Inside speedboat killer Jack Shepherd’s Georgian bolthole where he hid from justice

Remarkable pictures have been released of speedboat killer Jack Shepherd’s rented apartment in Georgia, where he hid from the law for months.

Shepherd, who handed himself into authorities in the country 12 days ago after 10 months on the run, paid £168 a month for the bleak flat in the capital Tbilisi after arriving on March 21 last year.

Pictures of the apartment obtained by the Mirror show the squalor conditions Shepherd endured to evade capture by the police, after skipping his trial in the UK over the death of ­Charlotte Brown.

Shepherd was convicted of manslaughter in July last year after Ms Brown died when a speedboat they were on crashed near the Houses of Parliament in London during a Tinder date.

The apartment’s dark and cramped living room features a small sofabed and a table with two chairs with very little natural light

Shepherd was said to have rented the apartment after running away from the UK back in March last year after the incident on the Thames

Shepherd was said to have rented the apartment after running away from the UK back in March last year after the incident on the Thames

Shepherd (right) and Georgian landlord Nika Nadidze, 37, who the speedboat killer told his named was 'Jack Grant' when he arrived in Georgia

Shepherd (right) and Georgian landlord Nika Nadidze, 37, who the speedboat killer told his named was ‘Jack Grant’ when he arrived in Georgia

Landlord Nika Nadidze, 37, said Shepherd claimed his name was ‘Jack Grant’ when he first arrived and he initially believed he was a student. He had even set up a Facebook account to support his new identity.

‘He said his name was Jack Grant. I joked “are you Hugh Grant’s brother?” and he laughed,’ he said.

‘I didn’t ask him why he had moved to Georgia. I thought he just wanted to get away from civilisation and live a new, more simple life.’

Mr Nadidze told the Mail he had no idea the ‘charming’ new tenant of his fifth-floor flat was a wanted fugitive. 

He said: ‘I thought he seemed like a nice person. I thought he was just one of those young guys who wanted to get away from the stress of work and live a simple life.

‘He didn’t even want a TV. All he had was a laptop and a few belongings. He did not mention that he had a family at home or that he was in any trouble.’

Shepherd’s wife disowned him after discovering he was on an internet date with Charlotte Brown, 24, (pictured) when he killed her in his speedboat on the Thames

Shepherd’s wife disowned him after discovering he was on an internet date with Charlotte Brown, 24, (pictured) when he killed her in his speedboat on the Thames

The tiny one-bedroom flat includes a cramped bedroom which is barely big enough for a double bed and is extremely basic

The tiny one-bedroom flat includes a cramped bedroom which is barely big enough for a double bed and is extremely basic

Mr Nadiradze said the killer, who abandoned his wife and son in England when he went on the run last March, started dating shortly after arriving in the country. 

‘He said he had met a nice Georgian girl and that she worked for Rustavi2 TV which has an office in the area,’ he said.

In a bid to make more friends, brazen Shepherd also joined his landlord on a 10km run in aid of a cancer charity. After just three months Shepherd asked if he could break the tenancy agreement early so he could move in with his girlfriend in June.

Mr Nadiradze said he was stunned when he discovered the truth about his former tenant: ‘I could not believe it, he was so charming and nice. 

‘He met my nine-year-old daughter when I went over to fix something and I would never have let her meet him if I had any idea that this person was not good.’

Shepherd’s next door neighbour Lia Sulaberidze, 69, said: ‘He was very unusual because we’ve never had a foreigner living in this building before. It’s mainly young Georgian ­families. I didn’t ask him, but I always thought he was a student because of how he dressed and how young he looked.’ 

Shepherd rented the flat in the  impoverished Saburtalo quarter of Tbilisi back in March for £168 a month

Shepherd rented the flat in the  impoverished Saburtalo quarter of Tbilisi back in March for £168 a month

Shepherd rented the flat in the impoverished Saburtalo quarter of Tbilisi back in March for £168 a month as he fled to Georgia to escape a manslaughter conviction

Tsitsino Kharebashvili said Shepherd was a regular at the bakery where she worked, adding: ‘He would order in Georgian and would always say please.’  

The one-bedroom flat is situated on the top floor of a five-storey Soviet-style block in the impoverished Saburtalo quarter of Tbilisi.

It features a cramped dirty bedroom which has just enough space for a double bed and a dark and dingy living area.   

Shepherd fled to Georgia in March last year shortly after his wife threw him out of the family home when she discovered he was on an internet date with 24-year-old Charlotte.

In the months before the accident, he had entertained up to ten other women on the ageing and badly-maintained speedboat.

Shepherd is being held for three months at Gldani No 8 maximum security prison, where he hopes to fight extradition and serve his six-year sentence for manslaughter.

Shepherd fled to Georgia in March last year shortly after his wife threw him out of the family home when she discovered he was on an internet date with 24-year-old Charlotte

Shepherd fled to Georgia in March last year shortly after his wife threw him out of the family home when she discovered he was on an internet date with 24-year-old Charlotte

The landlord who rented him the apartment said he thought Shepherd wanted to 'get away from civilisation and live a new, more simple life'. Pictured: The building's stairwell

The landlord who rented him the apartment said he thought Shepherd wanted to ‘get away from civilisation and live a new, more simple life’. Pictured: The building’s stairwell

The small flat has a balcony which overlooks several other Soviet-style buildings in the rundown neighbourhood

The small flat has a balcony which overlooks several other Soviet-style buildings in the rundown neighbourhood

He is learning Georgian in jail in his bid to become a citizen of the former Soviet state, which requires candidates to speak the language and live there for five years.

During a court hearing on Tuesday last week, the killer spoke in Georgian giving his name as ‘Jack Sebastian Shepherdi’.

The judiciary in Tbilisi is under pressure to send him back to Britain to serve his sentence here, but Shepherd has blocked attempts to extradite him swiftly.

Police in the UK are also hoping to speak to him in relation to claims he glassed a barman with a vodka bottle at a pub in Devon last March.

The speedboat case sparked outrage when he claimed legal aid to appeal against his conviction while he was on the run.

Shepherd is currently languishing in a jail in Georgia as UK authorities battle to get him extradited

Shepherd is currently languishing in a jail in Georgia as UK authorities battle to get him extradited

Shepherd is reportedly learning Georgian in jail in his bid to become a citizen of the former Soviet state

Shepherd is reportedly learning Georgian in jail in his bid to become a citizen of the former Soviet state

The small cooker within the apartment's tiny kitchen where Shepherd cooked his meals

The small cooker within the apartment’s tiny kitchen where Shepherd cooked his meals

Shepherd's next door neighbour Lia Sulaberidze, 69, said: 'He was very unusual because he was the only foreigner in the block'

Shepherd’s next door neighbour Lia Sulaberidze, 69, said: ‘He was very unusual because he was the only foreigner in the block’

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk