A British man who killed a woman in a speed boat crash has been jailed for an extra six months for fleeing the country.
Jack Shepherd fled the UK last year after killing Charlotte Brown on a first date on the River Thames in London and was sentenced to six years in jail for manslaughter in July.
Shepherd fled to Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, where he went into hiding for 10 months.
The 31-year old web developer admitted breaching bail and absconding in front of the Old Bailey in London for the first time since he ran away.
The court heard that he fled to Georgia in March 2018 and was in contact with lawyers on May 14.
At the Old Bailey, Shepherd did not make eye contact with Brown’s parents following his extradition from Georgia.
Judge Richard Marks QC said: "Charlotte's family were, of course, devastated by the circumstances by which she met her death, and those feelings were greatly exacerbated by the fact you chose to go on the run.
"Your conduct in absenting yourself from justice for so long was as cowardly as it was selfish.”
Mr Marks suggested Shepherd had only handed himself in when the “net was closing in”, but his lawyer, Andrew McGee denied this.
Addressing Mr McGee, the judge said: “It was widely publicised your client was understood to be in Georgia and against that background it does seem to me this is not a case of somebody who entirely off his own bat has thought better of his situation and decided to surrender rather that this was somebody who realised the net was closing in and that was the background in which he surrendered.”
In a statement read outside of court, Brown's family said: "As a family, we are relieved that Shepherd is now back in the country and commencing his prison sentence. It is a step closer to justice for Charli.
“Shepherd has continued to prolong our agony, making wild accusations against our family and the events of the fateful night in December 2015, which are inconsistent to Shepherd's own police interview and testimonies given during the manslaughter trial."
Shepherd claimed Brown took control of his boat before crashing it, which the family said was an account contradictory to eyewitness testimony.
“During his time on the run in Georgia, both he and his legal team have stated various versions of events and accusations that are simply untrue, and due to the reckless and negligent actions of Shepherd, isn't here to defend herself," Brown's family said, adding that Shepherd had not shown any remorse or accountability for his actions.
“We hope that Shepherd's appeal against his conviction will be dismissed and, as a family, we can continue to fight for a change in the laws on our waterways."
Shepherd arrived at London’s Gatwick Airport last night accompanied by Metropolitan Police officers ahead of his court appearance on Thursday.
He handed himself into the police in January and was jailed for three months in the Tbilisi while his extradition was arranged by the British and Georgian authorities.
Speaking to the BBC in Georgia before he left for the UK, Shepherd said he ran away out of “animalistic fear”.
"I am terribly sorry for my involvement in Charlotte's death and subsequent actions which have made things worse and I'd like to make amends for that,” he said.
"I ran for fear. It wasn't premeditated, it was just a case of being driven by an animalistic fear and jumping on a plane with not much of a plan."
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Dust storm
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- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
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Three-day coronation
Royal purification
The entire coronation ceremony extends over three days from May 4-6, but Saturday is the one to watch. At the time of 10:09am the royal purification ceremony begins. Wearing a white robe, the king will enter a pavilion at the Grand Palace, where he will be doused in sacred water from five rivers and four ponds in Thailand. In the distant past water was collected from specific rivers in India, reflecting the influential blend of Hindu and Buddhist cosmology on the coronation. Hindu Brahmins and the country's most senior Buddhist monks will be present. Coronation practices can be traced back thousands of years to ancient India.
The crown
Not long after royal purification rites, the king proceeds to the Baisal Daksin Throne Hall where he receives sacred water from eight directions. Symbolically that means he has received legitimacy from all directions of the kingdom. He ascends the Bhadrapitha Throne, where in regal robes he sits under a Nine-Tiered Umbrella of State. Brahmins will hand the monarch the royal regalia, including a wooden sceptre inlaid with gold, a precious stone-encrusted sword believed to have been found in a lake in northern Cambodia, slippers, and a whisk made from yak's hair.
The Great Crown of Victory is the centrepiece. Tiered, gold and weighing 7.3 kilograms, it has a diamond from India at the top. Vajiralongkorn will personally place the crown on his own head and then issues his first royal command.
The audience
On Saturday afternoon, the newly-crowned king is set to grant a "grand audience" to members of the royal family, the privy council, the cabinet and senior officials. Two hours later the king will visit the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, the most sacred space in Thailand, which on normal days is thronged with tourists. He then symbolically moves into the Royal Residence.
The procession
The main element of Sunday's ceremonies, streets across Bangkok's historic heart have been blocked off in preparation for this moment. The king will sit on a royal palanquin carried by soldiers dressed in colourful traditional garb. A 21-gun salute will start the procession. Some 200,000 people are expected to line the seven-kilometre route around the city.
Meet the people
On the last day of the ceremony Rama X will appear on the balcony of Suddhaisavarya Prasad Hall in the Grand Palace at 4:30pm "to receive the good wishes of the people". An hour later, diplomats will be given an audience at the Grand Palace. This is the only time during the ceremony that representatives of foreign governments will greet the king.
What is a robo-adviser?
Robo-advisers use an online sign-up process to gauge an investor’s risk tolerance by feeding information such as their age, income, saving goals and investment history into an algorithm, which then assigns them an investment portfolio, ranging from more conservative to higher risk ones.
These portfolios are made up of exchange traded funds (ETFs) with exposure to indices such as US and global equities, fixed-income products like bonds, though exposure to real estate, commodity ETFs or gold is also possible.
Investing in ETFs allows robo-advisers to offer fees far lower than traditional investments, such as actively managed mutual funds bought through a bank or broker. Investors can buy ETFs directly via a brokerage, but with robo-advisers they benefit from investment portfolios matched to their risk tolerance as well as being user friendly.
Many robo-advisers charge what are called wrap fees, meaning there are no additional fees such as subscription or withdrawal fees, success fees or fees for rebalancing.
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Get inspired
Here are a couple of Valentine’s Day food products that may or may not go the distance (but have got the internet talking anyway).
Sourdough sentiments: Marks & Spencer in the United Kingdom has introduced a slow-baked sourdough loaf dusted with flour to spell out I (heart) you, at £2 (Dh9.5). While it’s not available in the UAE, there’s nothing to stop you taking the idea and creating your own message of love, stencilled on breakfast-inbed toast.
Crisps playing cupid: Crisp company Tyrells has added a spicy addition to its range for Valentine’s Day. The brand describes the new honey and chilli flavour on Twitter as: “A tenderly bracing duo of the tantalising tingle of chilli with sweet and sticky honey. A helping hand to get your heart racing.” Again, not on sale here, but if you’re tempted you could certainly fashion your own flavour mix (spicy Cheetos and caramel popcorn, anyone?).
About Karol Nawrocki
• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.
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WWE Evolution results
- Trish Stratus and Lita beat Alicia Fox and Mickie James in a tag match
- Nia Jax won a battle royal, eliminating Ember Moon last to win
- Toni Storm beat Io Shirai to win the Mae Young Classic
- Natalya, Sasha Banks and Bayley beat The Riott Squad in a six-woman tag match
- Shayna Baszler won the NXT Women’s title by defeating Kairi Sane
- Becky Lynch retained the SmackDown Women’s Championship against Charlotte Flair in a Last Woman Standing match
- Ronda Rousey retained the Raw Women’s title by beating Nikki Bella
AIR
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