Speedboat killer Jack Shepherd appears in Georgia court

By Karishma Sarkari|

Speedboat killer Jack Shepherd faced court in Georgia, just days after handing himself into police following ten months on the run.

The 31-year-old is facing extradition back to the UK to serve out his six-year manslaughter sentence after the death of Charlotte Brown on his speedboat on the pair's first date in London, back in 2015.

Shepherd appeared to smile as he was taken into the glass dock of the court room, where he told of his regrets around the situation.

Shepherd appeared to smile as he was taken into the glass dock of the court room in Georgia (PA/AAP)

He spoke of his big regret - not talking to Charlotte Brown's family (PA/AAP)

"Not a single day passes when I don't think about the loss of Charlotte's life and what effect it had on her family," he said according to Associated Press

"I wish I'd sat down with Charlotte's family and explained."

Following the hearing, Shepherd's lawyer Tariel Kakabadze told reporters her client has not contested his arrest because he's decided to cooperate with authorities and "prove he is innocent."

Shepherd faces extradition to the UK to serve his six year sentence (PA/AAP)

Shepherd's lawyer Tariel Kakabadze told reporters after the hearing, he is co-operating with police to prove his innocence (PA/AAP)

"We know that the appeal court of the United Kingdom is studying his case now and they have not made a decision yet," Kakabadze said in English. 

"He is sure that he has not committed any crime and we have hope that final decisions will be in his favour."

Despite failing to attend his trial at London's Old Bailey court in July 2018, the 31-year-old was convicted of manslaughter by gross negligence and sentenced to six years in prison.

Ms Brown's family have been campaigning for Shepherd to face justice ever since.

The Brown family have been campaigning since July 2018 for Shepherd to face justice after he skipped bail (PA/AAP)

Their 24-year-old 'Charli' died in December 2015, on her first date with Shepherd, whom she met through online dating site OK Cupid.

The couple met up for drinks at the famous Shard building on December 8 2015, where the court heard they consumed two bottles of red wine during dinner at restaurant Oblix, according to the BBC.

From there, The Old Bailey heard the couple continued drinking on Shepherd's houseboat before getting into the speedboat he had recently bought for the purpose of  "trying to pull women", he told police in an interview the day after the accident.

The pair took to boat for a spin down the Thames River towards the Houses of Parliament and sipped on champagne, before Brown took to the wheel.

It's alleged Shepherd was going at twice the limit, and increased the speed just before handing over the wheel to give his date an "extra thrill", according to The Sun.

But unable to control the boat, Brown hit a submerged log which sent the pair both overboard while neither were wearing life jackets.

Charlotte, 24, was killed in a speedboat crash on her first date with Shepherd (Supplied)

Shepherd clung to the upturned boat but Brown floated upstream and was later found by search and rescue teams. She died a short time later in hospital after suffering from "cold water immersion and intoxication".

At the time of his arrest in Georgia, Shepherd told news channel Rustavi 2 outside the police station: "In six months justice will be done... and everyone can move on."

"After a long period where the police rightly treated it as an accident, after significant pressure from her father, the police decided to prosecute me for manslaughter," Shepherd continued, before effectively blaming the victim for her own death.

"The court accepted she was driving at the time of the accident.

"The thing they say I did wrong was to let her drive my boat. They say that was negligent and that I owed her a duty of care.

"Although I had had something to drink, I was not tested or anything. Charlotte was tested and was just above the drink-drive limit.

"It was unwise to go out on the water but not mad."

After 10 months on the run, the 31-year-old handed himself in to police in Georgia this week (PA/AAP)
