Supporters of Australian man Jock Palfreeman slam 20-year sentence handed down for murder and vow to appeal

UPDATE 12.16pm: SUPPORTERS of a Sydney man handed a 20-year sentence in Bulgari have slammed the verdict and will appeal.

UPDATE 12.16pm: SUPPORTERS of a 23-year-old Sydney man who was handed a 20-year prison sentence for the murder of a Bulgarian man have slammed the verdict and say they will appeal.

At the Sofia City Court in Bulgaria on Wednesday (local time), Jock Palfreeman was found guilty of the murder of 20-year-old Bulgarian law student Andrei Monov and severely wounding Antoan Zahariev, 19, in a fight in Sofia on December 28, 2007.

The Sofia City Court also ordered Palfreeman to pay 400,000 leva ($A326,238) in compensation to the victim's family.

Palfreeman, who has been in custody since the incident, pleaded not guilty to both charges of murder and attempted murder, claiming self-defence.

A supporters' website set up by his family and friends slammed the verdict as a "hideous perversion of justice", claiming it contradicted all evidence available.

"Jock will be appealing the decision," the website says.

"Evidence of the football hooligans which attacked him is unreliable, inconsistent and contradicts CCTV footage (both presented and lost), independent witnesses and Jock's unchanged testimony.

"On the presumption of innocence and the correct following of due process by the judicial system it should be found Jock's actions have been in self-defence and defence of others."

The family has 15 days to appeal the decision to a higher court.

The former student of St Ignatius' College, Riverview, admitted to drinking alcohol before the fight.

However, he told the court he had run to help a Roma man (a member of an ethnic minority) who was being beaten by a group of drunken football fans.

But the court ruled out self-defence as Monov was stabbed in the back.

Palfreeman's father, Simon, a pathologist who attended the court session, called the verdict "extremely disappointing".

"I am convinced that my son's story is true," he said.

Simon Palfreeman complained that the "key evidence and key witnesses were blocked by the prosecution". He did not elaborate.

"In this sense my son's right to fair and speedy trial has been trampled," he said.

The trial was held before judges only. Simon Palfreeman criticised their conduct.

"To make that decision one has to ignore lots of evidence," he told ABC Radio.

"Even just the story about the lost CCTV is just too unbelievable to believe."

He says the trial has "been an emotionally hard road" but he has been able to cope because his son is "worth supporting".

"There can be absolutely no doubt ... that he actually did a very courageous thing in going to help those boys," he said.

"There was enough evidence to say, without doubt, he went to help and prevent violence.

"What he ... did was a very heroic action and turned out with tragic circumstances."

Investigators also failed to track down the Roma man as a witness after the attack.