UK speedboat killer handed in to police in Georgia
By Tea Mariamidze
Friday, January 25
A 31-year old British male, Jack Shepherd, who was found guilty of killing Charlotte Brown, his date, in a speedboat in 2015, handed himself in to the Georgian police on January 23.
He surrendered himself to police to “seek the justice and prove he is not guilty.”
In his interview with Georgia’s Rustavi 2 TV, Shepherd even claimed he was the “victim of a conspiracy.”
As he recalls, he was driving the boat but after a while, he let Ms. Brown drive, because he was under the influence of alcohol. The detainee does not find himself guilty.
Shepherd was sentenced in his absence to a six-year jail term for the manslaughter by gross negligence of 24-year-old Charlotte Brown. However, he obtained the right to appeal the decision.
The website designer escaped to Georgia before being due to stand trial for the manslaughter by gross negligence of Ms. Brown, who died when his defective speedboat crashed on the Thames during their first date.
The boat hit a submerged log near Wandsworth Bridge and capsized, flinging the woman into the river. Shepherd was found clinging to the upturned hull while Charlotte Brown was found dead from cold water immersion.
Georgian law states that extradition is granted over convicted individuals if they have been sentenced to at least four months’ imprisonment, which means that the extradition proceedings will begin straightaway. He will begin serving his sentence upon arrival in the UK.
As Shepherd was on the Interpol list of wanted people, the opposition in Georgia criticized the local law enforcement for letting him enter the country with little difficulty.
Khatia Dekanoidze, member of the United National Movement (UNM) says that the law enforcement system in Georgia is “destroyed.”
“This is not the first time that wanted people enter Georgia freely, including the so-called criminal bosses, who are wanted by Interpol,” she stressed.
British Embassy in Georgia released a statement regarding detention of a British National in Tbilisi on 23 January.
“We thank the Georgian Police for their efforts and cooperation. We are working closely with the local authorities,’ the embassy said.
