Jock Palfreeman Appeal

Jock Palfreeman

The appeal by Jock Palfreeman against a murder conviction resumes here in Sofia this week.  While I have followed this case on and off for a while now I don't want to comment on the details.  If you want more information try here.

Palfreeman is an Australian from Sydney who was in Bulgaria in 2007 on a gap year break and became embroiled in a street fight in Sofia.  He claims (with strong evidence to support him) that he went to the help a gypsy who was being attacked by a gang of football hooligans and that they then turned on him. Hopelessly outnumbered, he used a knife to defend himself and in the ensuing melee two individuals were stabbed. One, Andrei Monov a 23 year old law student, later died from his injuries. It is not entirely clear how these injuries were sustained but it is likely that Palfreeman was responsible.  He claims self defense.

Whatever about the strength of the defense case, it is clear that the prosecution case is ludicrous as it appears to suggest that the lone, unprovoked Australian attacked a large group of drunken football supporters. This is despite the testimony of a number of eyewitnesses.

Andrei Monov

There are allegations of corruption and the reality is that the judicial system in Bulgaria is considered to be widely corrupt. This fact is supported by a number of independent EU reports and investigations.  You can see on Wikileaks examples of corruption in Bulgarian soccer.   Corruption is a pervasive problem in Bulgaria and is really only now being tackled by the current government.

This is not the only high profile criminal case involving a foreigner with suggestions of a miscarriage of justice.  Michael Shields, a Liverpool FC reporter, was convicted of attempted murder some years ago in very dubious circumstances.  He was subsequently paroled by the British Government when he was repatriated to the UK to serve his sentence.

We'll see what happens with Palfreeman's appeal.  It should not be forgotten that a young, Bulgarian 23 year old lost his life as a result of Palfreeman's actions but, notwithstanding that, he deserves a fair and unbiased hearing.