17/12/2008

Jailed Liverpool Fan Wins High Court Bid

A Liverpool football fan who was jailed in Bulgaria for attempted murder, has won a High Court battle in his bid for a free pardon.

Michael Shields, 22, is serving a 10-year sentence for the attempted murder of a barman in Bulgaria. The barman was attacked following Liverpool's Champions League final victory in Istanbul, Turkey in May 2005.

High Court judges have ruled that Justice Secretary Jack Straw can "grant a pardon to repatriated prisoners wrongly convicted in a foreign jurisdiction".

The 22-year-old's lawyers applied for a judicial review of Mr Straw’s position, and judges reserved their judgment at a hearing in London on 4 December.

Mr Straw had previously insisted he does not have the power to free him.

Shields - who maintains his innocence - was initially jailed for 15 years, but was transferred to the UK in 2006. He was convicted of attempted murder after a paving slab was dropped on barman Martin Georgiev's head.

He is serving the remainder of his sentence - which was reduced to 10 years on appeal in Bulgaria - at HMP Haverigg in Cumbria.

(JM/KMcA)

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