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| Palfreeman trial unfair: prisoner advocate |
If anyone would like to offer support to this family please contact me via our website. I will be happy to forward your support along. Understanding that our Government cannot 'interfere' in the judicial process of another country, but it can make strong representations to support the appeal pending. I urge the Australian government to do so. I am wholly convinced that Jock Palfreeman deserves that in the very least!
Kay Danes - Foreign Prisoner Support Service
foriegnprisoners.com
Contact Kay Danes Here
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Jailed: Jock Palfreeman leaves court after being found guilty of first degree murder (ABC News) |
03 Dec, 2009 01:30 PM
An Australian man sentenced to 20 years' jail for murder in Bulgaria did not receive a fair trial, a prominent foreign prisoner advocate says.
Jock Palfreeman was found guilty in the Sofia City Court in Bulgaria of the murder of 20-year-old Bulgarian law student Andrei Monov and severely wounding Antoan Zahariev, 19, in a fight in Sofia on December 28, 2007.
Palfreeman pleaded not guilty, saying he came to the aid of a gypsy who was being attacked by a group of soccer fans and he acted in self-defence.
Kay Danes, from the Foreign Prisoners Support Service, told AAP there appeared to be several violations of Palfreeman's judicial rights.
"They didn't afford ... the right to cross-examine, CCTV footage wasn't allowed. So how can it be called a fair trial when vital elements were missing from the actual due process," she said.
"I think the case would have gone before a hearing and a magistrate in Australia, and it would have been fully investigated.
"I don't honestly believe the outcome given to this young man would have been the same outcome given to him in Australia.
"It could have been manslaughter or self-defence."
Ms Danes and her husband Kerry spent 10 months in jail in Laos after being accused of embezzling sapphires from the mine where Mr Danes worked.
They were released in November 2001 after intervention by the Australian government.
Palfreeman is now appealing his sentence and conviction.
His father Dr Simon Palfreeman acted as his legal representative and has complained that the "key evidence and key witnesses were blocked by the prosecution".
Ms Danes said she had been in touch with Dr Palfreeman, offering him her organisation's support.
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| Palfreeman to lodge appeal |
 Jock Palfreeman's legal team now has has 15 days to appeal against his 20-year sentence after Palfreeman was found guilty of the murder of the son of a prominent Bulgarian psychologist in December 2007.
The 23-year-old Australian was convicted in Sofia of the first-degree murder of Andrei Monov (20) and the attempted murder of Anton Zahariev.
Palfreeman claims he was acting in self-defence after seeing a gang attacking two Roma men. Palfreeman claims he intervened to protect them and the mob turned on him, at which point he drew his knife to protect himself.
In an interview with the Australian Mosman Daily, Palfreeman's brother, Spencer, said his family would "re-group and appeal" following the verdict. He said that "they had a full defence with facts which doesn’t seem to have been taken into account".
Palfreeman's defence team is currently awaiting documents outlining what evidence the judge based his ruling on.
Dr Palfreeman has vowed continued support for his son and praised his courage. "This is an act that can only be described as heroic," he said. "While as a parent I would have preferred he stayed safe and out of harm's way, as a human being I am proud a young man tried to help despite such dangerous circumstances."
During the trial, however, Monov's mother said that her son had been dealt a blow by "a professional killer" and questioned what Palfreeman was doing walking around Sofia with "a 30cm knife".
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