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Thu, Feb 09 2012
Australian documentary alleges intimidation of courts in Jock Palfreeman case
Are Sofia's streets dangerous?
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Controversial Australian documentary One Night in Sofia questioned events surrounding the death of 20-year-old law student Andrei Monov and the ensuing prosecution of 22-year-old Australian Jock Palfreeman.
The programme said that key witness statements that would have supported defendant Jock Palfreeman's version of events of the night of December 27 2007 were being blocked from the courtroom.
One Night in Sofia painted a grim portrait of the Bulgarian capital as a violent city fanned by ultra-nationalism and racism against the Roma minority. The programme also presented an unflattering view of the criminal justice system with a prominent Bulgarian political scientist describing it as "normal" that the deceased's family - and in this case one so prominent as the victim's father, a respected psychologist - would apply pressure on the system.
The programme opens with Jock's father, Dr Simon Palfreeman, and his stepmother, visiting Sofia to see Jock. "All my life I've believed in the system. Now for the first time I'm faced with a system I don't have confidence in," says Dr Palfreeman.
Jock Palfreeman claims that he saw two Roma boys being attacked and came to their defence. He says he lunged out with a knife when the group turned on him. The programme claims that crucial CCTV footage, which might have supported the young Australian's version of events, was not accessible because police claimed that "a freak blackout wrecked its hard drive".
The programme didn't really address why Jock Palfreeman deemed it necessary to carry a knife except that he says he's "always had bad feelings about Sofia...there are always problems here". He claims that that he'd been attacked with a knife six times while in Bulgaria.
The programme says that the fact that the victim was the son of a prominent individual weighs heavily against Jock Palfreeman. About 200 people attended Andrei Monov's funeral. At the original court hearing the judge apparently cried, refused him bail and called Palfreeman "a hooligan".
The narrator of the programme, Brenda Hawkins, presents Bulgaria as viciously prejudiced against the Roma population and even quotes one of Palfreeman's friends, Sonja Nicolova, as saying that "in Bulgaria we are racist...even I don't like gypsies". The programme presented Jock as popular with Bulgarian friends and quotes a middle-aged Bulgarian woman in Samokov, who befriended him, as saying "I look at him and start crying...the courts can be bought with money...coruption in Bulgaria is known all over the world."
The programme claims that a British witness and friend of Jock's - Lindsay Welsh - was never interviewed until very late in the proceedings and that the high standing of the victim's father, combined with what it calls the "ultra-nationalist" mood in the country, makes it hard for Jock Palfreeman to get a fair trial. Hawkins says that witnesses are changing key elements of their testimony. These include original witnesses who saw the gypsy boys being beaten. Other witnesses have failed to turn up at all, so prolonging proceedings.
Bulgarian political and social scientist Dr Evgenii Dainov, who has taken a keen interest in the case, is interviewed in the programme and delivers a damning verdict. "I don't have to imagine cases when witnesses are harassed and pressured to change their statements because it happens all the time. I'd expect the victim's father to put pressure on the entire structure of the law enforcement and judicial structure. I'd expect the judicial system to collapse under that pressure."
Dainov says he believes that "under normal circumstances you can get justice in this country" but adds that "if at any stage anyone puts any pressure on any link in the chain it seems that you can't get justice. So (in such cases) the rule of law does not apply because the law is different for different people and so this is a completely unsatisfactory situation".
The prosecutor, inverviewed for the programme, rejects such claims.
The programme said that key witness statements that would have supported defendant Jock Palfreeman's version of events of the night of December 27 2007 were being blocked from the courtroom.
One Night in Sofia painted a grim portrait of the Bulgarian capital as a violent city fanned by ultra-nationalism and racism against the Roma minority. The programme also presented an unflattering view of the criminal justice system with a prominent Bulgarian political scientist describing it as "normal" that the deceased's family - and in this case one so prominent as the victim's father, a respected psychologist - would apply pressure on the system.
The programme opens with Jock's father, Dr Simon Palfreeman, and his stepmother, visiting Sofia to see Jock. "All my life I've believed in the system. Now for the first time I'm faced with a system I don't have confidence in," says Dr Palfreeman.
Jock Palfreeman claims that he saw two Roma boys being attacked and came to their defence. He says he lunged out with a knife when the group turned on him. The programme claims that crucial CCTV footage, which might have supported the young Australian's version of events, was not accessible because police claimed that "a freak blackout wrecked its hard drive".
The programme didn't really address why Jock Palfreeman deemed it necessary to carry a knife except that he says he's "always had bad feelings about Sofia...there are always problems here". He claims that that he'd been attacked with a knife six times while in Bulgaria.
The programme says that the fact that the victim was the son of a prominent individual weighs heavily against Jock Palfreeman. About 200 people attended Andrei Monov's funeral. At the original court hearing the judge apparently cried, refused him bail and called Palfreeman "a hooligan".
The narrator of the programme, Brenda Hawkins, presents Bulgaria as viciously prejudiced against the Roma population and even quotes one of Palfreeman's friends, Sonja Nicolova, as saying that "in Bulgaria we are racist...even I don't like gypsies". The programme presented Jock as popular with Bulgarian friends and quotes a middle-aged Bulgarian woman in Samokov, who befriended him, as saying "I look at him and start crying...the courts can be bought with money...coruption in Bulgaria is known all over the world."
The programme claims that a British witness and friend of Jock's - Lindsay Welsh - was never interviewed until very late in the proceedings and that the high standing of the victim's father, combined with what it calls the "ultra-nationalist" mood in the country, makes it hard for Jock Palfreeman to get a fair trial. Hawkins says that witnesses are changing key elements of their testimony. These include original witnesses who saw the gypsy boys being beaten. Other witnesses have failed to turn up at all, so prolonging proceedings.
Bulgarian political and social scientist Dr Evgenii Dainov, who has taken a keen interest in the case, is interviewed in the programme and delivers a damning verdict. "I don't have to imagine cases when witnesses are harassed and pressured to change their statements because it happens all the time. I'd expect the victim's father to put pressure on the entire structure of the law enforcement and judicial structure. I'd expect the judicial system to collapse under that pressure."
Dainov says he believes that "under normal circumstances you can get justice in this country" but adds that "if at any stage anyone puts any pressure on any link in the chain it seems that you can't get justice. So (in such cases) the rule of law does not apply because the law is different for different people and so this is a completely unsatisfactory situation".
The prosecutor, inverviewed for the programme, rejects such claims.
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Dr Palfreeman’s story
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The Bulgarian justice system does not come out well of all this. This looks like a mock trial, a 'kangaroo court' if you like. First the CCTV footage is 'lost'? How can that happen? That is impossible. Data can be recovered even with deleted files. This must be a lie.
Secondly, how can witnesses be withheld, and fail to turn up? This is a joke...also how can a man be convicted of murder when confronted by a gang of 5 people...self-defense is a well entrenched principle of law in other countries. Especially as the only negative [...]
Read the full comment testimony is from the 'other party' in the dispute, whose testimony has shown to be flawed and inconsistent. Is Bulgaria going to join the legal 21st century, or will it remain a backwater?
If Jock did not defend himself he would have been the dead one. There is no crime in carrying a knife around. Especially in bulgaria. If the gang attacked him as it seems to me from the fact that the recording from the camera was destroyed, I am only happy that one of the bu...rs is dead. The European court needs to take action on this case, after the final result.
This comment has been removed by the moderator because it contained Обиди, дискриминация, срещу журналисти
I think we should lobby our government not to succumb to Western pressure again and let this killer go, like they did in Shields case.
Boyko, all of your credentials as someone trying to enforce the law, will go out the window if you let this one get off the hook!
We are watching!!!!
Why oh why did this young guy:
1. Go out carrying knife?
2. Get involved in someone elses fight, in someone elses country?
3. Stick the knife into someone else?
And for that matter, why did the girl who was present slip out of the country, and then refuse to front up in court?
No matter how you look at it, Jock is a knife carrying hooligan whose imprisonment will make the world safer.
Lock him [...]
Read the full comment up and throw away the key.
Jock used to visit our home quite often. I always found Jock most entertaining and a delight to be with.
He had impeccable manners and I thought my son Alex was lucky to have him as a friend. He always made me laugh and I looked forward to his visits.
Jock used to visit our home quite often. I always found Jock most entertaining and a delight to be with.
He had impeccable manners and I thought my son Alex was lucky to have him as a friend. He always made me laugh and I looked forward to his visits.
Dear all,
Interested Observer did not know Jock.
I am a close friend of Palfreeman and I am sure Jock was involved in a homicide but he did not have an obsession with weapons.
Interested Observer is obviously an enemy of Palfreeman or a friend of the deceased intent on perverting justice.
How unfortunate for the individuals on both sides in this case who want to see a fair trial.
Shame on Interested Observer for lying to everyone who reads [...]
Read the full comment this thread so publically and blatantly.
I know Jock, he had an unhealthy obsession with knives and weapons generally, he thrived on conflict! He has found himself completely out of his depth and like the spoilt rich kid that he is, he wants someone to come and sort it out for him.
actually, dr monov works as head for the department for children, so the orphanage problem and this case are strangly not so far apart
Also bulgarian in australia, your right, attacks here are mostly for political or financial reasons, jock's haircut is enough here in bulgaria to let people think your an anarchist, being the nationalists the group is, this alone is enough to warrent an attack, then there is the roma issue, which is very definetly political especially for nationalists, and you know this!
We go on protest asking each other [...]
Read the full comment why no one helped the boy in studentskigrad who was gang beaten and killed, yet when someone goes to help against odds of 20 to 1, much greater then the amount who killed the boy in studentskigrad we target him!
Why does it take a foreigner to go to help bulgarians, yet there would have been well over 50 people watch the boy die in studentskigrad
Blown out of proportion!
First off, Jock's problem happened when he killed someone. That is a responsibility you take when you a) carry a knife around and b) use it to not just harm someone in self defense, but kill someone.
Pressure or not from the victim's parents, he is guilty of killing someone on the street (self defense should be taken in consideration and the CCTV footage should be shown).
Attacked several times with a knife? Where does he live?? I have a ton of friends who have never even seen a knife [...]
Read the full comment in Sofia... crime there is political and stealing, not crime attacks. Personally, I admire him saving the gypsies, but if I jump to save some aborigines in Australia, maybe I would be attacked as a foreigner.
Alex - no relevance whatsoever my friend. Bulgaria has its problems but orphanages have nothing to do with this case...
Perhaps the Australian show would like to mention the attacks on Indian students in Melbourne and the denial that it has anything to do with racism by the authorities. Locals are criticising the Indian press for latching onto it, but what do they think the Australian media would do if it became apparent Australians were being targeted abroad?
Sofia is a very safe city compared to other western cities (if you don't play it cool and hang around the wrong places), so the biggest question is: what was Palfreeman doing carrying a knife and apparently feeling very comfortable [...]
Read the full comment using it? It seems it's bad luck that he got involved with a family that has the clout to make it more difficult for him, but I doubt it would have been otherwise if the son of a similar family had been killed by a Bulgarian in Australia...
It's interesting that this article didn't say anything about the $2 billion dollars the UN are withholding from Bulgaria until they fix up their judicial system. That was also mentioned in the documentary but I guess that goes against how the article was written.
Is this murder...? Manslaughter at best!
lol, controversial my arse. http://www.abc.net.au/foreign/awards.htm some pretty controversial awards there. the whole wall of text of em.
this is a show you can trust.
It's true that the native Bulgarians are fed up with the gypsies but the gypsies really aren't easy at all to live with.
It's impossible to enforce laws against a population who have no money to pay fines and who don't care if they do time in jail. Education is against their beliefs. In fact an educated gypsy is a "bad" gypsy in their culture.
However to say the Bulgarians are viciously racist would be misisng the point. They just want the Gypsies to pay their way and get a job.
They forgot to show the disastrous orphanage problem that has lingered over Bulgaria for years. I would have like it if the documentary had exposed the living hell out of Bulgaria. Bulgaria has Europe's worst child welfare system, sexual health, and family planning implementation system behind the Russians.