Fed: Man convicted of Bulgarian murder will appeal: brother

AAP General News (Australia)
12-03-2009
Fed: Man convicted of Bulgarian murder will appeal: brother

(Eds: Changes main keyword to Palfreeman)



By David Barbeler

BRISBANE, Dec 3 AAP - The family of a 23-year-old Sydney man handed a 20-year prison
sentence for murder in Bulgaria will appeal the "ridiculous" ruling, his brother has confirmed.

In the Sofia City Court in Bulgaria on Wednesday, 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 charges
of murder and attempted murder, claiming self-defence.

The former student of St Ignatius' College, Riverview, admitted he had been 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.

His brother Spencer Palfreeman, 21, told AAP on Thursday the family would be appealing
the ruling, calling it "ridiculous".

"The court's ruling was based on the fact that he (the victim) was stabbed from behind," he said.

"But forensic evidence showed he was stabbed from the front."

Mr Palfreeman said the prosecutor in the case relied on blocking evidence from entering
the courts and attacking his brother's character.

"The prosecutor wasn't looking to admit all evidence, he was purely going for conviction,"

he said.

He said the Australian government, through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade,
was monitoring the case, however he felt the most important thing to do at present was
to wait for the explanation of the rulings by the head judge.

"Because clearly we can't understand how he got to his ruling," he said.

"All independent evidence throughout the entire case supported Jock's accounts of the
night, and based on evidence and due process of court proceedings there's no logical way
this result could have eventuated."

AAP djb/pjo/jl/mn

KEYWORD: PALFREEMAN APPEAL (PIX TO COME)

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