Georgian Woman Reveals Jack Shepherd's Intimate Confession

Maiko Tchanturidze, a 24 year old Tbilisi resident, spoke to Chris Pollard, a reporter for British newspaper The Sun, describing her intimate relationship with English fugitive Jack Shepherd and the tearful confession he made to her.

According to Pollard, Tchanturidze met Shepherd in a public park in Tbilisi when he asked to pet her dog. She had no idea of his identity at the time, or that he was a fugitive, wanted by Interpol for the death of Charlotte Brown in December, 2015. A London court ruled her death a manslaughter and Shepherd responsible, as he took her for a ride on his speedboat, in poor condition. The British press has dubbed Shepherd "the speedboat killer." Shepherd was tried and convicted in absentia, as he went on the run after skipping bail on his court appearance in July of last year. Shepherd fled to Georgia in March 2018 where he was able to live and work undetected for nearly a year. After months evading justice, he finally handed himself into police in Georgia on January 23. 

Before turning himself in, Shepherd revealed his true identity to Tchanturidze on a tearful video call. Pollard reports that Tchanturidze described the call to him, saying:

“He said he had something to tell me. He seemed upset, his face was red...He was struggling to get his words out, but he said he’d been involved in a boat accident where a girl had died, and that he was wanted by Interpol...He said he was going to hand himself in because he ‘didn’t want to be hunted down like an animal.’ I was beyond shocked and by the end, he was also crying his eyes out. It was very frightening to hear his story.”

Tchanturidze, along with many Georgians, are sympathetic to Shepherd's claims of innocence. She said, according to Pollard, "I had questions, but he answered them all and cleared even tiny doubts I had."

The relationship, while intimate, was purely platonic for Tchanturidze, says Pollard, quoting the young woman: "We became close so I introduced him to my sister and friends, and we started going out to bars and restaurants...It developed into a very close friendship. But it never went any further...I don’t know if Jack had feelings for me but as far as I was concerned, we were just good friends.”

After his appearance on Georgian TV news channel Rustavi2, many Georgians have expressed pity for Shepherd, believing his portrayal of himself as a victim.

A Georgian court sentenced Shepherd to three months in maximum security Gldani prison while he awaits extradition. A legal team, for which he is paying himself, is fighting the extradition charges on grounds that Shepherd would not be safe in a British prison, as he has received death threats. 

By Samantha Guthrie

Photo: Paul Edwards, The Sun

Source: The Sun