Jock Palfreeman: Shock as jailed Aussie’s case adjourned

Jock Palfreeman has suffered another blow as he anxiously awaits a decision on his parole for the murder of a student in Bulgaria.

Australian Jock Palfreeman’s hopes of returning home immediately were dashed tonight in Bulgaria after a court reserved its decision on whether to revoke his parole.

Bulgaria’s Supreme Court of Cassation has up to two months to come back with a ruling on Prosecutor-General Sotir Tsatsarov’s application to cancel Palfreeman’s release.

In an unprecedented case, the Bulgarian courts have reviewed a decision over the 32-year-old’s parole with almost seven years remaining on his sentence.

Palfreeman, who has said that he now expects to be forced to serve out his time over his conviction for the stabbing murder of Bulgarian student Andrei Monov, did not attend the hearing.

Jock Palfreeman being led from Sofia Central Prison in Bulgaria. Picture: Supplied

Kalin Angelov, acting for Palfreeman, told the court that the application to revoke Palfreeman’s parole was “inadmissable.”

“The decision is difficult because of political backlash and public hysteria,” he said.

Mr Angelov said the case was unprecedented.

“To say that all the courts of appeal, all the chambers and all the judges are wrong, and one sudden frenzy of the prosecution is correct — this is tyranny.”

He added that a ruling against Palfreeman would create legal chaos because other prisoners would challenge their parole decisions.

Palfreeman’s father Dr Simon Palfreeman, of Newcastle, declined to comment when contacted after the case by News Corp Australia tonight.

Protesters outside the court carried signs, written in Bulgarian, that said: “Palfreeman is dangerous” and “Do not release murderer Palfreeman.”

Jock Palfreeman's lawyer Kalin Angelov after the decision was handed down. Picture: Supplied

Previously, judges’ decisions in parole matters were final and the reopening of Palfreeman’s case has caused concerns in Bulgarian legal circles.

Palfreeman’s case has become a political football, with protesters gathering outside the court demanding he serve the remainder of his sentence for the murder of the 20-year-old student in 2007.

Mr Tsatsarov sent a representative, Nikolay Lyubenov, to run the case against the freedom bid by the former student at Sydney’s elite The King’s School.

Prosecutors claimed that a panel of three judges was wrong to find last month that he was fit for parole after 11 years inside.

They claimed that the Sofia Appellate Court, which decided the parole, had failed to follow correct procedure and that the judges had a conflict of interest.

The case was heard in Bulgaria’s Supreme Court of Cassation, the country’s highest court for criminal proceedings, before Judge Zhanina Nacheva.

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Australian Jock Palfreeman has said that he now expects to be forced to serve his time.

Palfreeman was sentenced to 20 years’ jail with a non-parole period of 10 years in 2009.

Judge Nacheva was a member of a panel, which rejected Palfreeman’s appeal against his 20-year prison sentence in 2011.

The Bulgarian parliament was due this week to consider a specific amendment that would allow parole decisions to be reopened and overturned.

Palfreeman’s case was due to be heard later this month and there have been claims it was moved forward to be heard before the amendment could be passed.

It was unclear whether the law would apply to Palfreeman’s case if it was passed before the court returns with its decision.

The Australian has been issued with a new passport but was not allowed to leave the Busmantsi Detention Centre where he was moved after his parole win.

Almost 300 Bulgarian judges signed a letter against the review of Palfreeman’s parole.

Australia’s Foreign Minister Marise Payne has said that she was concerned “nonlegal matters” had influenced Palfreeman’s case.

A decision was likely to be released on the court’s website rather than in another hearing.

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Originally published as Jock Palfreeman: Shock as jailed Aussie’s case adjourned