UK justice secretary Jack Straw would consider whether a new law, which has been approved in 2007, could allow a lie detector test to serve as evidence and be useful to the defence of Liverpool fan Michael Shields, Liverpool Echo said.

Shields was sentenced to 15 years in prison for the attempted murder of Bulgarian bartender Martin Georgiev in 2005. Georgiev was hit over the head with a stone. The incident permanently impaired Georgiev’s ability to work. In 2006 Shields was moved to a UK prison.

According to the newspaper, Shields passed a lie detector test before Christmas 2007. The test raised hopes that Bulgarian authorities would agree to an early release of the Briton.

The lie detector test results were not admissible in court as evidence. “But a clause in the Offender Management Act passed last year, but not fully brought into force, allows lie detector evidence as part of an investigation in "special circumstances,” the newspaper said.

Bulgarian authorities would not challenge this interpretation, according to Liverpool Echo.

Riverside member of the parliament Louise Ellman said that “this is another small step towards winning justice for Michael and his family, but it could be crucial. The Bulgarians have now made it clear that they would not object to his early release, which is rare in prison swap deals, provided there is a judicial basis for it. The new law may provide that basis. I am increasingly hopeful that Michael will, at long last, be cleared and can rebuild his life with his family,” she said.