A man who fled the UK after causing a woman’s death in a speedboat crash has handed himself into police in Georgia after six months on the run.
Jack Shepherd has been wanted since disappearing before his trial, which saw him jailed for six years in absentia for the manslaughter of Charlotte Brown.
“We have received information from the National Crime Agency (NCA) that Jack Shepherd is in the custody of police in Georgia,” a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said.
“His identity has yet to be officially confirmed. However, if the man is confirmed as Shepherd, extradition proceedings will begin immediately.”
A spokesperson for the Georgian embassy in London said: “He has surrendered himself to the Georgian police and now the police undertakes relevant detaining formalities.”
After receiving news of Shepherd’s arrest, her father Graham Brown wrote on Facebook: “Justice for Charlotte is close!”
It came a day after Ms Brown’s parents and sister met the home secretary to demand assurances that everything possible was being done to track Shepherd down.
Amid media reports the fugitive was hiding in Georgia, Sajid Javid urged him to give himself up.
He said the Metropolitan Police and National Crime Agency were working to find Shepherd and added: “What is clear is that Charlotte’s family have suffered enough. That is why I am repeating my plea for Mr Shepherd to give himself up.”
Mr Brown said that after letting Shepherd escape while on unconditional bail, police and authorities “have a responsibility to do whatever it takes to ensure that justice is served”.
“We miss Charlotte every day,” the father added. “The lapse of time does not temper the rawness and the pain of our loss.”
Ms Brown was 24 when she went on her first date with 31-year-old Shepherd in London in 2015.
They were both drunk when he took her on the boat he bought to “pull women” without a life jacket.
Shepherd did not warn her of a steering defect before handing her the controls on a dark winter night.
Ms Brown died after the boat hit submerged debris in the River Thames and flipped over.
As Shepherd, originally from Exeter, remained on the run in December, he was given permission to challenge his conviction.
The appeal sparked an outpouring of public anger, with Ms Brown’s family accusing Shepherd of making a mockery of justice.
His solicitor, Richard Egan, previously denied “protecting a fugitive” and said that despite being in contact with his client, he did not know his whereabouts.
