Liverpool FC Forum

[dawson99]

still a disgrace if u ask me.
from bbc sport

Liverpool football fan Michael Shields, who was jailed in Bulgaria for the attempted murder of a barman, has had his sentence cut from 15 to 10 years.
The Supreme Court in Sofia also ordered him to pay a fine of £71,000.

Shields, 19, of Wavertree, Liverpool, has always denied attacking Martin Georgiev in the Black Sea resort of Varna in May 2005.

His family were hoping a retrial would be announced and were shocked he would continue his jail term, albeit reduced.

Shields was in Bulgaria after watching Liverpool FC's Champions League victory in Turkey.

He has consistently maintained he was in bed when a paving slab was dropped on Mr Georgiev's head.

 
We are totally dumbfounded - we don't know what to do next

Jeanette Shields
The teenager failed in a first attempt to get his jail sentence reduced last November.

A confession signed in the UK by another Liverpool man, Graham Sankey, was not accepted by the Bulgarian courts.

But there is now doubt about whether that confession relates to Shields' case anyway.

Shields' aunt, Jeanette Shields, said the family were "dumbfounded" at the decision on Friday.

She said: "We are just trying to take it all in at the moment.

"Michael's father called with the news, we are totally dumbfounded. We don't know what to do next."

Shields' father, also called Michael, and his mother Marie were in Varna when they heard the news.

Mr Shields said he was "very angry" and was trying to come to terms with the decision.

  It is very disappointing that a retrial has not been granted

Liverpool Labour Euro MP, Arlene McCarthy

Louise Ellman, Labour MP for Liverpool Riverside, asked leader of the House of Commons Geoff Hoon to pressurise the Bulgarians.

Mrs Ellman told the Commons that Shields' final appeal was heard in Bulgaria on 21 March, but the Foreign Office had said the verdict would be received within 30 days.

Speaking after the verdict she said she was "very disappointed" with the outcome and insisted that the campaign to prove his innocence and secure his release would continue.

"While the reduction in sentence is welcome, it is very disappointing that a retrial has not been granted," she said.

"I will be talking to the family and to the lawyers. The campaign will continue."


Shields says he was in bed when barman Martin Georgiev was hit

Liverpool Labour Euro MP, Arlene McCarthy said she was "outraged" at the result.

"I have this morning contacted the justice department of the European Commission to lodge a complaint about the failure of an EU accession country, Bulgaria to enable my constituent to have a fair trial.

"I will continue to push for Michael's right to a fair trial under the European Convention on Human Rights and will be exploring all avenues that are now available to him.

"There were clear flaws in the investigation of this crime and the following trial. This must be acknowledged by the judiciary in Bulgaria.

[stmichael]

according to the echo, he's due to serve the rest of his sentence in this country.

http://icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk/0100new....ge.html

[dawson99]

well thats something. once hes over here he'll do 3 months then get let out i reckon. the hwole thing has been a farce tho and the respect in government has gone even lower if thats possible. a step forwards, no matter how small, is  better than nothing

[Igor Zidane]

The thing is ,even if he does only one day more in nick over here, he will still have been found guilty and he's not. The lad and his family will fight on to have the verdict quashed i'm sure of it. It's a f@ckin discrace and everyone should boycott Bulgaria and it's holiday industry.

[red37]

The thing is ,even if he does only one day more in nick over here, he will still have been found guilty and he's not. The lad and his family will fight on to have the verdict quashed i'm sure of it. It's a f@ckin discrace and everyone should boycott Bulgaria and it's holiday industry.

[dawson99]

bulgaria has a holiday industry?
cheap housing and cheaper politicians. i aint going there

[red37]

big skiing place as well. well it was 

[stmichael]

This whole thing has to be the biggest load of b*llocks ive heard in a long time! It's obvious from the witness statements ( 1 being a Bulgarian porter ) that Shields is innocent. Then we have the written statement from Sankey ( who's obviously a tw@t of the highest order ) and a lack of forensic evidence.

Why isn't the foreign office doing more about this?

[red37]

i wouldnt want to be sankey when shields gets out...

[Bad Bob]

Utterly shambolic! 

[Woollyback]

the whole thing's a feckin stitch-up, funny how about 20 "witnesses" came out of the woodwork the minute there was any mention of compensation    bulgarian gyppo tw@ts

poor lad isn't a prisoner, he's being held HOSTAGE by the bulgarian authorities until a hugely inflated fine gets paid then no doubt they'll wash their hands of him and let him serve his sentence in england

why anyone would want to go on holiday to a 3rd world sh*thouse like bulgaria was beyond me anyway, but even more so now. anything to do with the place should be avoided like the plague

[Mark 23]

I reckon he will be freed when he gets back here, and the government tell Bulgaria to off, the inbred dickheads.

I can't believe what the world has come to, and why hasn't more ben done for Michael

[Mark 23]

I don't really think the government will do that, they are too cowardly

[66-1120597113]

A damn shame!! Good luck to the lad,how bad must that be?
Rememember that love works in different ways and hope in others!When you have love and hope u have it all........When all you have is hope you still have something....if you have love and no hope its better than having nothing atal!!!!!
If you have pain you still have fight
Not forgotten
Always loved
Missed
Real
YNWA!!

[columbia]

ive wanted to say this for a while but didnt  because of the offence it may cause some people, but it! why is everyone so convinced he is inocent? What the recent itv documentry failed to tell us is that there were 3 witnesses all of whom said shields did it. why would they would lie? Ive read the website and to be honest i consider it to be quite bias? I think everyone has got a little carried away in trying to help the liverpool fan. Ive read many liverpool fan disscussions on here and not once has his innocence ever come into question.

Ive heard stories that he wasnt actually the main attacker but was one of the 3 people who attacked the man and if thats true then the lessening of his sentence is justified but thats all it should be. Even if his sentence wasnt cut, if he was one of the people that attacked the bloke then i dont realy see it as any loss to society should he serve a life sentence.

Pls dont attack me for daring to doubt his innocence. To be honest i am no expert on the subject and am quite interested to no why everyone is so convinced by his innocence because everything ive heard so far has left me unconvinced.