Speedboat killer Jack Shepherd will appear in court after being successfully extradited from Georgia.
The 31-year-old touched down at London Gatwick airport on Wednesday evening after 10 months on the run.
He told reporters during the Georgian Airways flight from Tbilisi that he acted on “emotion and fear” when he fled the UK and now wants to “make amends”.
He is wanted to serve a six-year prison sentence over the death of Charlotte Brown, 24, during a late-night speedboat ride down the River Thames in December 2015.
Shepherd will appear at the Old Bailey in central London on Thursday morning, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said.
Angela Deal, head of extradition at the CPS 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.
“He will first appear at the Old Bailey to be sentenced for the gross negligence manslaughter conviction in connection with the death of Charlotte Brown, and then at a later date in the South West over the grievous bodily harm charge.”
Home Secretary Sajid Javid thanked the Georgian authorities for their assistance on Twitter, adding: “Charlotte Brown’s family have endured immeasurable pain & are now one step closer to getting the justice they deserve.”
A jury found Shepherd guilty of manslaughter by gross negligence in his absence after he skipped bail last summer.
He made his last appearance before the Old Bailey in November 2017 to deny manslaughter.
The web designer’s trial heard that he had been drinking champagne on a first date with Ms Brown when they went on the speedboat ride.
His 14ft Fletcher Arrowflyte boat had a series of defects and was speeding when it overturned near Wandsworth Bridge, throwing Ms Brown to her death in the water.
My thanks to the Georgian authorities for their assistance in extraditing Jack Shepherd to the UK. Charlotte Brown’s family have endured immeasurable pain & are now one step closer to getting the justice they deserve
— Sajid Javid (@sajidjavid) April 10, 2019
Shepherd, originally from Exeter, was plucked from the cold river.
He was sentenced in his absence last year.
Asked why he did not stay to 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, calling it his “second biggest mistake” after taking out the boat that night.