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British speedboat killer gives himself up to Georgia police: official

A British man who killed his date in a speedboat crash and went on the run ahead of his trial has given himself up in the ex-Soviet republic of Georgia, police said Wednesday.

“I confirm that Jack Shepherd handed himself to Georgian police today, 30 minutes ago,” interior ministry spokeswoman Sopho Mdinaradze told AFP.

She added that Shepherd “will be detained and afterwards legal procedures will be launched into his extradition to the UK.”

Shepherd, 31, was convicted of manslaughter last year for the death of Charlotte Brown, a 24-year-old woman he took on a champagne-fuelled first date on his speedboat in the River Thames.

The boat flipped over after Shepherd handed Brown the controls and she was recovered unconscious.

Shepherd was rescued after being found clinging to the upturned hull.

Shepherd, a web designer, vanished before his trial last summer and was convicted of manslaughter by gross negligence and sentenced to six years in prison in his absence.

An international warrant was issued for his arrest.

The case has attracted intense interest in British media, with theories about where he could be ranging from Thailand to Turkey.

Brown’s family met British Home Secretary Sajid Javid on Tuesday to ask him to track down Shepherd.

“Charlotte’s family are understandably heartbroken and distraught following this awful tragedy. I have taken a personal interest in this case and am determined to ensure Jack Shepherd faces justice,” Javid said earlier.

“I told the family we will strain every sinew and explore every option to bring them the justice they deserve as soon as possible,” he said.

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