Australian Jock Palfreeman freed after serving 12 years in a Bulgarian jail for murder, seeks retrial
Australian Jock Palfreeman will seek a review of crucial video evidence omitted from his first murder trial in Bulgaria, which could lead to his exoneration despite spending 12 years in jail.
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Australian Jock Palfreeman will seek a review of crucial video evidence omitted from his first murder trial, which could lead to retrial in Bulgaria.
The 33-year-old, who is on parole after spending almost 12 years behind bars, will make an application to the Sofia City Prosecutor’s Office on Monday.
“The major evidence was missed by the courts first time around,” Palfreeman told AAP.
“With this new evidence it is more then enough to have a retrial.”
The Australian was convicted in 2007 for the stabbing murder of Bulgarian Andrei Monov and attempted murder of Antoan Zahariev.
He has consistently maintained he acted in self defence after coming to the aid of two Roma men who were being attacked by a group of Bulgarians. The CCTV footage of the fight wasn’t admitted as evidence during his original trial.
The Australian will apply for the video to be analysed and he expects the prosecutor’s office to order a retrial.
“The first time around the CCTV wasn’t reviewed properly,” Palfreeman said.
“Individuals were not identified then but that is now possible with this footage. If individuals are identified on the footage it can be ascertained who attacked who.
“The CCTV footage shows that Andrei was still alive before him and his gang attacked me.” When asked if he was confident a retrial would exonerate him, Australian said: “Absolutely.” Meanwhile, Palfreeman remains stuck in Bulgaria with the government yet to lift a travel ban on him.
The Interior Ministry told reporters on Friday it would start the procedure of lifting the travel ban after a bid to appeal Palfreeman’s parole was thrown out of the Supreme Court of Cassation on Thursday.
But the former student of Sydney’s St Ignatius’ College says he’s yet to receive any word on his status from the government.
“We have no news, but it’s past 5pm here on a Friday and no one from the government has called me or my lawyer,” Palfreeman said.
“If it is true what the Ministry of Interior has told the press, it is just another example of corruption and lack of professionalism within the government as not only is information not being given to my legal representative but this is personal and private information that violates my right to private life.”
He’s also concerned the ministry may be misleading the press about his situation, which he claims it has done in the past.
“They could be doing anything. One thing is for sure — their illegal refusal to let me leave the country hasn’t stopped,” he said.
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PALFREEMAN CLOSER TO GOING HOME
Earlier, Palfreeman has moved a step closer to returning home, after a court in Bulgaria dismissed an appeal against his parole decision.
However, he says he was still blocked from leaving the country.
Palfreeman was jailed for the stabbing murder of a law student in Bulgaria in 2007, which he claimed was self defence.
He was granted parole last September after serving 11 years of his sentence, but the decision was appealed.
The Supreme Court of Cassation ruled late on Thursday Australian time that the challenge to Palfreeman’s parole was invalid.
“This case is procedurally inadmissable and should be left without consideration, and the proceeding terminated,” the court said in a statement.
Palfreeman, 32, has now called on Bulgaria’s prosecutor general Sotir Tsatsarov to resign.
He told News Corp Australia on Thursday night that he still was unable to leave the country, despite the court’s decision.
“Passport was given back months ago. Just the Bulgarian government didn’t let me leave, this hasn’t changed,” he said.
“Them preventing me from leaving has no connection to the case, it was the decision of the Minister of Interior.”
Palfreeman learned to speak Bulgarian while in jail and became an advocate for other prisoners in human rights court proceedings.
The former student of Sydney’s elite St Ignatius Riverview and The King’s School was released into the community last year, but was stuck in limbo.
The court had also ordered him to pay $830,000 in “blood money” to the family of his victim Andrei Monov.
Palfreeman had claimed that he was trying to stop two Roma gypsies from being attacked when he became involved in a fight with Monov – the son of a then prominent politician in Bulgaria.
He was carrying a knife with him on the night that was used in the murder, although he claimed he did not remember stabbing anyone.
Palfreeman apologised about Monov’s death last year.
“I’m sorry about the death of Andrei Monov, that was not my goal,” he told Bulgarian local media.
“This was not a fight, this was an attack. My goal was to save someone’s life, not to take someone’s life away,” he said.
He had planned to visit Brussels earlier this year to speak to the European parliament, but that trip was cancelled because of coronavirus.
stephen.drill@news.co.uk
Originally published as Australian Jock Palfreeman freed after serving 12 years in a Bulgarian jail for murder, seeks retrial