SNA Editor-in-Chief for BBC: Judiciary Should be Respected in Shields' Case

Crime | April 21, 2006, Friday // 00:00

The independence of Bulgaria's judicial system should be respected when talking about the trial of Michael Shields, SNA Editor-in-Chief Milena Hristova commented for BBC. The British broadcaster approached her as the Liverpool football fan, jailed in Bulgaria for attempted murder, faced a nervous wait to learn whether his final appeal of his conviction has succeeded.

The decision of Bulgaria's Supreme Cassation Court, which was postponed by one month on March 21, is expected next week, following the Easter holidays in Bulgaria. The court is to rule on whether Shields' original trial was flawed on procedural grounds. If so, the court can order a retrial.

"It is true that Bulgaria's judiciary faces huge criticism ahead of the country's accession to the European Union, scheduled for January 1, 2007. But it seems like it has been declared "Guilty till proven innocent". We all hope, just like Michael Shields and his family, that the court makes the right decision," Hristova said.

Asked about the reactions in Bulgaria towards the case now, one year after the accident, she said these are mixed.

"Bulgarians, including the media, have always tried to objectively weigh the arguments for and against leaving Michael Shields behind bars."

In the wake of the recent flood of highly critical publications in the British press concerning the case, Hristova pointed out that some of these skip the important fact that Graham Sankey, 20, who initially confessed to the crime, subsequently retracted his confession.

Michael Shields, now 19, was jailed for 15 years after being convicted of attempted murder of bartender Martin Georgiev in the Golden Sands resort. Shields has always maintained his innocence. He insists that he was asleep in bed when a concrete slab was dropped on Martin Georgiev's head.

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