The first hearing in the case against Australian Paul "Jock" Palfreeman, accused of stabbing a Bulgarian youth to death and attempted murder of another person, started on May 21 2008, Dnevnik daily said.
Palfreeman allegedly stabbed Andrei Monov and Anton Zahariev on the night of December 28 2007. Monov died on the way to hospital.
Witnesses said at the time that Palfreeman attacked the group that included Monov and Zahariev for no reason. Palfreeman later said he tried to defend a Roma from the group. Palfreeman has denied all accusations against him and claimed he acted in self-defence when the men turned on him after he intervened in a fight between the men and a Roma.
On May 21, Zahariev identified Palfreeman as the attacker, but said he had no recollection of a Roma being present at the scene of the incident.
Monov's parents are demanding 400 000 leva in damages in their civil suit, while Zahariev has set his claim at 50 000 leva. Palfreeman is currently under arrest, having been denied bail at hearings earlier this year.
On February 24, Bulgarian news agency BTA quoted unnamed sources in the Prosecutor-General’s Office, who said that Palfreeman was fully aware of his actions. Court experts said that the Australian could not claim temporary insanity as his defence.
If found guilty, Palfreeman could be sentenced to between 10 and 20 years in jail or life imprisonment with or without the possibility of commuted sentence.
Palfreeman, a trainee soldier in the British army, had asked British defence officials to be present at his hearings to ensure a fair and transparent trial, fearing that police and witnesses were not being objective. But since he was not in Bulgaria for official defence purposes the matter was "being treated as a consulate matter", the British Ministry of Defence said at the time.
Andrei Monov, 20, was the son of reknown psychologist and Sofia University professor Hristo Monov. His funeral was attended by 250 guests, including school friends, members of the Levski football club fanclub and government officials.
