Conviction of Michael Shields: Difference between revisions
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== Controversy == |
== Controversy == |
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=== 'Justice' campaign === |
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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. |
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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 .<ref name="BBC_jail">{{cite web | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/merseyside/4717249.stm | title=Liverpool fan jailed in Bulgaria | work=Article on BBC News | accessdate=6 September | accessyear=2006}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web | |
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sadly for supporter of Shields Sankey's description of events was very different to witness statements of the attack and it appears likley that he is instead guilty of another act of savage violence at the Bulgarian resort that night. |
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At the trial a series of Shields' friends gave a increasinsly spurious witness accounts of seeing him asleep in his bedroom at the time of the attack. They gave no explanation as to why a 19 year old football fan on holiday had gone to bed early the night his beloved football team won the European cup for the first time in two decades. |
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In addition to the series of witnesses who identified Shields as the attacker the victim himself also postively IDed the young football hooligan. |
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Despite such overwhelming evidence of his guilt there has been a sustained campaign to gain his release. |
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What has gone unreported in the local press has been the racist undertones to the whole incident, with one of Shield's friends expressing no sympathy for the brain damaged Bulgarian when talking to a Telegraph reporter, instead commenting that the chip shop worker "was only going to help some Germans". |
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=== "The Forgotten Fan" === |
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On [[April 18]], [[2006]] the Free Michael Shields campaign received a boost when the documentary ''"The Forgotten Fan"'' was aired on [[ITV]] — a British television channel. |
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== Return to Britain == |
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On [[19 August]] [[2006]] it was reported in the British press that Shields would soon be allowed to return to Britain to serve the remainder of his sentence after part of the court-imposed £90,000 compensation had been paid to the victim, with the remainder to be transferred in monthly instalments in the nearest future.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/tm_objectid=17588918&method=full&siteid=94762&headline=cash-bid-to-return-jailed-fan--name_page.html | title=Cash bid to return jailed fan | work=Article in The Mirror | accessdate=6 September | accessyear=2006}}</ref> |
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On [[23 November]] [[2006]], Michael returned to the UK and was placed in [[Hindley (HM Prison)|HMP Hindley]] in [[Wigan]]. |
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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 (TV series)|The X Factor]]'' finalist [[Eton Road]], singer [[Gloria Gaynor]], comedian [[Ricky Tomlinson]], [[Mike McCartney]] and [[The Searchers (band)|The Searchers]] performing. |
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== References == |
== References == |
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Revision as of 15:40, 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
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)