisi, the Georgian capital, after surrendering to police in the country in January. His lawyer, Tariel Kakabadze, wrote on Facebookthat a court hearing on the extradition was expected to start next week.
In an earlier appearance before the court in Tbilisi, one of Shepherd’s lawyers said he should not be extradited because he had been warned in a phone call that his life might be in danger if he went to a UK jail.
The court also heard Shepherd had an alcohol dependency and wanted to conduct an appeal against his conviction from Georgia.
The Crown Prosecution Service 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.
