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02/07/2009
Straw 'Provisionally' Rejects Liverpool Fan's Pardon
A jailed Liverpool football fan has today been provisionally refused a free pardon from the Ministry of Justice.
Michael Shields, 22, was jailed for 15 years for the attempted murder of a Bulgarian barman following the team's victory in the 2005 Champions League final.
In December, High Court judges ruled Justice Secretary Jack Straw had the power to grant Shields a pardon.
But in a provisional decision, Mr Straw was unable to conclude the 22-year-old was "morally and technically innocent", a Ministry of Justice spokesman said.
Shields, from Edge Hill, Liverpool, who is serving his sentence at Thorn Cross Young Offenders Institute, in Appleton Thorn, Warrington, has always maintained his innocence.
A statement issued by the Ministry of Justice said: "Following a detailed and careful consideration of all the relevant evidence the Justice Secretary Jack Straw has made a provisional decision that the application for a free pardon from Mr Michael Shields should be refused.
"Mr Straw made his decision in accordance with the High Court judgment of 17 December 2008 indicated that, in order to grant a free pardon, he would have to be satisfied that Mr Shields was morally and technically innocent."
Liverpool city councillor Joe Anderson, who has spearheaded the campaign to free the Reds fan, said: "We have only just heard and I am on my way to see Michael’s parents to discuss it. We're still taking in the news."
Shields was with a group of friends visiting the Golden Sands resort in Varna, Bulgaria, after the club's Champions League win. He was arrested - along with several others - by local police on 30 May 2005, after barman Martin Georgiev was hit on the head with a paving slab.
He suffered a fractured skull.
Another fan, who was not an associate of Shields, faxed a confession to Bulgarian officials - which he later retracted - saying he had committed the crime and that Shields was innocent.
However, the court rejected the admission, saying the details of his account conflicted with testimony from nine witnesses who identified Shields as the culprit.
Shields maintain his innocence and supporters have continued to fight for his release.
(JM/BMcc)
Michael Shields, 22, was jailed for 15 years for the attempted murder of a Bulgarian barman following the team's victory in the 2005 Champions League final.
In December, High Court judges ruled Justice Secretary Jack Straw had the power to grant Shields a pardon.
But in a provisional decision, Mr Straw was unable to conclude the 22-year-old was "morally and technically innocent", a Ministry of Justice spokesman said.
Shields, from Edge Hill, Liverpool, who is serving his sentence at Thorn Cross Young Offenders Institute, in Appleton Thorn, Warrington, has always maintained his innocence.
A statement issued by the Ministry of Justice said: "Following a detailed and careful consideration of all the relevant evidence the Justice Secretary Jack Straw has made a provisional decision that the application for a free pardon from Mr Michael Shields should be refused.
"Mr Straw made his decision in accordance with the High Court judgment of 17 December 2008 indicated that, in order to grant a free pardon, he would have to be satisfied that Mr Shields was morally and technically innocent."
Liverpool city councillor Joe Anderson, who has spearheaded the campaign to free the Reds fan, said: "We have only just heard and I am on my way to see Michael’s parents to discuss it. We're still taking in the news."
Shields was with a group of friends visiting the Golden Sands resort in Varna, Bulgaria, after the club's Champions League win. He was arrested - along with several others - by local police on 30 May 2005, after barman Martin Georgiev was hit on the head with a paving slab.
He suffered a fractured skull.
Another fan, who was not an associate of Shields, faxed a confession to Bulgarian officials - which he later retracted - saying he had committed the crime and that Shields was innocent.
However, the court rejected the admission, saying the details of his account conflicted with testimony from nine witnesses who identified Shields as the culprit.
Shields maintain his innocence and supporters have continued to fight for his release.
(JM/BMcc)
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