Media reports say that UK foreign secretary Jack Straw has promised the family of Michael Shields, a UK citizen convicted of attempted murder, that the UK government would do its best to ensure that the outcome of an appeal by Shields would be in his favour. Shields, 19, was sentenced to 15 years in prison for the premeditated attempted murder of a 25-year-old Bulgarian bartender. According to the Liverpool Echo (Editor's note: no relation to The Sofia Echo), Straw requested the support of British diplomats and lawyers in handling the appeal, which is to be heard by a court in Varna on October 14. The UK cannot get directly involved in the court proceedings of another country but diplomatic means could be used, Straw said. Straw said that he would discuss the case with his Bulgarian counterpart.
Shields has been in a Bulgarian prison for 15 weeks. The case led to sharp reactions from the Liverpool community, especially after one of Shields's companions, Graham Sankey wrote a confession to the crime. Sankey, however, refused to travel to Bulgaria and give evidence to the court. Because of this refusal, his statement has no legal validity and cannot be used in support of Shields, mediapool.bg reported.