Conviction of Michael Shields: Difference between revisions
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According to numerous witness accounts, a group of 10 or so drunk Liverpool football fans went on the rampage in the small seaside town in the early hours of the morning. When Georgiev came out of his cafe to investigate, he was knocked down, kicked and punched repeatedly by at least three people while he was lying on the ground, before one of the hooligans struck Georgiev in the head with an almost 4 kg (8 lb) stone.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://lex.gbg.bg/news.php?lang=bg&id=4539| title=The Liverpool fan was convicted of... police inaction?| work=lex.bg (In Bulgarian) |accessdate=16 September |accessyear=2006}}</ref><ref name="telegraph">{{cite web | url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/08/07/nshield07.xml | title= Innocent, gentle giant? Or remorseless thug guilty of attempted murder? | work=Article in the Telegraph | accessdate=6 September | accessyear=2006}}</ref> |
According to numerous witness accounts, a group of 10 or so drunk Liverpool football fans went on the rampage in the small seaside town in the early hours of the morning. When Georgiev came out of his cafe to investigate, he was knocked down, kicked and punched repeatedly by at least three people while he was lying on the ground, before one of the hooligans struck Georgiev in the head with an almost 4 kg (8 lb) stone.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://lex.gbg.bg/news.php?lang=bg&id=4539| title=The Liverpool fan was convicted of... police inaction?| work=lex.bg (In Bulgarian) |accessdate=16 September |accessyear=2006}}</ref><ref name="telegraph">{{cite web | url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/08/07/nshield07.xml | title= Innocent, gentle giant? Or remorseless thug guilty of attempted murder? | work=Article in the Telegraph | accessdate=6 September | accessyear=2006}}</ref> |
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nine witnesses later testified in court and many of whom — including Georgiev himself — positively identified Michael Shields as a person present at the crime scene and as the perpetrator of the crime, |
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== Controversy == |
== Controversy == |
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Revision as of 15:37, 2 August 2007
Michael Shields (born 21 September, 1987 in Liverpool, England) is a football fan who gained notoriety when, on May 30, 2005, he was arrested in the Black Sea resort of Golden Sands, Bulgaria after a violent city brawl during which a Bulgarian citizen was nearly killed.[1] He was later found guilty, in a Bulgarian court, of the attempted murder of a young local barman, Martin Georgiev.
Michael Shields has launched two appeals against his conviction, in 2005 and 2006, but they both failed and the original verdict was reaffirmed. His prison term was, however, reduced from 15 to 10 years after the second appeal.
The incident
According to numerous witness accounts, a group of 10 or so drunk Liverpool football fans went on the rampage in the small seaside town in the early hours of the morning. When Georgiev came out of his cafe to investigate, he was knocked down, kicked and punched repeatedly by at least three people while he was lying on the ground, before one of the hooligans struck Georgiev in the head with an almost 4 kg (8 lb) stone.[2][3]
nine witnesses later testified in court and many of whom — including Georgiev himself — positively identified Michael Shields as a person present at the crime scene and as the perpetrator of the crime,
Controversy
'Justice' campaign
Since Shields' conviction on 26 July 2005, a vocal campaign in support of Michael Shields has been launched in Liverpool, and is supported by many fans of Liverpool FC. His supporters have branded the Bulgarian court decision as 'unfair' and proclaimed Michael Shields to be innocent.
After hearing of Shields' arrest in Bulgaria, Graham Sankey, another English football fan now back in the UK, confessed to attacking Georgiev. Sankey has no connection to Shields or his family but has been arrested in the past for violence, on a number of occasions .[4] The Bulgarian government refused to acknowledge Sankey's confession unless he returned to Bulgaria to be questioned. Sankey was not prepared to do this and then retracted his confession.Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page).
On 23 November 2006, Michael returned to the UK and was placed in HMP Hindley in Wigan.
On 4 December 2006, a sell-out concert took place at the Liverpool Empire Theatre. Girl band Atomic Kitten reformed for the concert, which also saw The X Factor finalist Eton Road, singer Gloria Gaynor, comedian Ricky Tomlinson, Mike McCartney and The Searchers performing.
References
- ^ "Liverpool fans held in Bulgaria". Article on BBC News. Retrieved 6 September.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ "The Liverpool fan was convicted of... police inaction?". lex.bg (In Bulgarian). Retrieved 16 September.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ "Innocent, gentle giant? Or remorseless thug guilty of attempted murder?". Article in the Telegraph. Retrieved 6 September.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ "Liverpool fan jailed in Bulgaria". Article on BBC News. Retrieved 6 September.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help)