Jack Shepherd: Speedboat killer lands in UK after extradition from Georgia

Speedboat killer Jack Shepherd has landed in the UK after being extradited from Georgia.

The 31-year-old from Abergavenny was escorted by Metropolitan Police officers after he landed at Gatwick airport.

Shepherd vanished while on bail over the manslaughter of Charlotte Brown, who died while the pair were on a champagne-fuelled first date on the River Thames.

He was convicted in his absence for manslaughter.

Angela Deal, head of extradition at the Crown Prosecution Service, said: "Jack Shepherd has returned to the UK to face justice following close co-operation between the CPS Extradition Unit, UK colleagues and the Georgian authorities, to ensure a successful extradition."

Shepherd is set to appear at the Old Bailey on Thursday morning.

It is believed his defective speedboat overturned after striking a submerged log in December 2015 - throwing the 24-year-old woman into the icy water.

Shepherd spent 10 months on the run, but turned himself in to a police station in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi in January.

Speaking to reporters on board the Georgia Airways flight from Tbilisi to London, Shepherd said he was "acting on emotion and fear" when he fled the UK but now wants to "make amends".

He claimed that he and his family have received threats as a result of "misplaced" animosity, and said this was caused by the media misreporting certain aspects of the case.

Shepherd said: "There really have been some complete untruths, in particular this idea that I let her drown, that I did nothing to help her, this could not be further from the truth."

When asked why he did not defend himself in court, he said: "I wasn't thinking at the time, I was acting on emotion and fear and I made a mistake.

"But now I'm trying to make amends."

Shepherd added that he regretted not speaking to Ms Brown's family sooner and described it as his "second biggest mistake" after taking out the boat that night.

On Wednesday afternoon, pictures showed Shepherd in handcuffs as he was led by uniformed officers into a secure cell in the back of a van.

In December 2018, he was granted permission to appeal against the conviction.

Shepherd's surrender came after repeated public appeals by Ms Brown's family for him to face justice for her death.

After his extradition was granted by a court last month, her family said he had a weak case and "no choice" but to return.

Speaking in Tbilisi in the days before his extradition, Shepherd apologised to Ms Brown's family - however, he insisted that her actions had caused the deadly accident.

No date has been set for Shepherd's appeal hearing, with the Crown Prosecution Service and the Metropolitan Police declining to comment on the case in advance of his arrival back in the UK.

Tariel Kakabadze, Shepherd's lawyer, told reporters in Georgia: "He agreed to the extradition request because he believes that it's very important for him to participate in court hearings in the appeal court in the United Kingdom.

"He wants to answer all those important questions which exist in this case and which are not proven by any evidences. And we believe that his testimony will be very important evidence for the judges to make [a] final decision."

© Sky News 2019