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.
in response to the comment by ‘???’ – jock a loner in high school? hardly. he was popular at mosman, kings and riverview, and rowed for both kings and view. he also went well academically when he could be bothered. it’s unfortunate you appear to feel that jock being passionate about his beliefs and having a strong social conscience made him a “fucking weirdo” in high school.
To ??? who claims he went to school with Jock and that he was a “loner” – I’m assuming you’re a Kings boy because he definitely wasn’t a loner at View. You’re making judgement calls about a guy you didn’t even give a chance to get to know so could you please get back in your box. Cheers.
J Kimble, i think people like you are just trouble makers who have no right to comment on someone they don’t even know. If you had any idea who Jock was you would know that IT’S NOT HIM IN THE YOUTUBE CLIP!
How about all you media loving idiots out there get your facts straight before you start making assumptions.
Haha anon i’m sure everybody appreciates your enthusiasm to support jock but it is actually jock and sam in that video – laughing lenin is his alias.
Hey, I am bulgarian and I am proud to be. We have beautiful country and rich history… About the corruption and mafia is everywhere in the world and when our brothers from West Europe “picked bananas from the trees” we had already our alphabet which russians and other slavonics use.
We don’t have our Henry the VIII and Lord Hooligan, but we have our kings to be proud.
About the gypsies… They came from Egypt or India in past and should be everywhere in the world but in Eastern Europe they are more. Can you guess why? I think we are more tolerant than you guys because they still alive and live in our country. But we fed up and we are not so stupid to feed them and pamper them always. During communism they were very privileged and the communist party gave them free education and free health. Even though they still not integrated in our society. They are hopeless!!! I hope very soon you will adopt them and take care of them, pleeease. We know that you are very good people, you take care about all your ex-colonies’ slaves who really like you and we can see how they find way to say “thank you”…
About this ugly case with the murder of Andrei Monov I don’t want to comment, only God can judge. I just want to say: “Andrei rest in peace”.
I want to ask this guy Jock Palfreeman… if it was so dangerous to live in Bulgaria what he was doing there?
He can find safety places on the earth like Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Philippines etc. Why he came to celebrate New Year’s Eve in Bulgaria? Maybe our gypsy girls are more beautiful and more cheaper than the girls there? He obviously likes gypsies that’s why he supports them. Why his friend has house in Bulgaria if he doesn’t like the country and he should go with knife or gun out?
May I say: “This is Spartaaaaaaa”… This is Bulgariaaaaaaa. Please don’t teach us how to live. Take all gypsies and go home.
Last but not least… Sorry for my bad english I know it from the movies. I hope you understand what I mean. I want to speak in bulgarian right now. I can not express what I feel in other language but I tried to make your life easy 🙂
I know that but it’s not Jock hitting the snow man. Which is what everyone would be assuming.
I’m kinda confused from what i’ve read so far. Some say Jock was a bully, others say he was a loner, and there’s those who said that he was a a fine chap. I really don’t know what to make out of all this. I think he does not look like the average stereotypical bully that jumps on people with a knife in his hand but probably he can get heated if provoked. Still I do not know him so my judgment is solely based on news articles (both Bulgarian and Australian) and comments like those on this blog. Nevertheless even if we assume that he’s completely innocent that doesn’t solve the problem with the bulgarian dead boy. I mean who jumps like that and kills a stranger? He could simply avoid it all by walking away (with a hairstyle like his he could easily be mistaken for a hool). It’s not like Bulgarians attack every foreigner they lay their eyes on. Although football hooliganism is a major problem in Bulgaria much like it was for the Brits in the 80s, it’s very rare for someone to get beaten on the street by hooligans. It’s kinda odd that he decided to defend the presumable victim and started a fight against the odds 1:10. It’s not something that you’ll do when you’re in a foreign country, right? Probably seeing some poor gypsy beaten up got the best of him. I just can’t imagine something else. Even if Jock didn’t intended to stab the young boy, the harm’s already done. It seem to me that this bloke Palfreeman just happened to be in the wrong place in the wrong time. And what is worse he is in a country famed for it’s corrupted judicial system which means that this guy can spend awfully lots of time there with no chance of parole unless you Aussies come up with some pretty good idea that could help your boy get out of Bulgaria.
Last month in Toowoomba QLD 25 to 30 Aboriginals attacked 6 white males in the main street at about 1300hrs. 3 were taken to Toowoomba base hospital one later transferred to Brisbane for facial surgery. During the attack the men were racially abused and one was called a White C**t while the aboriginals stomped on his head while unconscious.
2 to 3 bystanders tried to help get these young blokes out but were overpowered so they ran and called the Police. The Police arrived just before the ambulance but the offenders had taken flight leaving the victims in the street.
So if the bystanders had intervened while the aboriginals were stomping on this man’s head and accidentally killed one of them would you guys be saying what a top bloke he is? No way. As it is the media did not report this and no one at this stage has been arrested. On the other hand if one of the attackers had been killed or injured by a white bystander you guys would be screaming for his blood along with the media.
@ndy no point looking around the world for examples of violence to further your anti-Australian cause. Plenty of it is going on every Friday and Saturday night in this country. The only problem is that it’s your mates doing all the damage.
Eva,
1) I thought you were dead?
2) Congratulations on having an alphabet, but I think credit is due Saint Cyril (827-869 AD) and Saint Methodius (826-885 AD) rather than yourself. They, in turn, would probably thank God for the success of their efforts. I also think that the saintly duo would likely thank God for the natural beauty which exists in Bulgaria (and elsewhere), rather than attribute such good fortune to the moral character of its peoples.
Unfortunately, however — and as elsewhere, including of course Australia — there are massive environmental problems in Bulgaria: “In 1991 Bulgarian environmentalists estimated that 60 percent of the country’s agricultural land was damaged by excessive use of pesticides and fertilizers and by industrial fallout. In 1991 two-thirds of Bulgarian rivers were polluted, and the Yantra River was classified as the dirtiest river in Europe. By that time, about two-thirds of the primary forests had been cut.” On the bright side, and more recently, there have been campaigns initiated in order to stop this destruction — to preserve the nature reserve in Stranja, to oppose the cyanide gold mine in Popinci and “Da Spasim Irakli”. Naturally, your love of the natural beauty of Bulgaria has you in the front line of these struggles to preserve it… right?
3) Bananas are yummy. In fact, I highly recommend combining them in a sandwich with carrot and tahini. As an aside, they’ve never been cultivated in Western Europe, although they are native to my part of the world (South-East Asia). For more recipes see Fabo’s Bananaland!.
4) Henry the VIII and Lord Hooligan? Captain Swing, Ned Ludd and Robin Hood!
5) About the Romani… Hmmm, I kinda get the feeling that you don’t like ’em. I mean, on the one hand, you think that they should be grateful to you to be alive, and read the fact that they are as evidence of your ‘tolerance’, while on the other hand, you wish that they would all go away, thus alleviating you of the need to kill them.
You sound like a really nice person.
Anyway, for those curious, here’s a timeline and here’s a good source on contemporary anti-Romani racism.
6) Regarding Jock, apparently, he was visiting friends. It’s something we humans like to do from time to time. We sometimes even cross borders to do so.
And yeah, I got a pretty good idea of where you’re coming from.
Jockenspiel, I’m glad you found that video, it happened to come from my camera and I can safely tell you that Jock is actually filming it and it’s one of my other friends on the tape. What I love is that you considered that person violent because he attacked a snowman… imagine if that went to court…
Against the Odds:
The circumstances surrounding the case are unknown at this stage, and will likely only be fully revealed come the trial. As it stands, the best-case scenario for Jock is that he acted in self-defence. In other words, he did not set out to kill someone on the night of the murder, but in genuine fear for his own life and/or that of another he struck out with a knife and happened to kill someone. At worst, Jock is a sociopath of some kind, and killed because he could. His friends dispute this as a real possibility, and other factors suggest it’s unlikely. Beyond this, it’s difficult to know what Jock was thinking. According to his friends, he’s the kind of person who champions the underdog, in which case, intervening in this fashion is reasonably explicable. Further, it hasn’t been established exactly what happened, and so it’s quite possible he didn’t immediately intervene by stabbing someone, but by shouting at the alleged assailants to stop. More generally — and again, nobody knows the exact circumstances — police in Sofia are not known for their concern for Romani. In fact, Bulgarian police have been known to bash and to kill street children, many of whom are Romani. In which case, perhaps Jock decided that, under the circumstances, calling the police was not the best course of action? Who knows? I don’t. As I’ve said before, the most important thing is that Jock receive a fair trial. Finally, Bulgaria may have a corrupt legal system, but it has recently entered the EU, and that provides a further avenue for legal, diplomatic and political pressure to be applied in cases such as this.
Jim,
No I hadn’t heard of the case. It sounds awful, and I wish the victims a speedy recovery.
14! 88! Hut hut hut!
@ndy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dEyv1gDfXI
I know I’ve posted this already but WTF!!! Why do people think this is Jock? The guy hitting the snowman is Black! I have 3hrs of that trip if you guys wanna come over and confirm it. Jock would never think of bashing up a snowman… that’s what you are now accusing him of isn’t it???
Look Jock is my friend and being in Sydney at the moment I probably wasn’t in Bulgaria the night this all happened, all I’m interested in is that he gets a fair trial without things like a black man bashing a snowman affecting the way people view Jock’s character. That clip is the most useless shit I have ever had the pleasure of viewing, shit I sent that clip to Jock… do I have to regret that?
On a side note, the trial clearly isn’t going to be about whether or not Jock killed a guy, I’m pretty sure everyone agrees on the outcome of a man now being dead but, and correct me if I’m wrong, the trial is to determine whether Jock was acting in self-defence or not. Why do ppl keep saying shit like “the fact remains he killed someone”? I agree with Karlos when I say that’s not the point but under what circumstances this occurred.
To Eva:
Thank you for being so tolerant of the Gypsies. When they came to Australia we didn’t treat them properly and they were all like “Australia sucks, let’s look for another country that’s more tolerant to us”. They must have then tried your country and found you very welcoming… Thanks again.
As stated by ‘i’m a good bloke’ that is jock in the video (posting under his alias laughing lenin) and no amount of back peddling will convince me otherwise; i’m sorry sam. I have a high definition screen and that person is by no means black. I also attended school with jock and that sure looks like him to me!? I never said the video proves that he is violent i do however find it extremely bizarre.
Jock is lucky to have loyal friends like you to support him in the current climate but i fear your visions are clouded by that friendship. I myself have a wide variety of friends some of whom have behaved in ways that will see them spending a large proportion of their adult life in gaol; although i consider them ‘loyal’ i accept that the law has decided they do not belong in society for what they have done.
Although i hold compassion for Jock and the situation that he’s in i believe his time is up. There is a pattern in his behaviour and it was bound to catch up with him sooner or later.
Anon, I also attended school with Jock, and saw firsthand his violent temper erupt in the playground. He was no all-round good bloke, he was a freak.
To the “friends” of Jock: I remember you, you were his loser mates, your biased opinion on here counts about as much as your social presence whilst at school.
I knew Jock when he was at school at Riverview. He always struck me as a young man with a keen sense of justice and a strong social conscience. I do not believe that he would ever intentionally harm anyone unless it was to defend himself or someone else. I believe that he would help someone who needed help without hesitation. If I was being attacked by a group of people I would hope that others would not just stand by and watch but would do something about it.
In my opinion, if there were more people with Jock’s courage and compassion around then the world would be a better place.
I met Jock when he came to Bristol after he had been in Bulgaria. He made a load of friends while he was here.
Jock in my opinion was one of the soundest guys you could find and would help out anyone in need. The sort of guy who would not stand back and watch while someone was getting a kicking, wherever it happened. Which is exactly what I would do if confronted with the same situation and I have been! In that situation when mob violence erupts and your life is in danger.
For helping some stranger, I would probably have done the same myself. I hope any decent person would do the same in that situation.
I am writing this to show some support to Jock from some of the friends he has met here in the UK who in the short time of some 8 months or so found him to be a good person and friend.
I believe he needs a fair trial.
I have been informed of the details of the incident so can at least have some perspective.
As for the guys who came forward to the papers about the stabbing that happened in Sydney, from what I was told about the story there is a very good reason why Jock was not convicted. Maybe they should be made to say exactly what happened that night to put the record straight. It isn’t them who’s facing a long prison sentence in a foreign country.
That bullshit is not necessary.
Dazz the Kiwi.
PS.
ANTIFA PRISONERS
Lasandra Burwell : W063658, Ohio Reformatory for Women, 1479 Collins Avenue, Marysville, Ohio, 43040, USA.
Serving 5 years for taking part in an anti-fascist demonstration which turned into a riot.
Vahtang Devitlidze : ul. Libbedova 42, UO 68/2, otryad 14, brigada 142, g. Hagyshensk, Krasnodarskiy Kray, 352680, Russia.
Serving 2½ years for stabbing a neo-Nazi in the leg whilst defending himself from attack.
Augustin Kraus : Vazebni veznice, PP-1, Litomerice, 41 201, Czech Republic.
Serving 14 months for his participation in attacks against local neo-Nazis. His charge was “bodily harm”. He speaks Czech, Slovak and Polish. You can also write him short postcards in English.
Gubski Maxim : VK-2 – 21, Batowa str. 4, Bobruisk, 213800, Belarus.
Serving 3 years for fighting with neo-Nazis.
Andrea Neff : Bnr: 746/07/2, Justizvollzugsanstalt für Frauen in Berlin, Arkonastraße. 56, 13189, Berlin, Germany.
Serving 14 months for anti-fascist actions.
Vladislav Vladimirovich Plyashkevich : IK-10 otryad 4, Novopoltsk-5 Vitebskaya oblast, 211440, Belarus.
Serving 3 years for fighting with neo-Nazis.
Christian Sümmermann : BNR, 727/07/7, JVA Tegel, Seidelstr. 39, 13507 Berlin, Germany.
Serving 40 months for breaching the peace whilst serving a suspended sentence issued for anti-fascist activities.
jockenspiel u must not have known jock terribly well at school if u think thats him in the video, especially considering the guy who is in it is almost a foot shorter than jock and looks and sounds nothing like him. jock was filming. and which school did u attend with him? im guessing it was kings, if u dont recognise the guy who is actually in it.
??? and J Kimble, it seems that your comments regarding your involvement with him at school are a little empty and perhaps false. are you prepared to step out and say who you are and where you went to school with jock? to be quite frank with you, jock was a man for others. i presume you’re a little overwhelmed with the support he is getting from his friends who know and love the man with a heart of gold. making false accusations about someone you don’t know and is not backed up well really discredits your side of the argument. . . that is. . . did jock murder or was it in self defence?
“jock palfreeman is not guilty” to the claims that he murdered Andrei Monov.
Hi all,
I have no experience of dealing with the judicial system in Bulgaria, but if it is anything like here, wealth and privilege help, and the facts of the case are pretty secondary.
I don’t know Sydney very well, but it sounds like some of you went to “good” schools – those names ring some kind of bell with me. No doubt there are plenty of over-privileged alumni who you should be talking to to try to get diplomatic pressure put on to try to secure Jock’s release.
I would suggest you put your energy into finding these people and using the connections which are the reason rich people send their kids to those schools to try to get your mate at the very least sent here to serve his time – its probably worth giving it a try. I’m sure the legal people are thinking of that stuff, but you’d be surprised what lawyers don’t think to do sometimes… And that may be the kind of thing that outside people can usefully help with, in terms of finding people with the right connections to have that discussion with.
Also – as someone who is supporting a prisoner on remand at the moment: whilst it’s good that people want to address the question of the previous incident in Chatswood and set the record straight, you should probably try doing it in a more structured way, by setting up a support group and issuing your own media statements, for instance. But be careful about issuing things that may later end up in court – the last thing you want to do is prejudice any legal proceedings that might arise from this. Talk to his lawyer before you post stuff all over the place.
Lastly – it sounds like your mate may have got tangled up in something with people with their own powerful connections. It may or may not be useful to make some kind of contact with the community concerned?
Just some thoughts – some of them pretty obvious.
Good luck.
“I hope any decent person would do the same in that situation.”
Like stab somebody to death?
Jockenspiel…
I know this is a tangent, I know this has no relevance to Jock’s case whatsoever, but the video posted by Jock under his alias on youtube IS NOT OF HIM. Jock is filming, Sam M (if you went to school with Jock, you’d know who this is) is beating up the snowman and this is all taken on Sam H’s video camera (as is the rest of the footage of that snow trip). I know this because I’ve seen the uncut footage (as Sam’s brother).
For further verification, listen to the audio. If you actually knew either of the boys in this clip, you’d know that the snowman basher IS NOT JOCK.
Sorry to waste space with such a stupid argument, but it annoys me when someone brandishes about their authority on a subject AND YET THEY ARE STILL WRONG.
J Kimble… social presence? Loser mates? I don’t know if you’re a Mosman boy, Kings Boy or View Boy, but I wasn’t aware that any of these schools contained students who were as concerned with popularity or social graces as a fifteen year old school girl from the Valley in LA. Grow up. Your opinion is just as biased as his supporters. I admit my subjective point of view (though temper it by the fact that I was neither friends nor enemies with Jock). All you’re doing in making your comments are exposing your hypocrisy, social insecurity and hate (vengeance perhaps?).
ok, stop with that nazi-fascism-gypsy-bullshit!!!
wtf?!?
that freak Palfreeman KILLED a man!!!
that’s it!!!
and he KILLED ANDREY in his back with a single hit right to the heart!!!
stop thinking about Bulgaria… you’ve never been here!!!
and don’t talk about racism!!! We SAVE our Jews during WWII, we still live with Gypsies, Turks, Romanians and many others!!! Gypsies and Turks are more than 10% of our population!!!
i knew Andrey, he was Bulgarian, he loved football, he supported Levski, but he WASN’T skinhead!!!
i knew him all my life, and your “friend” killed him, so PLEASE STOP talking shit about Andrey!!!
you will see CCTV and you will be terrified by what you see… that was the worst night in my life!!!
Rest In Peace, Andrey.
and one more thing… how dare you to talk about racism?!?
do you remember your aborigines?!?
where’ve they gone???
right me if i’m wrong, but i think you KILLED them, and those of them who survived are in reservations, like jails or zoo…
what about that?!?
First of all – this guy is a MURDERER.
Even if it was self-defence he still KILLED someone.
He confessed that himself after the police caught him.
Do we all agree on the above?
————————————
I don’t know how was he defending exactly, but the person who he KILLED was stabbed IN THE BACK.
I have no idea why this Australian guy came to our country and as he claims decided to bring street justice while he is drunk (he mixed beer and tequila before the accident in “Happy Bar & Grill”) decided it is necessary for him to KILL A PERSON with a knife – from his images in the media he doesn’t even look beaten or something. (Remember that no one else was armed in this accident.)
So it is unclear how come he felt so threatened enough to KILL, when clearly no one made any harm to him.
I also want to say that the interview with the friend of Palfreeman is garbage.
His friend is saying that ‘there was a gypsy’ as if he was there, but at the end he says that he left hours before the action took place. That’s “funny”.
Also it is completely not true that people are allowed to carry guns freely around here. Actually Mr. Palfreeman did not have the right to carry around a knife longer than five centimeters.
And contrary to all the irrelevant claims that Mr. Palfreeman was a non-violent person, it turns out he stabbed people with knives before.
Mr. Palfreeman confessed that he is responsible for the death of Andrei Monov, so he is going straight to jail.
At the end I want to mention that I know people who knew Andrej Monov, and what I hear for him is that he was a good and cheerful person.
God rest his soul.
I’m from the crew jock used to squat with in bristol. Just one message to all ignorant muthafuckers: i hope you will get the taste of violence from east european nazis then you will know how it is! Jock is going to be free for all price i can pay! TO ALL NAZIS: you nearly killed me. Steppin’ where you fear to tread, stop, drop and roll you were dead from the git go! Big mouth fuckers stupid cocksuckers. Are you scared of us now? Always is and always was – foundation made of piss and vinegar. Step to me – I will smear ya – do you think I fear ya? Bullshit. Expect no mercy for you bastards. FREEDOM FOR ALL FIGHTING FOR A BETTER WORLD WITH NO NAZIS, STATE AND REPRESSION.
i’m from bulgaria, and i know jock too, he’s a friend of mine. i met him about two years ago when he came here for the first time. i think he’s the kindest person i’ve ever met. he has a lot of friends here in bulgaria too. so many people want to help him, but they just don’t know how to do it. i am one of those people. if there’s something i could do for him, i’d do it with pleasure.
I too met Jock when we were both living in Bristol (I now live in Prague) and he came across as a friendly, genuine bloke. He was easy to get on with and was always pretty relaxed whether he’d been drinking or not. He certainly wasn’t the psycho or weirdo some people on here (probably with political or social axes to grind) are trying to portray him as. Good luck mate, I hope you get the fair trial you deserve. It may be worth people putting pressure on the European Union as Bulgaria is more concerned with the financial consequences of limited membership than it is with a legal system that is fair and unbiased.
Who are these J Kimble and ‘???’ gimps? I was in Jock’s year at school and he was far from a loner.
Sounds like you have a grudge against him or something to prove, hey, perhaps a bit of both?
Try not going under an alias so we actually know who you are, chances are you were the loner(s).
As for the case, I wish Jock the best of luck. I would say that I knew him quite well and could vouch for his loyal and compassionate demeanour. In times like these you have to go with your gut instinct and draw from what you knew of the guy – my gut instinct tells me it wasn’t his fault that Atack and co (a group of North Shore street rat pests) decided to gate-crash a North Shore party with a weapon (which they were renowned to do because they didn’t have their own friends who invited them to parties) and attack his little brother. If my brother was being attacked, I would do whatever it takes to keep him safe. Moreover, my gut tells me it wasn’t his fault that he has such a strong sense of compassion and social conscience that he felt the absolute need to come to the aid of one man being beaten cowardly by a group of individuals.
My heart goes out to the family of Andrei. Jock, I consider you a mate and my thoughts and prayers are with you.
Such an unfortunate situation and what a waste of what is looking to be; to young lives.
Jockenspiel… again… it is not jock hitting the snowman. what don’t you understand? i know jock and sam the black man in the video and yes… it was a black man. you can even tell it’s sam’s voice not jock’s! if you knew them you would tell the difference too.
and why are you even talking about the video… it was meant to be a bit of fun!, hell when i saw it i laughed! it’s not meant to be taken seriously! IT’S A SNOWMAN!
Ha ha J Kimble, you really make me laugh. I must be one of jock’s “loser” mates and i assure you that if you were a view boy I had ten times the social presence that you had buddy. You must have been one of the jocks who loved the sound of their own voice? Nice to see you again! Sounds like you’re still at high school by the way you carry your deluded arrogance around an anonymous forum. I think I hear the whistle blowing – better get back to your weights session you hero.
I wrote a comment which was moderated and didn’t make it to the public.
I don’t know why – I wasn’t rude or anything. I did not received an explanation about this, even though the moderator has my email.
[Sorry Vesselin. Because of technical problems, I haven’t approved any comments for a day or two simply because I haven’t been able to. ~ slackbastard]
Despite this I still want to post a comment in which I will again say the most important things from my previous post.
Mr. Palfreeman confessed himself that he is the murderer of Andrei Monov.
That means there is no point of telling me that this is “so out of his character”.
NEWS FLASH – being a killer is part of Palfreeman’s character – even he admits it.
Palfreeman doesn’t look harmed or anything on the pictures I saw in the media – I have no idea how come he decided it is time to kill. Most interesting is that while he claims that he was just defending himself, he stabbed Andrei Monov in the back.
It is not true that you can carry guns freely in Bulgaria. Actually Mr. Palfreeman was carrying a knife against the law. I do not believe him that he was attacked 6 times during his 5 visits. It even turns out that he has stabbed people before.
Bulgaria is a one of the top tourist destinations in Europe so we have a lot of foreigners coming here – it is not true that people who look different are being terrorized.
At the end I want to tell you that I know people who knew Andrei Monov and what I hear from them is that he was a good and cheerful person.
God rest his soul.
Self-defence with a knife can consist of slashing, to hurt and stop the foe, not stabbing. I live in Sofia and have been the victim of hooligans. Yes, I have used my knife, at need, but never with the intention to kill.
A stab, in the back I understand, through the rib cage into the heart is murder pure and simple. It certainly was not necessary to kill the man to stop him, even if Jock’s story is true.
David Wolf
Someone said it is common that bulgarian police kills romani children. This is a piece of crap. I am a bulgarian and was raised in a gipsy area of Plovdiv and could tell you that for most part relations are very peaceful. It is true that gipsies tend to disregard the laws, and play music all night and when they are drunk, which is most nights you should avoid them because they get violent.
Bulgaria is a very safe country. Very safe. Much safer than the United Kingdom where I live. I am from Plovdiv and can walk at 1 in the morning and have done it so many times, and we don’t have this yobs problem that the anglo saxons have. In fact go to http://www.mybulgaria.info and read the forum, this is the forum of english people that move to bulgaria and ask them if bulgaria is safer than the UK?
Anyway, the fact that he stabbed him in his back means that the guy was turning away, and the self defence factor is not gonna work.
I don’t believe it is premeditated murder, but the fact that he carried a knife will doom him. If he got the knife from the restaurant he would be in a better legal position.
I think that this guy lost his temper and under the influence of alcohol lost his temper. If he didn’t carry a knife, he would be home now.
Aussie murder-accused prepares insanity defence
Charles Miranda in Bulgaria
news.com.au
January 8, 2008
THE Australian man accused of stabbing a Bulgarian university student to death on a street in the Eastern European nation’s capital, Sofia, might mount a defence of temporary insanity as police will today release CCTV footage of the clash.
Former Sydney private school student Jock Palfreeman has maintained he was going to the aid of a stranger he saw being kicked on the ground by eight men when he too, was attacked and was forced to defend himself.
The 21-year-old British Army cadet and former St Ignatius College Riverview student said he saw a “gypsy” being assaulted on a busy intersection in Sofia and decided to be a “Good Samaritan” and go to his rescue.
During a fight he allegedly stabbed to death 20-year-old Andrei Monov and wounded another man.
However, police will release CCTV footage which is not expected to show any gypsy but a random attack following an argument as two groups of youths pass on busy Stambolijski Boulevarde intersection.
There may have been a verbal altercation in a bar visited earlier in the night and police described the parties as being in “high spirits”.
Palfreeman’s lawyer Stanko Barbavski yesterday confirmed Palfreeman will undergo psychiatric tests and it could be at the moment of the incident, he was “not in control of his actions”.
Yesterday Mr Barbavski said while he was optimistic about his client’s case, much rested on CCTV footage which he had yet to see.
“The prosecution has to gather evidence to prove he is guilty not the other way around,” he said.
“He may have been temporarily out of his mind at the time and he may have been attacked by a group – this is up to prosecutors to prove one way or the other.
“The bad thing in all of this is a man is dead, he was an only child. I feel for his family.”
Meanwhile Palfreeman’s father, respected doctor Simon Palfreeman arrived in Sofia yesterday and will be briefed by lawyers and consular officials and visit his son in jail.
Dr Palfreeman said it had been trying for the family.
“As you can imagine it is a very difficult time for the family and apart from what I’ve read in the papers I know nothing more,” he said. “It is really early stages, I haven’t seen Jock yet and I wouldn’t want to say anything that could jeopardise his case in court.”
Dr Palfreeman said at the moment, the situation was “confused” as to exactly what had happened. Mr Barbavski said Palfreeman, who was not injured in the clash, was confident about his innocence but knew the charges were serious.
As Mr Monov was being stabbed in the heart, witnesses said they heard someone yelling “fascist” in English but it was not clear who.
Fourteen witnesses have given police statements including two bouncers who detained Palfreeman.
Accused Aussie refused bail in Bulgaria
AAP
The Age
January 8, 2008
An Australian man accused of fatally stabbing a man and seriously wounding another in Bulgaria has been refused bail by local judges.
Three judges in the south-eastern European country’s capital Sofia refused Jock Palfreeman’s plea to be released on bail while police continue investigations into the alleged attacks.
The Sydney man was charged with murder over the death of 20-year-old law student Andrei Monov, who was stabbed in the heart during a street brawl in Sofia in the early hours of December 28.
He was also charged with attempted murder over the stabbing of a 19-year-old man during the same fight.
Palfreeman, 21, denies both charges.
The judges refused to release Palfreeman on bail after police prosecutors told the court they were still examining video footage of the alleged attack captured on security cameras.
Prosecutors also argued that they feared Palfreeman would flee Bulgaria if he was granted bail.
Palfreeman appeared calm during his brief court appearance, which his father Simon flew from Australia to attend.
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.
Palfreeman said there was no danger he would leave Bulgaria if granted bail because he had no money to travel.
He also complained that he had not had enough time to discuss his case with his lawyer.
In an earlier court appearance, Palfreeman said while he had been carrying a knife he pulled it out only to defend himself and two friends from a group of football hooligans who were attacking another man and then turned on him.
If found guilty, Palfreeman could face life in prison.
Bulgarian officials believe Palfreeman arrived in the country on December 22 to visit friends.
A good Samaritan saw a small man being beaten in an alley by three big men. He rushed to his aid, and because of his training was able to disable and chase off the three men.
The little guy dusted himself off, and said, THANK YOU! Here, I’ll split the money I stole from them with you.
Don’t judge things you do not know. This Jock should have just left the nationals alone. Just like the Americans think they can be policemen to the world without caring to understand cultures or, surely, events.
As an American, living in Bulgaria for over 10 years, I have learned that, not only can I not right all (perceived) wrongs, I often don’t even understand what is going on.
Jock was simply an idiot. He killed a near kid, stupidly. He deserves what will happen to him.
BTW, where is this Gypsy that he saved? If there WAS one. Why does he not come forward to save Jock? He will save his own skin and let Jock hang. So much for saving worthwhile people.
British, Americans and Australians stay home, or be very careful when you are in a foreign country. Your laws of ethics do not apply here. Face that fact and there will be fewer deaths and idiots in prison.
David Wolf
[email protected] if you care to write
An interesting contradiction: no mention of the insanity clause in the account of bail proceedings by AAP. It also appears that police have yet to release CCTV footage to the defence…
“HEY! I was just carrying a little personal stash of cocaine into Singapore! Why should I get the death penalty?”
Because that’s the law in Singapore, you idiot.
Notice they have very little drug abuse in Singapore.
A stab to the heart is NOT self defense. It is murder. Pure and simple. Maybe negligent homicide, if it was an ‘accident’ but still homicide. It looks like no ‘accident’ to me, he wanted to kill someone, he did, he must face the law.
As I said, I have used my knife before, in defense. Two guys were beating me badly. I tried to walk away, and they grabbed me again and started to beat me more badly. I was afraid for my life.
I pulled my knife, there were 14 wounds on them. I was careful not to stab too deeply or do permanent injury. I just wanted them to stop.
They accused me of attacking them. When I stood before the judge, after two weeks of lying in bed with a concussion, I asked: If I was the maniac, and ran up to them with a knife and started attacking them, 14 times, what idiot would just stand there and not run away?
They were holding me and beating me, and I was afraid for my life. I was still careful not to hurt them severely. The judge agreed and let me go.
David Wolf
The Real deal says: that is. . . did jock murder or was it in self defense?
“jock palfreeman is not guilty” to the claims that he murdered Andrei Monov.
Murder is murder, a man died at Jock’s hand. The question is: was it intentional or accidental?
A ‘self defense’ argument means equal force. Fists against knives is not equal by any measure, even 10 to 1. Why does Jock have no injuries? Why did he kill a man? What was he doing there in the first place, if not looking for trouble. Well, he found it. Alcohol is never an excuse. Sure, I beat my wife, but I was drunk, or she deserved it… yeah…
No sob stories, no ‘he was a good man’, he killed a guy on the street, with no business of his own. A just man would have called the police, not tried to take vigilante justice into his own hands, in a foreign country, or anywhere. End of story.
Just because you are (insert nationality here) doesn’t mean you can behave like John Wayne in Bulgaria.
David Wolf
Hey @ndy, what exactly are u trying to prove? I am from Bulgaria, and let me tell you how an intelligent man in Bulgaria will act in such situation:
I see some people beating somebody. I call the cops. They deal with it. (And i can tell you i am from sofia and there are enough cop in the area things happened.)
and NO i don’t go alone with my friend’s girlfriend versus 10 guys, WITH a KNIFE and stabbing one in HEART killing it and sending second boy to hospital. That’s simple logic. Any smart man will do the right CIVIL thing. Now this australian guy acted like an animal, attacking, killing? And animals should be locked in cages until they learn how to be human and civilized.
insanity???
he is insane, for sure, just like every MURDERER!!!
lifeprison!!!
David, kalin, friend,
The exact circumstances under which Andrey was killed are unknown at this stage and subject to a court proceeding. Apparently, Jock has been charged with murder and attempted murder. What happened, happened. At present, there are at least two, contradictory accounts of events, one which is based on Jock acting in self-defence, the other in the role of a willful, possibly drunken, possibly insane murderer. There are many unanswered questions regarding the case, and it’s likely that things will only become clearer with time.
vall:
“Someone said it is common that bulgarian police kills romani children. This is a piece of crap.”
I wrote:
“…Bulgarian police have been known to bash and to kill street children, many of whom are Romani.”
That’s not the same thing.
My sources are Human Rights Watch (1996):
CHILDREN OF BULGARIA
Police Violence and Arbitrary Confinement
The 2007 Amnesty International Report on Bulgaria:
And accounts of police maltreatment of Romani drawn from the European Roma Rights Centre.
He is a murderer, he attacks the boys in the back and kills with one hit… he should be in prison for life and burn in hell!
friend:
friend:
It’s true that, following and as a consequence of the British invasion and occupation, the indigenous peoples of Australia and the Torres Strait were subjected to genocidal conquest, and that many native peoples, including entire nations, perished as a result. It’s also true that the indigenous population continues to suffer from dispossession (and lack of legal recognition for it), and that across the entire range of social indices — health, education, employment, housing etcetera — the indigenous experience is one of enormous disadvantage.
Even so, this does not mean Jock is guilty as charged.
It’s a fact, many Romani people do not bother to register their children’s birth as required by law. It is also a fact that many Romani abandon their children to the street if they are not worth selling. It is also a fact that education is mandatory for all children, but Romani children are taken out of school after third grade and made to beg on the street, ‘to support the family’, if they are not worth prostituting.
What can you do about this? Who’s fault is it? Certainty not the child’s. It is a fault of the Rom culture, just as double the murder rate and drugs and crime is the fault of the black culture in America, when every opportunity exists to better themselves.
Bleeding hearts are just idiots, opportunity exists, so what? Take all the Rom children away from their parents? Can’t be done, there would be riots.
So the Rom are being thrown out of their houses. These houses have no sanitation, no water, are made of cardboard. Isn’t it the responsibility of government to ensure the safety of housing? Children are playing in plastic bags of CHIT in the street. Oh, sorry, it is culture.
A (Gypsy) province here in Bulgaria had its electricity turned off. They had not paid their bills for years. So, they went down the street and threw rocks through Bulgarian’s windows who had their lights on, because they had paid their bills. That is justice, right?
It’s no wonder people get so tired of Gypsies. Not all, or even a majority, are so bad, but the bad stick out like a sore thumb and hurt their own people. They have had ample opportunity to integrate and benefit from social law… As have the blacks in America, many have succeeded, but there is no excuse for such stupidity when opportunity is freely offered to them.
David Wolf
David,
These are not facts, but your opinion. At least, I’m not sure which studies you refer to which document these facts: perhaps you could provide a link to some?
You claim that “Romani children are taken out of school after third grade and made to beg on the street, ‘to support the family’, if they are not worth prostituting”. The HRW Report I quoted from above contradicts this assertion:
The same sorts of remarks could be made regarding your observations concerning education and housing: the available evidence suggests that you’re merely regurgitating popular prejudices. Judging by your remarks regarding the failure of blacks in the US to grasp the many opportunities offered them by the state and market, I would hazard that you’re motivated by racial animus. There is no excuse for such irrational prejudice, but it is explicable in terms of social privilege and its rationalisation.