Irish Sunday Mirror

PATRICK HILL DAN WARBURTON

Criminal’s celeb lawyer says he wanted to marry victim and start a family

- BY

in Tbilisi and SPEEDBOAT killer Jack Shepherd has begun making astonishin­g claims through his celebrity lawyer.

He says he thought of MARRYING first date victim Charlotte Brown and starting a family.

And the self-confessed womaniser – who wed his longterm girlfriend just two months after Charlotte’s death – even wants to MEET her devastated parents.

The runaway made the sick announceme­nts through Mariam Kublashvil­i as he fights extraditio­n from Georgia.

Ms Kublashvil­i – a former model who starred on the Georgian version of Strictly Come Dancing – said: “Jack told me, ‘I wanted with this girl a future, a family and maybe she will be my wife. It was the first date, but we had communicat­ion and I saw it as serious. We had feelings for each other, then she died’.”

Charlotte’s father Graham Brown, 55, yesterday blasted Shepherd’s marriage claim and said his daughter would never have had a serious relationsh­ip with him.

“He was so serious about her he went out and married another woman,” said Graham. “My daughter would have soon got the measure of Shepherd.

“She was too smart and would have soon seen through him. He’s trying everything to avoid the fact he’s got a six-year sentence waiting for him here.” The furious dad, of Sidcup, Kent, was stunned by Ms Kublashvil­i’s next statement. She said: “If Charlotte’s family call, he will answer it. I asked would you be willing to meet her family? He said ‘yes’. “He wants to look in their eyes, for them to understand and to tell them how sorry he is. He wants to prove he’s innocent and had no hand in their daughter’s death.” She added: “I said to him ‘are you ready to speak to psychologi­sts and to take a lie detector test and he said yes, absolutely’.” But Graham stormed: “He could have apologised at the trial. That’s where he should have been saying all these things. I don’t particular­ly welcome his apology now.” Shepherd is hoping to avoid extraditio­n and serve his sentence in Georgia as he fears being attacked in a British jail. Ms Kublashvil­i – who is charging fees of around £15,000 – admits there is a chance he could remain in the Georgian jail for nine months. She said: “I want now for him to be assessed by psychologi­cal experts to assess him to see why he ran away. If I wasn’t confident he’s innocent I would never have taken this case. I am confident he tried to help Charlotte, but couldn’t succeed. Her death was a pure accident.” She said Shepherd, being held in the country’s Gldani No 8 maximum security prison, “is shaking while he’s talking. He is not normal. He gets on well with everyone in jail. He has books and a television.” Charlotte

If Charlotte’s family call he will answer it. He wants to prove to them he’s innocent LAWYER KUBLASHVIL­I SPEAKING FOR SHEPHERD

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