Jock Palfreeman
Encyclopedia
Jock Palfreeman is an Australia
n convicted of murder in Bulgaria
.
In December 2007 Palfreeman was involved in an incident during which Bulgarian student Andrei Monov was fatally stabbed. Palfreeman is alleged to have attacked two male Bulgarian students and stabbed them, killing Monov instantly. The other stabbed young man, Antoan Zahariev, was saved in hospital. In his defence, Palfreeman claims that he went to protect two Roma men from a group of thugs, and after the mob turned on him, he drew a knife for protection. His plea of not guilty based on self-defence was defeated partially due to Monov having been stabbed in the back. However, the location of the wound is disputed by Jock's father, Dr. Simon Palfreeman. In his summary of the case, Dr. Palfreeman stated "the wound is high and towards the back of the armpit" as opposed to what he claims is the popularised version perpetrated by the Bulgarian media.
It has been alleged that Palfreeman has a previous history of violent behavior and that he had stabbed another two young people in Australia in 2004. However, despite an investigation at the time, no charges were laid against Palfreeman in relation to that incident with Australian police citing a lack of evidence. Palfreeman has maintained that he was not responsible for the people being stabbed.
There is a campaign in Palfreeman's defence, claiming that he did not receive a fair trial, with potential evidence such as CCTV footage not being used. Friends and family of Jock have been passionately supporting his case since the initial incident and organised a rally ahead of his appeal.
On 20 January 2011 a Bulgarian appellate court reserved a decision on an appeal against Palfreeman's conviction. In the appeal, Palfreeman's lawyers raised issues such as the failure of the trial court to take into account the evidence of witnesses who were not associated with Monov and its failure to admit the CCTV footage shot on the night of the stabbing.
On 27 July 2011, the Bulgarian Supreme Court rejected Palfreeman's appeal and confirmed the 20-year sentence for the murder of Andrei Monov. Palfreeman's family had earlier said they would be prepared to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights
if their final appeal in the Bulgarian courts was unsuccessful.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n convicted of murder in Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
.
In December 2007 Palfreeman was involved in an incident during which Bulgarian student Andrei Monov was fatally stabbed. Palfreeman is alleged to have attacked two male Bulgarian students and stabbed them, killing Monov instantly. The other stabbed young man, Antoan Zahariev, was saved in hospital. In his defence, Palfreeman claims that he went to protect two Roma men from a group of thugs, and after the mob turned on him, he drew a knife for protection. His plea of not guilty based on self-defence was defeated partially due to Monov having been stabbed in the back. However, the location of the wound is disputed by Jock's father, Dr. Simon Palfreeman. In his summary of the case, Dr. Palfreeman stated "the wound is high and towards the back of the armpit" as opposed to what he claims is the popularised version perpetrated by the Bulgarian media.
It has been alleged that Palfreeman has a previous history of violent behavior and that he had stabbed another two young people in Australia in 2004. However, despite an investigation at the time, no charges were laid against Palfreeman in relation to that incident with Australian police citing a lack of evidence. Palfreeman has maintained that he was not responsible for the people being stabbed.
There is a campaign in Palfreeman's defence, claiming that he did not receive a fair trial, with potential evidence such as CCTV footage not being used. Friends and family of Jock have been passionately supporting his case since the initial incident and organised a rally ahead of his appeal.
On 20 January 2011 a Bulgarian appellate court reserved a decision on an appeal against Palfreeman's conviction. In the appeal, Palfreeman's lawyers raised issues such as the failure of the trial court to take into account the evidence of witnesses who were not associated with Monov and its failure to admit the CCTV footage shot on the night of the stabbing.
On 27 July 2011, the Bulgarian Supreme Court rejected Palfreeman's appeal and confirmed the 20-year sentence for the murder of Andrei Monov. Palfreeman's family had earlier said they would be prepared to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights
European Court of Human Rights
The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg is a supra-national court established by the European Convention on Human Rights and hears complaints that a contracting state has violated the human rights enshrined in the Convention and its protocols. Complaints can be brought by individuals or...
if their final appeal in the Bulgarian courts was unsuccessful.
External links
- Kangaroo court? The Palfreeman appeal
- Free Jock website
- One Night in Sofia documentary
- Palfreeman attacked other people in the past
- anarchist weblog mentioning and supporting Jocks case
- Life on a knife edge on foreign soil
- The father of convicted murderer Jock Palfreeman says his appeal had been 'politicised'
- Australian Story episode, part 1
- Australian Story episode, part 2