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Published on
11.04.2019 at 18:54
by
AFP
A man who killed his partner in an outboard accident, then fled Britain, was sentenced Thursday to six years in prison after being found and extradited from former Soviet Georgia.
Jack Shepherd, 31, was described as a selfish coward by a London court judge, Old Bailey, and sentenced to an additional six months in jail for fleeing.
The web designer was sentenced in his absence last year for the death of Charlotte Brown, a 24-year-old woman to whom he entrusted his first outing with champagne on his fast boat on the Thames in London in 2015.
He had rolled more than twice the maximum speed allowed. She then followed suit on the return trip and hit a submerged log, tipping them both into the water.
Brown died in the hospital while Shepherd was saved.
Shepherd fled to Georgia before his trial, which told him that he was responsible for the condition of the motorboat. The ship had a series of serious faults, including with regard to driving.
He was found guilty of manslaughter for gross negligence and sentenced to six years in prison.
An international warrant was issued against him.
Shepherd appeared in court Thursday after his extradition from Georgia on Wednesday.
By taking a "conscious, deliberate and thoughtful decision" to flee, he had "tremendously added to the distress of Charlotte's family who could not know when, if any, you would be apprehended; you, the person who has spent the last hours of his life with his beloved daughter and sister, "said the judge.
"Your behavior of being away from justice for so long was as cowardly as it was selfish," he added.
Katie, a tearful little girl, said in court: "As a family, we are relieved that Jack Shepherd is now back in the country and begins serving his jail sentence. It's a step towards justice for Charlie.
"Throughout the process, I feel he continues to deny responsibility, as if he was almost convinced of his victim."
Earlier in court, Shepherd's lawyer, Andrew McGee, said he was "terrified" by the prospect of a jail sentence and wished to apologize to Brown's family.
Shepherd is appealing his conviction.
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