BULGARIA: Court continues to hear appeal by Australian Paul "Jock" Palfreeman against murder conviction which led to a 20 year jail sentence

Record ID: 784945

  • Title: BULGARIA: Court continues to hear appeal by Australian Paul "Jock" Palfreeman against murder conviction which led to a 20 year jail sentence
  • Date: 20th January 2011
  • Summary: SOFIA, BULGARIA (JANUARY 19, 2011) (REUTERS) VARIOUS EXTERIORS OF COURT BUILDING GUARD OPENING COURT GATES VISITORS UNDERGOING SECURITY CHECKS COURT ENTRANCE LOBBY PAUL "JOCK" PALFREEMAN'S FATHER SIMON PALFREEMAN WAITING OUTSIDE COURT SECURITY OUTSIDE ENTRANCE TO COURTROOM (*** FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY ***) RELATIVES AND JOURNALISTS IN COURT ROOM PALFREEMAN'S FATHER AND DEFENCE LAWYER CASE FILE PAUL "JOCK" PALFREEMAN (RED TIE) BEING ESCORTED TO COURT-ROOM MEDIA OUTSIDE COURTROOM (SOUNDBITE) (English) KRASIMIR KANEV, HEAD OF BULGARIAN HELSINKI COMMITTEE, SAYING: "Our organisation is concerned about this trial for a number of reasons. We believe it has not been fair at the first level due to a lack of sensitivity of the court to certain evidence that would potentially acquit the defendant of the charges of intentional murder and would requalify the act as a different crime eventually." POLICEMEN CLOSING COURTROOM DOOR
  • Embargoed: 4th February 2011 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Bulgaria, Bulgaria
  • Country: Bulgaria
  • Reuters ID: LVA152T6VKBOB4O6F791N8JCW5NZ
  • Story Text: A 23-year-old Australian man, sentenced to 20 years in jail for murder in Bulgaria, appeared in a Sofia court on Wednesday (January 19) at the resumption of his appeal hearing.
    Paul "Jock" Palfreeman, 23, was sentenced to 20 years in jail for murder of a man during a street brawl in Sofia at the end of 2007.
    Prosecutors say Palfreeman was not provoked and did not act in self-defence, as he claimed.
    He was also found guilty of attempted murder over the alleged stabbing of a 19-year-old man during the fight.
    The appeal hearing began in October last year but was delayed to allow the re-questioning of five witnesses.
    Palfreeman's father, Dr. Simon Palfreeman, was at court when the case resumed.
    Palfreeman claims he intervened when he saw a group of people attack two homeless Roma, and pleaded not guilty to the murder charge.
    Krasimir Kanev of the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee, a human rights pressure group, said the trial had been unfair because the court had not seen evidence which could lead to an acquittal on the murder charge.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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