Speedboat killer Jack Shepherd may NEVER face justice in a British court, warned a leading extradition barrister.

Shepherd, 31, convicted over the death of his 24-year-old date Charlotte Brown in his absence, handed himself in to the authorities in Georgia after being tracked down by a TV station in Georgia.

The fugitive, who has been on the run for 10 months, fled to the former Soviet republic in the wake of his charge that followed drunkenly letting Ms Brown seer his speedboat on their ill-fated date in December 2015.

He handed himself in almost a year to the day since he entered a not guilty plea to a charge of manslaughter by gross negligence at the Old Bailey on January 26 last year.

He was released on unconditional bail, but failed to show up for his trial in July.

An international arrest warrant was issued after his conviction.

Shepherd handed himself in the Georgian police shortly after a media appeal from Ms Brown's parents.

He still maintains his innocence and has won the right to appeal his conviction.

But George Hepburne Scott, a leading British barrister in the extradition field, warned that Shepherd may stay in Georgia "indefinitely" if the country refuses a request from the UK Government to bring him home.

Under current diplomatic agreements between Georgia and the UK, Shepherd is eligible for extradition.

But Mr Scott said Georgia could easily decline the request and may want to be seen to "stand up" to the UK.

Explaining the process that will follow his arrest, Mr Scott said: "The National Crime Agency will have to make a request of the Georgian State through the extradition treaty between the UK and Georgia.

"In reality it will be highly political.

"There have been no extradition requests from Georgia to the UK in the past 10 years, so the UK has nothing Georgia wants in return.

"Georgia may want to be seen as standing up to the UK and not bowing down to requests from the West.

"Mr Shepherd has also indicated he would fight extradition, so even if Georgia accepts the request to extradite him and a judge grants it, he can appeal that decision. This could take months and months.

"Mr Shepherd is also saying that he's an innocent man who was wrongly convicted.

"If he's claiming he has suffered a miscarriage of justice, a Georgian judge could refuse to extradite him on those grounds and he could remain in Georgia indefinitely.

"But he would likely be confined to the state or other countries who are less UK-friendly such as Russia. He would not be able to live anywhere in the EU or America."

He added: "I imagine what will happen from here is that he will object to extradition to delay the process for as long as he can.

"He will try to build up support in Georgia. "