Australian Man Gets Murder Verdict Confirmed by Bulgarian Last Instance Court

Australian citizen Paul "Jock" Palfreeman (R), whose 20-year jail sentence for murder has been confirmed by Bulgaria's last instance court Wednesday. Photo by BGNES

The Supreme Court of Cassation, Bulgaria's last instance court of appeal, confirmed Wednesday the 20-year jail sentence of Australian citizen Paul "Jock" Palfreeman for murder.

24-year-old Palfreeman was tried for the 2007 murder of Andrei Monov (20 years old then) in a street fight with a stab in the back.

The Australian was sentenced in December 2009 to 20 years in jail by the Sofia City Court, and then appealed at the Sofia Court of Appeals, which confirmed the sentence.

With Wednesday's rejection of Palfreeman's appeal by the Supreme Court of Cassation, the Australian will have to serve his sentence.

The Court of Cassation decided that the Sofia Court of Appeals has completely adequately determined Palfreeman's punishment, with the exception of a BGN 720 fee for translation that the defendent had to pay, which has been lifted.

In the early hours of December 28, 2007, Palfreeman fatally stabbed the Bulgarian student Andrei Monov in downtown Sofia and injured his 19 year-old friend Antoan Zahariev.

The Australian has claimed that he intervened only to go to the aid of two Roma gypsies being beaten by a group of boys, including Andrei.

Legal proceedings have nevertheless established that the Bulgarian's death has resulted from a stab in the back, and has not been caused in self-defense.

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