Britain pardons fan convicted of attempted murder in Bulgaria, cites new evidence

UK pardons fan convicted of attempted murder

LONDON — Britain on Wednesday pardoned an English soccer fan who spent four years in prison for attempted murder in Bulgaria, saying another man had confessed to the crime.

British Justice Secretary Jack Straw said he pardoned Michael Shields, 22, after new evidence “profoundly changed the credibility of the various accounts of what actually happened in this case.” Another man, whom he did not name, confessed to the attempted killing at the time Shields was on trial in Bulgaria in 2005, Straw said.

Legal experts said Bulgaria did not accept that written confession.

Shields left detention Wednesday morning, calling his four years in custody “a living hell.” He had been transferred to Britain in 2006 to complete his 10-year sentence.

Shields said he must now rebuild a “life which was shattered by the failure of two legal systems, one here in the U.K. and one in Bulgaria.”

“I want to thank my mum and dad, my sisters, my family and my friends, who never for one minute doubted my innocence and who stood by me every step of the way. I couldn’t have made it without their love. It’s a hard thing to be locked away for a crime you did not commit,” Shields said in a statement.

Shields and other fans were visiting Bulgaria after seeing Liverpool FC win the Champions League soccer final in neighboring Turkey in 2005. Bartender Martin Georgiev was attacked when he tried to break up a brawl between fans, suffering head injuries when he was struck with a paving stone.

“I have concluded, having looked carefully at all the evidence now available, that Michael Shields is telling the truth when he says he is innocent of the attempted murder of which he was convicted in Bulgaria,” Straw said.

In July, Straw had said he would not grant a pardon to Shields, but revised his decision following a meeting with Shields’ parents. He said they disclosed details of a confession by a second man in July 2005 that was not considered by the Bulgarian court.

Fair Trials International, which has provided legal advice in the case, said the unidentified man from Liverpool involved in the attack made a written confession in 2005 after he returned to Britain. It said the Bulgarian Appeal Court rejected attempts to use the evidence to win Shields’ release.

Liverpool FC said it welcomed the pardon. In December, the club’s players wore T-shirts with the slogan “Free Michael Now,” while warming up at the club’s Anfield stadium.

“We know how difficult the last four years have been for Michael and his family and everyone at the club, the staff, the players and the fans have tried to support them,” the club said in a statement. “We hope now that Michael and his family will be able to move on with their lives and look to the future.”

Associated Press Writer Rob Harris in London contributed to this report.