Bulgaria Court Postpones Australian Stabber Trial

Palfreeman, 21, is behind bars in a Bulgarian jail after being charged with murder after an alleged street brawl in the capital Sofia at the end of 2007. Photo by Sofia Photo Agency

The Sofia City Court has postponed the trial against Australian Paul “Jock” Palfreeman until November 9. He is accused of murdering 20-year-old Andrei Monov in 2007.

The Court postponed the trial after four experts, who are drawing up detailed reports on the case asked the Jude for more time.

Palfreeman, 21, is behind bars in a Bulgarian jail after being charged with murder after an alleged street brawl in the capital Sofia at the end of 2007.

Palfreeman also faces a charge of attempted murder over the alleged stabbing of a 19-year-old man during the fight.

The Sydneysider denies both charges and says he was trying to defend himself from being attacked by a group of men.

The defence has demanded that the defendant's father Simon Palfreeman, a pathologist, sits as his lawyer.

Sofia's City Court rejected at the beginning of last year Palfreeman's bail plea, with the judge ruling the suspect is aggressive and could attempt to hide from court. Afterwards the case has been repeatedly postponed.

Bulgarian court experts claim Palfreeman's defence, who says he was acting in self-defence, is not backed by any evidence, with no further details of the case revealed so far.

Palfreeman, who is a trainee soldier in the British army, wanted British defence officials present to ensure a fair and transparent hearing because of fears that police and witnesses are not being objective.

But British army officials rejected the request, saying that because the man was not in Bulgaria for official defence purposes the matter was being treated as a consulate matte

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