The Foreigners Assocation in Bulgaria is set to hold a silent protest outside Dobrich District Court in East Bulgaria Monday in support of a UK couple who had their house 'stolen' from them in 2007.

The planned protest at 8:30 am Monday will take place during the appeal hearing into a case that has drawn the attention of the Vice President of the EC, Jacques Barrot, and the UK Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, David Miliband.

Bryan Talbot bought his dream EUR 98 000 villa in Polkovnik Sveshtarovo village near Dobrich in 2006 with his retirement money and after EUR 40 000 of renovation and furnishing made it into a little paradise away from home with the help of handyman Dimitar T.

Talbot left back to the UK giving power of attorney to Dimitar T. to allow the handyman to pay his energy bills for him. He returned later in 2007 to find the Villa padlocked and sold by Dimitar T.(who had meanwhile left the country) to a Sofia company for BGN 10 000, it was then sold on again not once but twice more for similar sums.

After a number of adjourned court cases Talbot finally won his case in Dobrich Court in July 2009. However the case has been appealed and thus Monday will see the final hearing to find out if Talbot finally gets the keys, to the now totally gutted Villa Lorna, back for good. He told Novinite.com; "Hopefully this case will set a precedent for other cases in Bulgaria."

Full details of the reaction to the case of the EC Vice President Barrot and UK MEP James Elles will be released by Novinite.com after the appeal hearing on Monday.