The Varna court published Michael Shield's sentence, as well as the motivation behind it online. Shields received a 15 years prison sentence for the attempted murder of Bulgarian bartender Martin Georgiev. British media publicised the case, after one of Shield's companions, Graham Sankey made a confession in Britain. The Varna court cannot accept Sankey's confession, as it was not made before a Bulgarian court. The victim Georgiev identified Shields as his attacker.
Shields's lawyer Oleg Atanasov said that the witnesses presented controversial information and pleaded for the consideration of Sankey's confession. Shield's defence team can appeal the sentence before a regional court.
The sentence imposed by the court is the minimum for a premeditated murder attempt. According to law, a defendant in such case can receive between 20 years in prison and a life sentence.