[…] // Justice 4 Jock

UPDATE OCTOBER 2019 : Over 11 1/2 years later, Jock remains in prison, despite having won parole in September 2019.

Update #6 ( July 8 ) : Charles Miranda, Dad’s bid to free murder charge son Jock Palfreeman, The Daily Telegraph, July 8, 2008

Update #5 ( March 24 ) : Charles Miranda, New evidence in Australian’s murder case, The Daily Telegraph, March 24, 2008

Update #4 ( January 29 ) : Just stumbled upon an article from The Frontier Times (Bulgaria’s English language newspaper) by Stefan Stefanov, ‘Aussie Go Hero or Thug?’, January 10–February 10, 2008 edition. Stefanov writes: “Experts investigating the murder and attempted murder said that the knife penetrated the victim’s back straight through to the heart – a professional stab”; the only source (outside of commentary: see Vesselin Petrunov, January 8) that I’m aware of for this claim. Stefanov also writes “Meanwhile, it was leaked to the press that Mr Palfreeman had previously been charged for attempted murder back home in Australia”, which is false. Palfreeman has never been charged with attempted murder; what happened was that a man by the name of James Atack and another man simply called ‘Matt’ went to a local paper (January 3) with allegations that Palfreeman had stabbed them at a party. Jock was never charged for the alleged crime, apparently for lack of evidence.

Update #3 ( January 20 ) : Jock Palfreeman “enjoying cult-like status on the Internet”, bearing “striking resemblance to actor Matt Damon” and “now the subject of at least four websites and … receiving movie-star attention” says Marnie O’Neill of The Daily Telegraph.

Update #2 ( January 8 ) : Accused Aussie refused bail in Bulgaria, says AAP. news.com.au, on the other hand, appears to have put Charles Miranda on the case, who claims that Palfreeman may plead insanity

Update #1 ( January 4 ) : Two more articles in the press, one in The Daily Terror by Gemma Jones, the other in the Sydney Morning Herald by Malcolm Brown. Jones reports a Facebook page has been set up by friends of Jock’s called ‘Jock Palfreeman is Not Guilty’ [http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=16826320034], attracting 60 (now almost 90) friends; some gossip regarding Jock’s love life; and reiterates the claims made yesterday in an earlier article by herself and another hack; viz, that James Atack and someone called Matt had “almost died” in a similar attack by Jock at a party in 2004, and that the pair “later named Palfreeman as the person who stabbed them. But police did not lay charges because of a lack of evidence” (Bulgaria accused’s pals rally, January 4). Brown (Father arrives to visit jailed son, January 4) writes that Jock’s father has arrived in Sofia, and that DFAT is keeping a close eye on the case. Interestingly, Brown also writes:

In Sydney, James Atack, of Lane Cove North, who was quoted in The Daily Telegraph yesterday saying that Palfreeman had stabbed him and another youth at a party in Chatswood in 2004, confirmed to the Herald yesterday he had been quoted correctly and it was true. In his quoted statement, he said he had complained to the police but the police had not laid charges through lack of evidence. Questioned by the Herald, Mr Atack said: “I am not quite comfortable talking about this. Me and my friend agreed we would talk to each other before talking to the press again.”

One (presumably) pseudonymous commenter, on the other hand — Karlos — claims that “Jock was involved in that party, but in regards to the comment about him carrying a knife with him, he actually took the knife off one of the people mentioned in the paper as a victim as that person was threatening his brother”. And in news just to hand, another commenter called grayham writes:

this case so far is complete bullshit. i’m in sofia. jock was with me for christmas and he’s 1 of my best friends. i’ve known him for 18 months. in bulgaria first and then in england. it was self defence. there was a gang beating a gypsy. jock chased them off. they then beat him and my girlfriend. unfortunately i wasn’t there to help as i had left an hour or so before. i wasn’t allowed into court even though jock had asked me to be there. even the judge asked where i was and then told the court that i had said i hardly knew jock anyway, which is the complete opposite of my statement. i’ve given the police names of other people who were there and as yet they have not been contacted.

you would not believe the things the judge has said to jock. she has already made up her mind. as for the one thing that will help, for sure the cctv – which the police have – we have been told so far that it probably won’t be allowed to be shown as evidence.

jock and me have also had problems with racists in the past. if you look slightly alternative over here it’s enough to get you beaten up. carrying a knife here is quite normal. you’re allowed to carry guns if you want. wouldn’t you carry something if everywhere you went you see swastikas and “punks die” grafittied on the walls?

from what i’ve heard jock is lucky to still be alive and didn’t really have any choice.

for all his friends out there i’ve seen him today and yesterday and he’s ok.

can’t believe this chatswood bullshit. if he’s been found innocent that’s the end of it.

he needs his friends’ help and support – glad to see there are so many of you out there.

Speaking of support, somebody called Phil suggests a letter along these lines would be useful if sent to the relevant authorities:

Dear Sir / Madam,

I write concerning Jock Palfreeman, the British serviceman recently arrested over a fatal stabbing in Sofia.

I am most concerned that Jock will not receive a fair trial because the victim’s father is a prominent Bulgarian and all the witnesses are friends of the deceased.

The information we have received from friends in Bulgaria is that Jock was acting in self-defence after trying to help another man who was being attacked by a gang of Nazi/fascist skinheads.

I understand that legal proceedings must have their own process but would appreciate it if you could do anything to address my concerns or direct them to the relevant authorities in Bulgaria.

Yours faithfully…

The address for the Embassy of Bulgaria in Canberra, Australia is below. Details of the address in London, England are available here.

Update : As an apparent result of defending himself and another man from fascist assault, it appears that Jock Palfreeman is in trouble with the Bulgarian police, judiciary and state. As is traditional, the British Army has abandoned Jock (“a phase two recruit with the British Army’s 1st Battalion Infantry Training Centre” according to a report in The Daily Terror) and he has also been denied bail by magistrate Maria Petrova — on the basis of his allegedly violent disposition. According to one report by the ABC, “In a written statement tendered to the court, Mr Freeman [sic] said he had gone to the aid of a gypsy [that is, Rom] who was being attacked”. A plausible scenario, given that Romani are frequently subject to racist attacks, both in Bulgaria and throughout Europe (as is also traditional).

See also : Malcolm Brown, Friends stunned as trip ends in fatal brawl, Sydney Morning Herald, January 2, 2008.

In Australia, the Bulgarian Government has an Embassy in the ACT, and it may be useful to politely inform the Embassy that Jock’s friends in Australia wish to see him receive a fair trial:

    Australian Capital Territory : Embassy of Bulgaria

    Street address: 33 Culgoa Circuit, O’Malley, Canberra ACT 2600
    Postal address: Phillip DC, PO Box 6096, Canberra ACT 2606

    Chancery:
    Monday – Friday; 9.00 am – 12.30 pm; 2.00 pm – 5.30 pm
    tel: 02/ 6286 9711; fax: 02/ 6286 9600
    e-mail: [email protected]

    Consular section:
    Monday – Friday; 9.30 am – 12.00 pm
    tel: 02/ 6286 9700; fax: 02/ 6286 9600
    e-mail: [email protected]

Somebody called Joe Paul Freeman or (more likely, perhaps) Jock Palfreeman has been arrested in Sofia, Bulgaria over a stabbing incident (Aussie charged with murder after Bulgaria brawl, AAP, SMH, January 1, 2008):

An Australian man has been charged with murder and refused bail after a knife attack in Bulgaria which left one man dead and another badly injured.

Jock Palfreeman, 21, from NSW, made a brief appearance before Sofia City Court on Monday and pleaded not guilty to one count of murder and another of attempted murder.

He was arrested last Friday in the Bulgarian capital after allegedly fatally stabbing 20-year-old Andrei Monov, the son of prominent local psychotherapist Hristo Manov, in a street brawl.

Palfreeman is also accused of attempting to murder Antoan Zahariev, 19.

According to a police statement tendered to the court, Palfreeman admitted stabbing the two Bulgarian men but insisted it was in self-defence.

Palfreeman said that while he had been carrying a knife at the time, he only pulled it out to defend himself and two other friends from a group of football hooligans who were attacking another man…

The stabbing appears to have a ‘political’ dimension, as ‘The court heard that Palfreeman was in Bulgaria to visit a friend and had been out drinking with a group of people when they saw a group of men hitting another man and shouting “fascists”‘; Palfreeman also appears to have been a teenage socialist.

About @ndy

I live in Melbourne, Australia. I like anarchy. I don't like nazis. I enjoy eating pizza and drinking beer. I barrack for the greatest football team on Earth: Collingwood Magpies. The 2024 premiership's a cakewalk for the good old Collingwood.
This entry was posted in !nataS, Anti-fascism and tagged . Bookmark the permalink.

375 Responses to […] // Justice 4 Jock

  1. Bulgarian_in_Sydney says:

    @ndy, don’t tell me you don’t know who got the 30 silver pieces for betrayal of his own.
    Many Bulgarians have reservations as who is exactly to blame, but they are not volunteering to present Andrei in extremely bad light or even worse, picture Bulgaria like that.
    English is my second language, but I think there is a difference in the meaning ’In unison with his own visions’ and ‘In “unison” with his own visions’, since the anarchists believed accumulating property was wrong, while Jack did just the opposite. Who will take you seriously after this?
    Yes, there are also those trying to jump on and profit off this case – media, journalist, obscure causes activists.
    I am only trying to show you will achieve just the opposite launching a campaign against Bulgaria.
    In a very good parallel Corby got her sentence increased, because the Indonesians were offended by all these public insults of their country.
    It is good Jock’s parent realise this, but not blaming publicly the Bulgarians is not enough. If Jock continues to demonstrate he somehow inherently stays on a higher moral ground than the Bulgarians, if he shows no remorse, contempt and defiance to the court, even if you pay millions to the judge, he wouldn’t dare spit at the face of his compatriots with no guilty verdict.
    I pointed what tragedy is for a Bulgarian to lose his only child in such circumstances and everybody can relate to that. There is nothing that could make me shudder more if I may see my only daughter gone before my time.

  2. @ndy says:

    Sarah, thanks for the links. Here’s the article from the Sofia Echo in full:

    Sofia court denies bail to Palfreeman, Rene Beekman, Sofia Echo, January 8, 2008

    Australian Paul “Jock” Palfreeman, accused of the stabbing murder of Andrei Monov and attempted murder of Anton Zahariev, was denied bail by the Sofia Appeals Court on January 8.

    Monov died on his way to the hospital on December 28 2007, after having been stabbed in the back with a knife by Palfreeman. Zahariev was injured in the same incident.

    Palfreeman has denied the accusations, claiming he acted in self-defence when the men turned on him after he intervened in a fight between the men and a Roma.

    The court denied bail on the basis of the severity of the case, for which the accused could be sentenced to between 10 and 20 years in jail or life imprisonment with or without the possibility of commutation. Additionally, Palfreeman did not have a permanent address and the court considered there was a risk he would hide, mediapool.bg said.

    Police prosecutors had told the court they were still examining video footage of the alleged attack captured on security cameras.

    The prosecutor said a new witness had come forward, the salesman from an alcohol and cigarette booth next to the Healthcare Ministry where the incident took place.

    Prosecution tried to include in the evidence a publication of the UK’s Daily Telegraph, in which Palfreeman was accused of hooliganism. In the same publication, the British army, where Palfreeman was enlisted, was said to have refused help to Palfreeman. The court did not accept the publication as evidence, because it expressed the position of the author.

    Palfreeman, who was a trainee soldier in the British army, wanted British defence officials present to ensure a fair and transparent hearing because of fears that police and witnesses are not being objective, Australian news.com.au said.

    British army officials said because he was not in Bulgaria for official defence purposes the matter “is being treated as a consulate matter”, according to a Ministry of Defence spokesman.

    “One would assume it is off duty, in which case, it is a consular issue for the Australian Embassy. It’s not a Defence issue,” news.com.au quoted the spokesman as saying.

    In making his application for bail, Palfreeman and his lawyers were highly critical of the police investigation into the alleged attacks, accusing them of failing to interview several independent witnesses, Australian theage.com.au said.

    Palfreeman said the witnesses were all friends of Andrei Monov and said he could not hide as he has no id documents or money.

    Andrei Monov was the son of known psychologist and teacher at the Sofia University Hristo Monov. At the funeral of Andrei Monov, there were 250 guests, including school friends, members of the Levski fanclub and government officials, mediapool.bg said.

    B_i_S:

    “@ndy, don’t tell me you don’t know who got the 30 silver pieces for betrayal of his own.”

    Yes. Judas. But my question is: what has that got to do with… anything? I’m honestly unsure, but I guess you’re suggesting that Jack, in purchasing a house, was betraying his comrades, just as Judas betrayed Jesus… which is a fairly odd remark to make, in my opinion. I know a number of anarchists, some of whom own their own houses (that is, have taken out mortages), some of whom do not. If you think that owning a house disqualifies you from being an anarchist, then I think that you’re employing a different definition of ‘anarchist’ to what I am.

    “I am only trying to show you will achieve just the opposite launching a campaign against Bulgaria.”

    Right. And if I were launching a campaign against Bulgaria, I might take note. As it stands, I’m not launching a campaign against Bulgaria, I’m engaged in a discussion of the Jock Palfreeman case.

  3. Bulgarian_in_Sydney says:

    I have clearly stated whom I consider traitors – those who “volunteered to present Andrei in extremely bad light or even worse, picture Bulgaria like that”.
    Which makes Anti friend and you Bulgarian anarchist buddy – that was where you got all those anti Bulgarian videos and publications from.
    You don’t have to be a nationalist to feel bad when somebody is dragging your country through the mud.
    Australians also can criticise some aspect of their life between themselves, but everybody got enraged, when the same thing was written in the Malaysian newspapers, for example.

  4. @ndy says:

    B_i_S:

    Um… as far as I can recollect, I’ve never expressed any outrage over criticism of Australian society, whether it’s emanated from Malaysia or Melbourne. As for Bulgaria, I repeat:

    “As it stands, I’m not launching a campaign against Bulgaria, I’m engaged in a discussion of the Jock Palfreeman case.”

    Simply because you continue to make the accusation doesn’t make it any truer.

    “…Anti friend and you Bulgarian anarchist buddy – that was where you got all those anti Bulgarian videos and publications from” is a statement I don’t understand. The “anti-Bulgarian” videos and publications you refer to I obtained myself. Further, they are not “anti-Bulgarian” — like ‘anti-American or ‘unAustralian’ a largely meaningless term in any case — but refer to racist sentiment, organisation and activity within Bulgaria. The first video shows a small group of men assaulting an ‘anarchist’ somewhere on the streets of Sofia; the second depicts a larger group of neo-Nazis attacking a number of punters at an Exploited gig. As for the publications I’ve referred to, these are drawn from mainstream sources: NGOs and media. My Bulgarian comrade has simply translated a handful of texts from Bulgarian to English. If that makes him a ‘traitor’, then you’re employing a highly unusual definition — either that, or you’re confusing ‘traitor with ‘translator’. And I’ve no idea who ‘Anti friend’ is, any more than I know who you are.

  5. Lumpen says:

    You don’t have to be a nationalist to feel bad when somebody is dragging your country through the mud.

    and

    I have clearly stated whom I consider traitors – those who “volunteered to present Andrei in extremely bad light or even worse, picture Bulgaria like that”.

    What exactly are they being treacherous toward then, if not your belief that the nation is to be worshiped? I think with statements like yours, B_i_S, we can skip the benefit of the doubt and label you a distraction from any potentially meaningful discussion.

    As I’ve said before, I don’t have a position on Jock’s guilt or innocence because of the lack of evidence. What I think can be discussed is the likelihood of his statements, how the case is being reported domestically and in Bulgaria and why. As an anti-racist, my interest is in knowing the truth, why Jock chose that story in particular if he’s lying and what effect this could have. Sentimentality toward any nation just doesn’t factor into asking the questions.

  6. dora says:

    Do you know that Andrey Monov’s grand-father died last week? It was impossible for him to live without Andrei…

  7. David Wolf says:

    Ok, as many people have stated, and I agree, there is little more to say until the court has viewed the evidence and passed judgment – so will not bother coming to this forum for a while.

    BUT, facts remain:

    Jock came to a foreign country and thought he could do as he saw fit.
    NOT TRUE! Bulgaria is an old country with a culture, it is not Botswana (a long destroyed culture, by the British) or Iraq (which had its own ancient culture, before it was destroyed by a coalition of the willing, one of Jock’s people).

    A young Bulgarian man’s life is gone.
    For what reason? Even if it is true, a killing for a Gypsy beating? A death for a sore?
    COME ON!

    Jock will probably ‘get off’ because he is a US (puppet state, Australian) citizen. Is this justice? And make Bulgarians hate you foreigners even more. Well, thank you. I have lived here for 10 years and seen the anger grow toward your behavior. We have enough pigs here of our own without importing more.

    Stay away.

    David Wolf

  8. bn says:

    About Eva Brown post: We don’t know if she hates gipsies or not. But let me say she hates them, so what? You said “thus alleviating her of the need to kill them” (addressed to @ndy). I should say you are probably a very liberal person and most of all objective. Come on! You hate someone, so you will probably kill them?! No, of course [not]! How many people hate me, wow, I don’t want to imagine what will happen to me if your state[ment]/theory is true.

    I don`t want to argue with anyone, because I don’t want to wreck my nerves. I knew Andrei not very well. Hmmm, he lived in the same district and studied in the same school like me. We have common friend, etc. He was a good boy and will stay in our hearts forever.

    About the Romanis.

    Don’t think that they are defenceless and so on. In fact, if there is a research about how much is their number in Bulgarian territories, it will be not a (surprise for me) that they are becoming majority and Bulgarians a national minority. It’s a pity, but true. So many young Bulgarian people are abroad, that in some research or state? (I think Polish) Bulgaria will be fallen apart until 2015. And I believe it, because I see what happen here. And Romanis have more rights than me. I feel like an odd one. Many times my parents advise me to go to study abroad but I love my country so much like Andrey does, that I couldn’t make such a stride (you know I don’t feel that’s my way). So what to do now? Before that terrible murder I don’t imagine this could happen to my friend, this could happen to someone that I knew. Now, I am very shocked and stressed. Walked down the street and turn back, because I heard someone behind me. And Andrey’s father is not famous: it’s a journalist’s “news”. I don’t know him and many others.

    It’s an awful [thing] to hear that Andrey’s grandfather is dead.

  9. Osmosis Bum Licker says:

    Well well well,

    Let’s just recap events since I made my post and “Andy” made his reply.

    Jock has tried to plead insanity. WTF would he do that if he was “defending a gypsy”? (Any comment Andy?)

    75 witnesses have all made statements that there “was no gyspy”.

    CCTV shows no gypsy, and indeed shows Jock mouthing off to a group of locals, then murdering one.

    As I pointed out to you three months ago, we have a young man who has already been involved in one stabbing less than three years ago, in a foreign country, drinking and carrying a knife.

    “Wonderful boys, a wonderful son and brother” don’t carry knives in bars, and don’t stick them into people…

    Jock is a worthless thug and a menace to civilisation.

    END OF STORY!!!

  10. Osmosis Bum Licker says:

    Andy,

    I’m not sure if you are joking or not when you say:

    1: “a reasonable argument could and presumably will be made that people of good character may well use a knife in self-defence”.

    Ahhhemmm – Would you extend that logic to the US dropping the atomic bomb?

    2. “Certainly, members of the world’s armed forces are routinely called upon to use weapons to kill and maim others and their exploits not only regarded as being not evil, but the height of bravery”.

    Ahhhemmm – yes we do (I am an army officer). We are subject to laws, constraints and conventions. Was war declared between Britain and Bulgaria? Was Jock in a “clearly identified uniform, taking the life of a clearly identifiable enemy combatant”?

    Trust me when I tell you, there is nothing brave about stabbing a fellow human in the back. There is no fucking glory whatsoever in taking a life. Making a mother grieve, making a widow and orphans.

    The real problem with this world is the bunch of apologists who are desperate to justify the actions of a very stupid thug. Don’t argue, learn something about life, and its importance. The more you try to justify what Jock did the more people die.

    GROW UP.

  11. i hate david wolf says:

    [!]

  12. @ndy says:

    Osmosis,

    As far as I’m aware, Jock has never pled insanity: see http://slackbastard.anarchobase.com/?p=984#comment-187548

    With regards the CCTV footage, the only accounts I’m aware of report what the prosecution claims it to contain. As far as I’m aware, the defence has yet to put its case. Further, some of this footage has “accidentally” gone missing, which is unhelpful. Regarding the number of witnesses, I’m unaware of there being 75 willing to state that there was no ‘Gypsy’ to whom Jock may have offered assistance. In the latest article by Miranda, the chief prosecutor claims that there are 49 witnesses willing to support their case. How many, if any, are willing to support Jock’s account is unknown.

    Regarding the link between using a knife in self-defence and the dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki (which is what I presume you mean when you refer to US bombings), there’s a massive gulf in logic, one which I’ll happily let you paddle about in to your heart’s content. As for my point regarding violence, you’ve missed it, I think. That is, violence is sometimes justified, although by whom and for what reasons obviously varies enormously. Thus, military strategists have been known to support all kinds of crimes, including not only the US dropping atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but the firebombing of its cities resulting in absolutely massive civilian casualties. See http://www.sonyclassics.com/fogofwar/

  13. MadBulgarian says:

    The Bulgarian boys in jail will sort him out. He is in for a great time!

    You DON’T enter a foreign country and act like a smart arse and carry a knife around like you’re some kind of modern day Rambo.

    You keep your head down, your mouth shut and enjoy the scenery. Smart arses like this wanker will get taught many a lesson in a Bulgarian jail. Just the place to teach this smart dickhead a thing or two.

    You do not take someone’s life and get away with it. Especially a Bulgarian in his own country. Read the history books and you will see why.

    Karma has paid this idiot a visit and he will get many more visits in his cell.

    Ti eba mumeta.

  14. Lumpen says:

    Are you implying that all Bulgarian prisoners are rapists and/or thugs? I’ll not have you besmirch such a fine class of gentlemen produced by the most fragrant country in the galaxy etc etc.

  15. osmosis_bum_loader says:

    You are correct @ndy, military strategists are well known for justifying all sorts of evil things.

    But you aren’t one, and you are using the same tactic!!!

    “Bomber” Harris, Colonel Tibbets, etc would have been hung as criminals if they had lost the war. Will you top yourself if Jock gets sent down???

    (That’s called accountability by the way.)

    I stand by my opinion. F##king nut cases like Palfreeman who carry knives in bars are out to cause trouble, and the world would be a better place if they were given a touch of the “Clockwork Orange”.

    I hope you will be the gentleman and apologise when Jock goes down…

  16. osmosis_bum_loader says:

    It is a sad fact of military life that during Recruit Training young men’s testosterone levels go into overdrive. They think they are the only people to ever survive what in fact is a simple and moderate course of a few weeks length.

    It is reported that Jock originally claimed to be “SAS”. He was later reported as saying “I am not scared, I did my duty as a Good Samaritan and as a soldier.”

    (Which is pretty rich coming from a guy with four weeks military life under his belt.)

    Trust me, i have dealt with such dickheads (AJs – Army Jerks) for 20 years. Jock isn’t the first “superman” to go wild on his Recruit Leave. Normally they just get into a bar room brawl to prove to their mates how tough they are. Jock had a perchanse [penchant?] for carrying a knife and he used it. He is going to regret his actions.

    But can anyone tell me about the mysterious “Graham” whose house Jock was “fixing up”??? Or his girlfriend Susan?

    Graham told the police “I hardly know him” and Susan slipped out of Bulgaria and has vanished. SHE was with him and could give her account of what happened. Seems she really doesn’t want to get involved…

    Anyone care to speculate why???

  17. @ndy says:

    “You are correct @ndy, military strategists are well known for justifying all sorts of evil things.

    But you aren’t one, and you are using the same tactic!!!

    “Bomber” Harris, Colonel Tibbets, etc would have been hung as criminals if they had lost the war. Will you top yourself if Jock gets sent down???

    (That’s called accountability by the way.)”

    I repeat:

    Regarding the link between using a knife in self-defence and the dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki (which is what I presume you mean when you refer to US bombings), there’s a massive gulf in logic.

    ‘Reason’ is not a tactic, but a methodology. ‘Accountability’ is not — by most definitions that I’m aware of anyway — a commitment to commit suicide should an individual by the name of Jock Palfreeman be convicted of murder. Rather, to account for one’s self and one’s actions means to respond to other’s questioning. For example, you may like to acknowledge that when you wrote that “Jock has tried to plead insanity” you were incorrect.

    “It is reported that Jock originally claimed to be “SAS”.”

    It is? Where?

    “But can anyone tell me about the mysterious “Graham” whose house Jock was “fixing up”??? Or his girlfriend Susan?

    Graham told the police “I hardly know him” and Susan slipped out of Bulgaria and has vanished. SHE was with him and could give her account of what happened. Seems she really doesn’t want to get involved…

    Anyone care to speculate why???”

    grayham Jan 4th, 2008 at 12:55 am

    this case so far is complete bullshit. i’m in sofia. jock was with me for christmas and he’s 1 of my best friends. i’ve known him for 18 months. in bulgaria first and then in england. it was self defence. there was a gang beating a gypsy. jock chased them off. they then beat him and my girlfriend. unfortunately i wasn’t there to help as i had left an hour or so before. i wasn’t allowed into court even though jock had asked me to be there. even the judge asked where i was and then told the court that i had said i hardly knew jock anyway, which is the complete opposite of my statement. i’ve given the police names of other people who were there and as yet they have not been contacted.

    you would not believe the things the judge has said to jock. she has already made up her mind. as for the one thing that will help, for sure the cctv – which the police have – we have been told so far that it probably won’t be allowed to be shown as evidence.

    jock and me have also had problems with racists in the past. if you look slightly alternative over here it’s enough to get you beaten up. carrying a knife here is quite normal. you’re allowed to carry guns if you want. wouldn’t you carry something if everywhere you went you see swastikas and “punks die” grafittied on the walls?

    from what i’ve heard jock is lucky to still be alive and didn’t really have any choice.

    for all his friends out there i’ve seen him today and yesterday and he’s ok.

    can’t believe this chatswood bullshit. if he’s been found innocent that’s the end of it.

    he needs his friends’ help and support – glad to see there are so many of you out there.

    The latest report from Charles Miranda states that police have managed to lose some of the CCTV footage, while what footage remains — the ‘new evidence’ Miranda refers to in his March 24 article — is eminently suited to the prosecution’s case. grayham’s hopes that the CCTV footage might exonerate Jock would therefore appear to be unfounded.

  18. osmosis_bum_loader says:

    OK lets play this game @ndy…

    1. Who says Graham on your site is genuine? He said NOTHING that proved he was. He said some things that make me doubt his credentials and I am checking them out right now. My guess is it was one of his school chums. You may well have the IP address… Where was it from? My guess is Australia…

    2. Graham avoided all mention of the one crucial witness – his mysterious girlfriend “Susan” who was PRESENT at the time and fucked off back to the UK the next day before the police had a chance to interview her. Anyone smell a rat there or is it just me? She was allegedly attacked, she was a key witness to the alleged Gypsy attack and to Jock’s self defence, and she does a runner??? So come on Graham, let’s hear why Susan ran, and why isn’t she in court as a witness???

    3. Graham’s comment “you are allowed to carry guns if you want” is utter and complete bollox, and indicates he had never set foot in the fucking country. The Bulgarian Government requires individuals to apply for a gun licence and register their weapons with the Ministry of Interior. It is extremely difficult to receive a licence to own a gun. Written statements justifying the need to own a gun must be presented, and the Ministry of Interior, officials say, is very strict about granting civilian gun licences. Bulgaria was the first European country to have ratified the UN Firearms Protocol! In 2003 there were 302,366 registered firearms in Bulgaria, a nation with a population of 7.3 million. This is lower than levels of possession in neighbouring states, and compares with Australia. This is not the wild fucking west despite attempts by Jock’s supporters to portray it as such.

    3. Where is the bloody gypsy??? He gets attacked, some stranger steps in to help him, the stranger then is involved in a major trial and the gypsy vanishes??? Come on chaps, next you will be saying the stab came from a grassy knoll…

    Its fact’s like this that indicate that Jock is going to be found guilty. No amount of fudging and bullshit is going to paper over facts like this.

  19. @ndy says:

    1) For what it’s worth, I checked the ip address, and it traces to Bulgaria.

    2) The woman in question actually returned to Bulgaria.

    “…the woman who was with the 21-year-old Army cadet on the night of the killing returned to the Bulgarian capital and was yesterday being interrogated by police.

    The British woman, known only as Susan, had been drinking with her Aussie friend all night but fled the country the day after he was arrested.

    Authorities confirmed she had come back and was giving a detailed statement although they would not say whether her return was voluntary or forced…”

    ‘Jock Palfreeman’s murder charges may be dropped’, Charles Miranda, in Sofia, Bulgaria, The Daily Telegraph, January 9, 2008

    3) I don’t know or care about Bulgarian gun laws.

    4) I’ve no idea where the man who Jock claims he came to the defence of is.

  20. Bulgarian_in_Sydney says:

    I happen to be in Bulgaria now and heard the trial will be on May 21. Will try to attend and hear first hand what happened. Meanwhile there was an article in “24 Hours” describing for the first time what happened as was heard in court.
    It seems Jock would have murdered 3 or 4 people if they were not lucky enough to avoid his knife. The mysterious Bulgarian with Jock and the girlfriend was revealed as the heavy metal fan Anton Doychev, they have just met in the bar. He denies seeing what really happened and could not explain the attack. Here it is from Andrei’s site [ http://www.andreymonov.com ], I would not bother translating:

    Трима се спасяват на косъм от ножа на Джок

    В-к 24 часа, 24 март 2008 г.

    Не един, а четири трупа е щял да остави след себе си развилнелият се с нож в центъра на столицата австралиец Джок Полфрийман.

    До този извод е стигнала прокуратурата, която само за три месеца приключи разследването на жестокото убийство на студента Андрей Монов и раняването на неговия приятел Антоан Захариев. Преди десетина дни прокуратурата е внесла в съда обвинителен акт срещу чужденеца. Той ще отговаря пред Темида за опит за убийство на повече от 1 човек по хулигански подбуди.

    Полфрийман пристигнал с полет от Лондон на 22 декември миналата година и се настанил при своя приятел Греъм Сондърс в софийското село Маджаре. Греъм купил стара къща и двамата с Джок започнали да я оправят. В деня на инцидента в Маджаре дошла и приятелката на Греъм – Линдзи. Надвечер тримата чужденци изпили по бира в селската кръчма. След това решили да отидат до София.

    Пред съда на делото за мярката му за неотклонение Джок обясни, че видял група младежи да бият паднало на земята момче и се притекъл на помощ. Бил „пийнал малко” – 5-6 бири и една текила. У нас се движел с нощ, защото 3-4 пъти го нападали безпричинно. Какво обаче установило разследването? След като пристигнали от Маджаре в София, Греъм, Линдзи и Джок отишли на кръчма.

    Там те случайно се запознали с метъла Антон Дойчев. Греъм и Джок му се представили като пънкари и антифашисти. Четиримата се заприказвали за политическите и младежките движения у нас. Разговорът се въртял и около конфликтите между крайнодесните и крайнолевите формации. След време решили да сменят заведението. По пътя си те минали и покрай площад „Св. Неделя”, Купили си цигари, а Дойчев си взел и ваучер за предплатени разговори.

    Греъм обаче казал, че е изморен, и се прибрал в хотела си. Така към заведението тръгнали Линдзи, Антон и Джок. Минавайки край ресторант „Хепи”, те забелязват група младежи, които идвали откъм метростанция „Сердика”.

    „Има ли някакъв проблем, тези хора карат ли се с някого”, попитал Джок.

    Антон, който в това време зареждал ваучера в телефона си, му отвърнал, че не вижда никакъв конфликт. Когато вдигнал очи, българинът видял как Джок се втурва към групата, вклинява се в нея и изважда нож, викайки нещо.

    По-късно експертизата ще установи, че оръжието е огромен сгъваем нож тип балисонг, повече известен у нас като „пеперуда”.

    Дръжката след отварянето на 29-сантиметровото оръжие служела като бокс. Самото острие на ножа било със специфична форма и отвори, които нанасяли зловещи поражения. На разпита Джок заявил, че взел ножа от дома на Греъм, но приятелят му по-късно отрекъл това.

    Нито Линдзи, нито Антон успели да видят какво станало, след като австралиецът се врязал в компанията от около 15-ина човека. Дойчев, който е ключов свидетел, сочи, че групата по никакъв начин не е предизвикала гнева на австралиеца.

    Според наблюдаващия прокурор Първолета Никова Джок изкарал оръжието и го насочвал към всеки, който бил най-близо до него, с явното и провокативно намерение да ръга „на месо”.

    Пръв под ударите му пада Андрей Монов. Едно-единствено фатално пробождане в сърцето и белия дроб убива почти веднага студента. Джок обаче продължава да коли наред.Чист късмет спасява приятеля на Монов – Антоан Захариев.

    Уплашен от агресивния нападател, Захариев се подхлъзнал, смъртоносното острие се отклонило и се забило между десетото и единадесетото му ребро.

    „Ударът е бил насочен към жизненоважни органи, ако момчето не беше залитнало, щеше да го сполети съдбата на Андрей”, коментира прокурор Никова. След като намушкал двамата, Джок не спрял, а се обърнал към други двама души от компанията. Един от тях бил Тони Йорданов, който успял да отклони с крак удара. Александър Донев също като по чудо успял да избегне острието.

    Сащисани от свирепата реакция на чужденеца, момчетата започнали да го замерят с камъни в краката, за да се предпазят от атаките му.

    За щастие някой от компанията успял да позвъни на полицията. Намесили се и охраняващи наблизо гардове.

  21. bulgarian antifascist says:

    Hey, i am absolutely against neofascism and nationalism but what Palfreeman did is nothing more than murder! Neither me, neither you know what exactly is the case and if the killed guy is nationalist or not! Why you are so peaceful to “Jock” and so angry against Bulgaria? Yes, bulgarian state is corrupted, yes, there is racism here, but your friend Jock is not normal and he serves to british army, not anyone anarchist organisation. Why you are sure that he is “the right” anarchist and antifascist when nobody from federation of bulgarian anarchist or the other autonomous group “Anarchoresistance” in Sofia knows him? He might be just “the next freak” who entertain himself, doing killings! Think also in that way, not just what antifascist “dogma” says!

  22. FAB says:

    Palfreeman is a murderer. Not solidarity – bullet in the head for him.

  23. @ndy says:

    FAB,

    Uh-huh.

    bulgarian antifascist,

    I think the reason Jock is not known to the Bulgarian Anarchist Federation or Anarcho-Resistance is probably because he has not been in contact with them. Further, he has no particular reason to. Jock does not, in fact, call himself an anarchist. And I have never claimed that he is one. If you read the post above, you will find that I wrote that as a teenager, Jock was a socialist, a member of a local group called Resistance.

    I have also written that:

    I do not know — could not possibly know — exactly what happened when Jock killed Andrey;
    there are conflicting versions of what happened and why;
    the matter is before the courts.

    It is certainly possible that Jock was lying when he claimed that he was trying to help someone being attacked when he stabbed Andrey. It is also possible that Jock is some kind of psychopath. But as yet, these facts have not been established.

  24. @ndy, yes this is what i mentioned too. We have evidences that friends of Andrey are not fascists/and Andrey also/, so Freeman is maybe just a psychopath. That’s all!

  25. Bulgarian_in_Sydney says:

    I was at the proceedings this morning, but could not stay till the end. Only half of the witnesses testified and the next court sitting will be on July 6.
    My impression was the first two of Andrei’s friends testimonies were not completely honest, as they answered too often “I don’t remember” or “I don’t know”.
    It was made clear, though, at the moment of the stabbings both Bulgarians were facing Jock, but trying to retreat. The path of the knife was like an arch and it entered from under the armpit, so the wound was more from the back.
    Anyway, it was almost certain no gypsy was being beaten to death to provoke such extreme reaction by Jock. The cause for his rage was more probably there was some verbal confrontation between Antoan, the wounded Bulgarian, and Jock. They were abusing each other, it was mentioned swearing, although Antoan denied it.
    I was very sorry for Andrei’s mum, she looked completely crushed with grief and wearing all black. As for Andrei’s father Dr Christo Monov, even I shuddered by the look he gave Jock, passing by him for the first time. Obviously it will be too difficult for Dr Simon Palfreeman, who was there as a defense witness to buy his son’s freedom.

  26. @ndy says:

    Thanks for your report and the link Bulgarian_in_S[ofia].

  27. VPetrunov says:

    That’s insane.

    @ndy – you say it is not a “fact” that Jock stabbed two people? How come this is not a fact? So much even Jock confessed.

    Jock admits he killed.

    What are you defending exactly?

    The only thing you should be defending is JUSTICE. Unfortunately from your posts I’ve got the impression you’re less on defending justice and more on defending your biased point of view.

    Btw, David Wolf tried to help you, as an outsider who integrated in this society. He tried to represent the point of view of average Bulgarians. He wanted to explain what problems this society has – with one of the races that live here.

    All I saw from you was desperate defending of your position, citing around reports that are indeed full of misinterpretation. Reports written by people who simply do not understand what is going on… judging from their distant point of view and by their _idealistic_ criteria.

    This post is not really about Jock – it’s about you being ignorant of the world outside your neighborhood.

    Let me give you some fast info…

    Bulgaria is a civilized country. One of the oldest states in Europe – established in the 7th century A.C. Bulgarians became Christians in 9th century [A.C.] – first among the Slavic nations and spread Christian culture abroad. Cyrillic alphabet – widely used today by a great number of people around the world (yes, the strange letters Russians use) was created in Bulgaria. Bulgaria was one of the biggest states on this continent in the past. Bulgaria was 200 years under Byzantine slavery and 500 more years under Ottoman slavery.

    And what is this crap of substituting Bulgarians with Germans and Gypsies with Jews? Have you seen a Gypsy in your short life @ndy? Do you know these people, their way of living? Everything you know about them comes from a biased report and yet you dare to argue about Gypsies with people who live just next to them? This makes you a fool at least in my eyes.

    Do you know that in WWII Bulgaria was (forced to be) an ally of The Third Reich? Do you know that Hitler requested all Bulgarian Jews to be deported to the death camps? Do you know that not a single Jew living in the borders of Bulgaria was deported or harmed?

    Can you even imagine what was it for a small state like Bulgaria to oppose Hitler’s demands during WWII? Can you somehow imagine what effort was requested to save all the Jews who lived here?

    Oh, no, you do not know a lot – but yet you find it to know enough to talk around.

    Do you know what I find absolutely amusing? People like the English or Americans or Australians who had solved their problems with different races by genocide dare to write reports about how other people threat bad their Neanderthal neighbors.

    Do you know that all Gypsies were banished from England, and those who stayed were killed? You know what Hitler did with the Gypsies along with the Jews. What happened with the Aborigines in Australia, as someone pointed above? Where are the Indians of America?

    Do you know that Bulgaria and Romania – two states with large Gypsy populations joined the EU and many Gypsies went to Italy and Spain? Why don’t you read the news about the civilized Italians quickly trying to return Gypsies back to Romania because of the crimes they did in Rome?

    And where should WE return to Gypsies @ndy – back to India? I’m afraid it’s a bit late for that. We can’t even reduce their population (like you did with your unpleasant neighbors), because Bulgarians never did and never will do a genocide over another nation.

    And that’s just the tip of the iceberg – because you are trying to talk and think about stuff you don’t know, you haven’t experienced nor you can even imagine.

    Let aside Gypsies, Germans, Jews, genocide, and extincted nations.

    A young man died for no good reason. Why did he die? Jock stabbed him. And that is a fact. This whole argue should be about how justified the dead of this young man was. Was he a bad person? Was this self-defense? Was this because of a despaired reach to help another man?

    and most of all

    DID JOCK HAD THE RIGHT TO PERFORM THE ACTIONS HE DID?

    When you lay out those questions next to each other you can easily see your thesis is going to fall apart. All the sayings from old friends, on how wonderful person Jock is, somehow tend to fade away in front of his latest deeds. And that is why you are not directly facing the facts, constantly trying to twist it and that is why you’re citing irrelevant reports about how rude Bulgarians are, how uncivilized people here threat each other… and that’s shameful.

    Let me just ask you @ndy – why are you into this? Why do you so much insist that he is innocent? Were you there? From what I’ve read above I know that you don’t even know this guy. You’re protecting him of pure nationalism… that’s the truth. Despite this, it’s still Bulgarians who are chauvinist according to all reports. (What can you expect from slack bastard anarcho base dot com…)

    Think about that – what right do you have to defend him?

    Will you be so confident to talk about “is yet to be established” and “this is not quite a fact” in front of the dead boy’s grieving mother?

    It’s easy to send text messages over the Net @ndy… but you’re wrong.

    Even if Jock is completely innocent – you would still be wrong to defend him the way you do – like a near-sighted fellow or like a lawyer whose payments depend on the count of won cases.

    Think about why one man should not kill another. Think about justice and about right and wrong.

    You should start from there buddy and after that get to human rights and everything else.

    Because – hey – it’s yet to see – but at the end it might end up you were passionately defending a criminal even according to the court.

    Then you’ll say the court is biased, that he is still innocent, that you know better because he was a nice guy back in school etc.

    But all this is irrelevant to the people living here, suffering from “heroes” with knives.

  28. Lumpen says:

    TLDR.

  29. @ndy says:

    VPetrunov.

    1) “@ndy – you say it is not a “fact” that Jock stabbed two people?” I do? Where? It’s a very long thread: can you be more specific?

    2) On Bulgarian history: I’m not absolutely sure what relevance compressing 1,500 years of history into a paragraph has to Jock’s case.

    3) “And what is this crap of substituting Bulgarians with Germans and Gypsies with Jews?” I believe that I was making an analogy. That is, some of the attitudes being expressed by some of those commenting resemble the attitudes Nazis expressed towards Jews (that is, filthy, criminal and worthy of eradication). But again, a specific quote would be useful.

    More later.

  30. Petrunov says:

    David Wolf: “Fact: Jock killed him by stabbing him in the back.”
    @ndy: “Possibly. I’m not aware of any evidence to that effect however. How do you know?”

    This seems like denying that Jock killed the victim?

    Perhaps I understood wrong.

    And about compressing Bulgarian history in a paragraph – I see that most of your sayings are based on insulting the Bulgarian state, Bulgarian police, Bulgarian court and Bulgarian people, so I felt obligated to show you a different side of my state.

    Sentences like “…Bulgarian police have been known to bash and to kill street children, many of whom are Romani.” are absolutely idiotic and NOT TRUE.

    I’ve gone through most of the comments and the overall impression is that you’re trying to say that Bulgaria is some kind of barbaric place, where Jock is going to be threated unfair by the barbarian Bulgarians.

    That is why I told you this is a shameful way to protect him. Perhaps if you go back and read all your comments you will understand what I am talking about – you’re criticizing my country on all possible fronts with false accusations of racism for example.

    About your analogy – it is a bad analogy. The fact that you just ignored all the information you got about Gypsies from David Wolf illustrates how you’re only defending your thesis, without taking into consideration the real life relations between Bulgarians and Gypsies. Moreover, what Hitler’s regime had done to the Jews is something with no analogue no where else in the world or in human history.

    Making such analogies is foolish and thoughtless.

    That’s my point.

  31. @ndy says:

    Petrunov, very briefly.

    David Wolf: “Fact: Jock killed him by stabbing him in the back.”
    @ndy: “Possibly. I’m not aware of any evidence to that effect however. How do you know?”

    This seems like denying that Jock killed the victim?

    Perhaps I understood wrong.

    Yes, I’m afraid that you have. What I’m questioning here — not denying — is that Jock stabbed Andrei in the back. I questioned David’s statement as it was the first time I’d read it, and there was no other source for the information publicly available.

  32. Bulgarian_in_Sydney says:

    Hey, I have been in court and everything was going the way I told you at first place – a drunken brawl, where even not all participants saw or understood what was going on.
    First, Jock was drinking heavily at the bar. Andrei and his friends were coming from a pub as well, Antoan admitted drinking 300g of vodka.
    The stabbing was obviously after some verbal exchange between the parties, and what started it seems irrelevant. The point is the Bulgarians did not have any weapon, while I saw Jock’s knife – the judge was showing it to the public several times – it was bigger and deadlier looking than I have imagined. It was clearly designed to kill and when Jock decided to carry it he was not drunk and should realise the consequences of using it. Isn’t there a big discussion in UK at the moment against carrying knives – asking for 4 years jail just for finding it with you, not pulling it out.
    First Jock was just holding the open knife and the Bulgarians thought he was not serious about using it. Antoan reacted too late, when he saw Jock coming his way. He was retreating facing the attacker and eventually stumbled on a flower pot. This may have saved his life, as he was stabbed while falling, he even did not realised at first he was wounded at the side of the chest.
    After there was panic, some of the Bulgarians started to throw stones and other debris they could find on the street. Jock was trying to attack again whoever was closest to him. Andrei had the bad luck to be on the path of the knife – witnesses confirmed he was facing Jock, but since he was making a STABBING, not a SLASHING movement as it should be in self defence, as he claims, the knife entered Andrei’s chest from the side and a little at the back, entering the heart.
    Yes, somebody died for no good reason, others got traumatised for life and somebody I hope will be in jail for a very long time. You can blame alcohol, but some say it does not make you different, only shows your real side, since all your social inhibitions disappear. What I saw in court makes me think Jock feels superior and untouchable towards Bulgarians not only when he is drunk, though.

  33. ash says:

    For Petrunov:

    Andy, correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t think any of [your] statements were attacking Bulgaria or its people. Most Bulgarians I have met have been extremely respectful and honest. It is more the Bulgarian prison and legal system that I am concerned about. This is based on both news articles and reports from Jock.

    http://www.sofiaecho.com/article/sofia-central-prison-head-dismissed/id_14370/catid_5
    http://www.sofiaecho.com/article/prisons-in-bulgaria-fail-to-meet-human-rights-requirements/id_14371/catid_5

    While it may not be true that police “bash and to kill street children, many of whom are Romani”, it is undeniable that there is international concern with Bulgaria’s racism.

    From Amnesty International (2005):

    Bulgaria:

    An increased number of racist assaults on Roma in Sofia in the period under review was reported.
    – On 30 April, Georgi Angelov was reportedly brutally beaten by two men who cut off his ear with a razor blade. This and similar incidents were reportedly not effectively investigated. Local human rights organizations have called for better policing in Romani neighbourhoods and known meeting-places of skinheads.
    – On 16 January Assen Zarev from the Fakulteta neighbourhood in the capital was reportedly beaten by police officers near his house who threatened to shoot him if he did not give information about the whereabouts of some men suspected of cutting down a tree in the near-by woods. Assen Zarev later obtained a forensic medical certificate, describing injuries consistent with the allegations of ill-treatment.
    – A second incident in this neighbourhood of Sofia took place on 20 January, when 16 officers carried out a search of some houses and reportedly indiscriminately arrested and verbally abused 17 men. In the course of their action the police reportedly forced their way into three houses which were unoccupied at the time and broke windows and damaged the furniture and household appliances.
    – The Sofia Regional Prosecutor has reportedly initiated an investigation into the ill-treatment complaint of Assen Zarev and the police action of 20 January.

    The main message here being that claims of violence and attacks against Roma (be it by police or civilians) are inadequately investigated. Police have made no attempt to track down the Roma allegedly being attacked by the men that night. Why? Surely in a murder case police should at least attempt to reach ALL witnesses involved, especially when Jock’s actions were (allegedly) taken in order to save this particular witness’s life?

    From an Amnesty International Press release (2005):

    Amnesty International invites the EU to urge the Bulgarian and Romanian governments to prevent racism and discrimination against the Roma populations by effectively ensuring that discriminatory and racist actions do not go unpunished… Amnesty International calls on the European Union to keep up pressure on the two accession countries on some crucial outstanding human rights concerns.

    Anyway, I hope this shows that we are not making wild and unbased accusations, or attacking Bulgaria as a whole.

    Fact: Bulgaria has a racism problem, as does every country.
    Fact: this racism is affecting my friend’s trial. It shouldn’t.

    Your legal system in Bulgaria is clearly very different to ours, and all we want is a fair and just sentencing.

  34. Lumpen says:

    That’s a heck of a lot of speculation, but thanks for taking the trouble to give us first-hand info.

    Out of curiosity, what kind of knife was it? Is it like a pocket knife (when you say an “open” knife, that’s all I can think of)? The only knife I can think of that’s designed to kill – and readily concealable – would be something like a Bowie knife, or a big butterfly knife. To stab someone in the heart through the back, it’d have to be pretty fucking massive and purpose-built.

    Has the defense put its case yet? What kind of questions have they been asking the witnesses? Are they still sticking to the self-defense / defending someone line?

    I take it you’re describing the story told by witnesses. Some things don’t seem to add up though. If Jock was rushing to someone’s defense while wielding a large knife, it seems unlikely that the attackers would then gather around him long enough to allow him to stab someone, have things thrown at him (presumably large and hard enough to try and disable Jock) and then stab someone else. On the face of it, it sounds more likely that there was some kind of physical confrontation with multiple people preceding Jock pulling out a knife.

    Then, the victims and other witnesses statements also don’t quite add up to me – at least, going from what you’ve reported. It seems counter-productive for them to embellish their own story when even if they were the aggressors, such an extreme reaction would make the killer no less culpable.

    Same goes for Jock; it’s conceivable that if a group of drunken men threatened to attack him, and they undisputedly did attack him at some point, that he could have a good case for defense on this alone, knife or not. Why lie about gypsies and Nazis when the scenario of life-threatening attack is much more defensible (and plausible)?

    If true, I think this would be enough to put Jock’s original alibi to a lie – the alibi, if you remember, was what got us talking about this on the blog in the first place; not some weirdo nationalism that causes us to automatically defend Australians who stab Bulgarians.

    As for the role of alcohol, you only described the amount of alcohol Antoan drank. So Jock was drunk? And what did you see in court that made you think Jock feels superior and untouchable? Did he give evidence or just sit there allowing his lawyer to defend him? Given your previous statements of his certain guilt (before seeing any evidence, before going to court), you might understand why I’d dismiss any of these observations.

    I guess we’ll have to wait until we hear more from the defense. I’m not convinced that their case has actually moved on from their original alibi. This might be a matter of time if it hasn’t already happened.

  35. Petrunov says:

    Hello Ash,

    first of all, I think I’ve made it clear that I do not respect Amnesty International reports… anyway, since you continue to provide them I will comment your last post.

    Those are nothing more than three cases of someone’s criminal behavior. Even in the quote you gave us, there is nothing mentioned about racism. Even if the participant were of different races, those incidents are still not obligatory caused by racism.

    “Georgi Angelov was reportedly brutally beaten by two men who cut off his ear with a razor blade”
    – Practice of the criminal contingent holding the drugs in Sofia – ears of local dealers who didn’t follow the rules are sometimes cut off.

    “Local human rights organizations have called for better policing in Romani neighbourhoods and known meeting-places of skinheads.”
    – This is absolutely not true, because of at least two reasons:
    first: Gypsy neighbourhoods are gypsy territory… if skinheads go there they will end up dead. In fact there are many cases when two gypsy clans are having a fight, and the police tries to go there and stop the violence but what happens is the policeman got beaten and their patrol car crashed – they sometimes save themselves from beating with warning shots in the air (never shooting gypsies because Amnesty will blow up… for example).
    second: Skinhead fans are not so much in Bulgaria, or at least in Sofia – you can rarely see a real skinhead in this town.

    “Police have made no attempt to track down the Roma allegedly being attacked by the men that night. Why?”
    – I told you – you need to know gypsies in order to speak about them. First of all, a gypsy girl usually is married between the age 10 and 14. They immediately start to have children – sometimes even 12 year old girls have kids on their own. A normal gypsy family is huge – in fact by all reports every fourth Bulgarian will be a gypsy in the next 25 years if they continue that way. More important, gypsies DENY to integrate into society and to follow it’s rules. Most of them do not register their newborns to the state. Later they do not send them to school and etc. Many gypsies do not even have IDs – they do not exist in the bureaucratic sense. The problem is very big, and most of the problem is that whenever gypsies commit crimes (and they do that A LOT) the police can almost never take effective actions against them (as I described you how gypsies react to police as well).

    “Amnesty International invites the EU to urge the Bulgarian and Romanian governments to prevent racism and..”
    – Please read my previous post to @ndy about gypsies in Italy – this is the most hypocritical bullshit I’ve seen. Many European nations have banned gypsies in the past from their states, and now they talk to us how to treat them. The truth is that after we joined the EU our gypsies are able to go to whichever country they want – they went to Italia for example, and now Italians want to turn them back to Romania because it appears “Romani people” are terrorizing the city of Rome. (Btw – Romania is the state of Romanians – they have nothing to do with Romani (Gypsies) and Rome has nothing to do with Romania or Romani as well, as it is in Italy.)

    About Gypsies: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070624142221AAOx0UD

    Headline: “Italy Considers Special Body to Deal with Gypsies : NPR”

    “Q6.7 Should I be afraid of Gypsies in Italy?

    Last modified: December 14 1994
    No, just avoid rubbing your butt against ANY stranger when your wallet is sticking out from your rear pocket.”

    “Italy: Eight out of 10 Italians want Roma Gypsy camps dismantled”

    “Between 60 and 80 per cent of Hungary’s working- age Roma are estimated to be unemployed.”

    “In some French cities, between 70 and 80 per cent of the Gypsy population are on welfare payments paid out to the most destitute.”

    “Police in riot gear waited at the entrance of the Testaccio camp on Friday and later escorted families in a convoy of caravans to Tor Vergata, on the eastern outskirts of Rome.”

    And so on – as you can see – wherever they go, the local people cannot live with them – other nations are criticizing us as long as they don’t have the gypsies making their camp in their backyard.

    You really have no idea what gypsies are like.

    “A glaring gap separates Europe’s peoples from the continent’s largest minority. Why, despite repeated attempts to assimilate or exclude the Gypsies over the past 600 years, have they remained cut off from other peoples and for the most part, pushed to the fringes of society?”

    WHY INDEED?.. Perhaps Amnesty International has the answers..

    Bulgaria DOES NOT have a problem with racism – of course separate people can be racists – as such people are found everywhere – but the STATE treats all people equally. Most of the Bulgarians are not racists as well. In that sense it is not true that racism is affecting your friend’s trial.

    If you want to believe that is the case, that’s your right, but I say it is not.

  36. ash says:

    Hi Petrunov. I didn’t realise you were against AI, and I haven’t quoted them before. Can I ask which sources you might respect?

    Human Rights Watch?

    Roma face official and private discrimination and abuse. Police misconduct and inadequate prison conditions marred the criminal justice system…
    Police and prosecutors generally failed to conduct serious investigations into the attacks. Four Roma were killed in the month of June, there had been no detentions in connection with the four deaths…
    A study released by the Open Society Institute in September confirmed the broad scale of discrimination against Roma in the provision of housing, social services and health care…
    Conditions in prison and police detention remained alarming… severe overcrowding, inadequate food and sanitation in prisons as well as excessive periods of pre-trial detention and beatings and other ill-treatment in police custody.

    CIA World Factbook?

    “…corruption in the public administration, a weak judiciary, and the presence of organized crime remain significant challenges.”

    I don’t understand the Roma people, or the problems they may cause, but every source I’ve seen has questioned the Bulgarian police and judicial system. Whether or not they are difficult citizens, they are not getting the same judicial rights as a Bulgarian citizen. I’m not defending or accusing anybody, but I am concerned that Jock will not get the fair and transparent trial he is entitled to.

    Lumpen:

    Can I ask what you mean with the speculation?
    I don’t know what kind of knife was involved, that will come up in court. The defence story has remained exactly the same from Jock’s initial interrogation, the prosecutors’, unfortunately, has not. What Jock has told me is that the knife was used as a warning only once he had tried to help the Roma and was attacked. Again, the details will come out in the trial.
    And what do you mean by Jock’s original alibi?

  37. Lumpen says:

    Hey Ash:

    I was addressing Bulgarian_in_Sydney and it looks like I posted around the same time as others.

    B-to-the-I-to-the-S reckons he’s seen the knife and that it was “clearly designed to kill”. That’s a pretty big claim and I wanted to test if it was true or not. If it was a kitana or something, any doubt would be fairly quickly dispelled, for example.

    By his “original alibi” I mean the one that you described; that he was defending someone. Since then, various alibis and motives have been ascribed to him by (cough) vested interests who seem intent on proving that it was a crime 1500 years in the making. I didn’t mean to suggest that he’s deviated from this, but it’s always a possibility.

    Just to repeat what I said in the early post:

    I guess we’ll have to wait until we hear more from the defense. I’m not convinced that their case has actually moved on from their original alibi. This might be a matter of time if it hasn’t already happened.

    My speculation was a sounding out of the statements made by B_I_S. There’s clearly a large gap in the narrative and, taking account of his previous posts, I was makng a line of inquiry to test his claims. Basically it seems like he is putting a very skewed account of the case put by the prosecution but, in the absence of other information, I couldn’t say for sure. As he’s (claiming) to witness the proceedings first hand, the point behind my speculation was to test his reliability as a witness. It’d be a good thing to have a first-hand account of the court proceedings – his own flourishes notwithstanding (you can be a nationalist without being a liar). How much stock gets put in his contributions, of course, is determined by testing his claims. If BIS were lying about proceedings just to score points on a blog, that would put any future contributions under the name ‘Bulgarian_in_Sydney’ into doubt.

    Of course, the main reason I’m interested at all is because of the possible consequences for antifascists in Bulgaria and elsewhere, regardless of the trial’s outcome. I’d also be interested in finding out why, if Jock was lying, he would choose that story in particular. And finally the possibility of a great injustice being done to Jock also warrants giving the proceedings some scrutiny, even if it’s over the Net. However, given that someone is dead by Jock’s hand, I don’t think it’s unreasonable to show some skepticism about his story, especially given the apparent lack of evidence.

  38. ash says:

    Lumpen:

    Oh right, sorry for the confusion. I thought your questions were aimed at me.

    From what I’ve been told, day one of the hearing had several witnesses, all of whom were friends of the victim. The next hearing date will be on the 9th July, and the witnesses presenting then are the ones that have confirmed Jock’s story so far. Whether or not that will change on the day, who knows. Truth seems to be somewhat subjective with these guys.
    Jock carried a knife with him because he had been attacked several times in the past whilst in Sofia. From what I’ve heard, if he hadn’t used the knife that night he wouldn’t be alive.
    As a friend, I believe every word he says. He has no reason to lie to me, and I’ve known him long enough to understand that this is not something he would do unless absolutely necessary (ie life or death). Regardless, I can also see how this may look to an outsider given the media surrounding it. I’d say maybe 50% of what i’ve read has been based in truth, the rest of it very, very questionable. That’s tabloid media for you I guess.

  39. Bulgarian_in_Sydney says:

    I have definitely been in court, but heard only witnesses being Andrei’s friends. In my previous posting I honestly said their testimonies were somewhat doubtful as they claimed Jock attacked them without any provocation. In their previous statements, which they either “did not remember” or denied they claimed there was some verbal confrontation between the parties. In this process they came to face each other. What started it was also unclear, Antoan said he first saw Jock when he started shouting behind him “No racism”. There seemed to be some previous confrontation between Andrei’s party and 2 other people, but how Jock got it they were Gypsies is beyond me. Westerners obviously can not tell a Gypsy from a Bulgarian, even in broad daylight, hence all the reports in Western press about “Bulgarians pickpockets, Bulgarians selling their children, Bulgarians built a shantytown, etc.”
    They claimed Jock was not attacked by them physically by throwing pieces of pavement until he already stabbed Antoan. After that he really could be hurt badly by the missiles, but luckily for him they missed. Jock even had a question “Why they missed him”, I could not understand what was he pointing at, while Antoan said, they only wanted to scare him away, realising they could kill him if hit.
    As for the knife it was a large silver butterfly knife, with knuckleduster as a handle. The judge opened it and showed it to Antoan, who said he is not sure this was the same knife, only remembered it was big and silver.
    Now Jock supporters had the chance to see Andrei’s friends in court, it should be clear to them they were not a bunch of neo Nazis, but ordinary young men. Their company was maybe 15 people, including several girls. They have split into several groups while walking to the night club, and not all saw the initial confrontation. One of the witnesses Martin said he only heard somebody shouting “something’s happening” and when came back he saw Andrei was lying on the ground face down. He confirmed the Bulgarians were not stabbed at the back, but while facing Jock – Antoan after the swearing exchange and Andrei during the following melee.
    It was claimed Jock should not fear for his safety before he already attacked them with the knife, before everybody was thinking he was just showing off. You must not be well in the head attacking somebody holding a deadly knife with bare hands, even if several against one.
    Why I thought Jock felt superior – not only by his cocky demeanor, everybody facing a murder charge should feel a little scared, if not remorseful. Most of the time he was CHEWING GUM WITH OPEN MOUTH. Maybe this is acceptable in Australian court, but in Bulgarian this is a demonstrative disrespect to the judges and everybody else.

  40. VPetrunov says:

    “But prosecutors yesterday revealed CCTV footage showed there was no fight prior to the attack by Palfreeman and no case for self defence.”

    “”All evidence points to the defendant intending to murder more than one person in public with _harsh disrespect for society_,” prosecutor Parvoleta Nikova said yesterday.”

  41. @ndy says:

    “Yesterday” is late March (Charles Miranda, New evidence in Australian’s murder case, The Daily Telegraph, March 24, 2008). Police have also indicated that portions of the relevant footage have disappeared.

    ash wrote (June 18, 2008):

    “Andy, correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t think any of [your] statements were attacking Bulgaria or its people.”

    You’re correct. Unfortunately, nationalist sentiment frequently obscures any criticism of particular institutions or events and re-casts them as slanderous attacks upon entire nations. (Orwell made some interesting remarks about this phenomenon in his essay ‘Notes on Nationalism’ (1945).)

  42. VPetrunov says:

    Ash:

    “…corruption in the public administration, a weak judiciary, and the presence of organized crime remain significant challenges.”

    Can you please show me a state on Earth, where crime is 0 and there is no corruption?

    Maybe there is no corruption in Australia?
    And no crimes?

    At least the CIA Factbook does not mention the word corruption on the report for Australia (I’ve checked).

    It appears there is corruption and crimes in Bulgaria, but those are not found in Australia – if we are to read CIA Factbook…

    And if we are to look upon HREOC:

    “The Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody (RCIADIC) reported in 1991. At that time, Aboriginal people made up 14% of the total prison population and were up to 15 times more likely to be in prison than non-Aboriginal people.”

    It appears there is A BIG PROBLEM WITH RACISM IN AUSTRALIAN SOCIETY, because you are imprisoning more Aborigines more than other races – simple as that.

    Moreover:

    “A study in New South Wales in 2001 reported that Indigenous people are 5.5 times more likely (6.2 times for Indigenous females) than non-Indigenous people to be a victim of a domestic violence related assault; 3.4 times (rising to 5.2 times for Indigenous females) more likely to be the victim of assault; 2.8 times (2.9 for Indigenous females) more likely to be the victim of a sexual assault; 2.5 times (1.9 for Indigenous females) more likely to be the victim of murder; 1.4 times (same for Indigenous females) more likely to be the victim of a sexual assault against a child aged 0-15 years.”

  43. ash says:

    Petrunov

    Thanks for the statistics, I’m pretty sure they are completely irrelevant.

    I am well aware that Australia has a problem with racism, as does Bulgaria. Although as far as I’m aware, Aborigines don’t have a great deal to do with Jock’s case.

    I’m not going to discuss this with you any further, it is pointless. Until you understand that I am not attacking Bulgaria we will continue to go in circles.

    I’m not sure I can put it any plainer for you.

    Andy

    From what I understand, there were two videos of the incident.
    One was the CCTV security footage, which the prosecutors have admitted showed a confrontation between the group and another man/men. It showed Jock intervening, and it showed the men attacking Jock. This video has been intentionally deleted as the police did not request it as evidence in time.
    The second video is from a traffic camera further down the street. This is still intact, but is of poor quality. The court is still deciding whether it will be used as evidence, as you can’t make out the faces.

  44. Bulgarian_in_Sydney says:

    The video may have shown a confrontation between the Bulgarian group and sombody else, but not beating somebody to death. Jock had no reason to intervene with a knife in this case. Maybe he was fed too much “antifascist” propaganda and misinterpreted the situation.
    Yes, Andrei’s friends admitted in court physically attacking Jock, but only after he already stabbed one of them. Which again is not a self defense excuse, just the opposite, they were protecting themselves from further stabbings.

  45. Lumpen says:

    Maybe he was fed too much “antifascist” propaganda and misinterpreted the situation.

    and

    …Which again is not a self defense excuse, just the opposite, they were protecting themselves from further stabbings.

    Bulgarian_in_Sydney: Maybe. Or maybe you’re drawing very long bows. There is no evidence that Jock was ever involved in organised antifascist activities or had read any “antifascist propaganda.”

    PROTIP: there is not a lot of antifascist propaganda available in Australia outside of some very tight circles – aside from a general loathing of Nazis in popular culture. There has been no participation from the DSP, and its youth wing which Jock was apparently a member of some time ago, in antifascist activities for a very, very long time (the Sydney Rd demo in the late 1990s might have been the last time).

    I think you are confusing reading about the case on this blog and a (fictional) relationship between Andy and Jock. Jock’s excuse is all the more interesting because of these facts. Thus your statements are, in the scheme of things, fucking moronic.

    VPetrunov: As for racism in Australia versus racism in Bulgaria, I do not think anyone is arguing that one negates another. If it makes you feel any better, I think there’s more institutionalised racism in Australia than there is in Bulgaria. I do not think that makes Jock’s story more or less likely.

  46. @ndy says:

    Oh yeah.

    I’ve been lead to believe that there’s a number of independent witnesses able to reinforce Jock’s version of events, so even if video footage is missing, it appears that the prosecution case is liable to challenge on the basis of oral testimony.

  47. Petrunov says:

    Ash and Lumpen – It is Ash who cites reports of various organizations, trying to prove a point that way – not me – I am just responding accordingly. Moreover, there was some obvious errors in those reports, for which I just said are untrue.

    You are right – this is almost irrelevant to Jock’s case – but I saw some people here trying to prove that to save a gypsy (or anyone else) from beating is worth killing the aggressor… I won’t comment on that, as it is beyond my understandings how a murder can be justified.

    Anyway, I do not believe there was a gypsy involved in the first place. I do not believe that Andrei was a nazi, or a skinhead – I’ve posted some pictures on which you can clearly see he is not that type of man, but @ndy didn’t published it.

    Ash: “It showed Jock intervening, and it showed the men attacking Jock. This video has been intentionally deleted as the police did not request it as evidence in time.”

    I can’t imagine how do you know what was the video showing, are you some kind of a wizard, or you read it in CIA Factbook?

    Lumpen: You’re also “drawing very long bows” by saying stuff like: “it sounds more likely that there was some kind of physical confrontation with multiple people preceding Jock pulling out a knife.”

    Anyway, I see that you are trying to keep your comments objective in overall for which I respect whatever you have to say, which on the other hand cannot be said for ash, who cites reports of Amnesty International …and then accuses ME of irrelevant citing reports.

  48. @ndy says:

    “I’ve posted some pictures on which you can clearly see he is not that type of man, but @ndy didn’t published it.”

    I’ve no idea what happened to your pictures.

  49. friend says:

    hey, ash, FUCK YOU and your fuckin friend too!!!
    i saw him in court, and he was so impudent and he was asking stupid questions like “why i didn’t kill you”, “why you didn’t run away” and shit like that!!!
    he said he is not guilty?!?
    WTF?
    Andrey is dead, and Jock killed him!
    how dare Jock to said he is not guilty?!?!?!?!?!?!
    and he said he is not guilty when Andrey’s mother and father were there! fuckin psycho!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    he is crazy! the judge asked him for his address and he said: “i don’t know”!!! then said the army address in GB, and then his father said his Australian address…fuckin scum!

    and 1 more thing…ASH, don’t be so competent, when you wasn’t there, you wasn’t that night, you wasn’t at Andrey’s funeral…

    We miss you, Andi!!!
    Rest In Peace!

  50. ash says:

    petrunov: yes, I am a wizard.

    friend: jock has not plead ‘not guilty’ to killing andrey. he has plead ‘not guilty’ to murder. there is a difference.
    how does not having an address make him scum? his last fixed address was with the army in GB, who he no longer works for. use some common sense before you throw insults around.

    from what i understand, the main argument now is whether andrey was killed before or after these men attacked jock.
    jock maintains that he acted in self defence, and has said just that since day one. as far as i’ve seen, there has been no evidence to prove otherwise.
    at the next court date, more witnesses will testify. these witnesses have supported jock’s version of what happened, and are the first that have not been friends of andrey.

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