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.
New twist in Bulgaria kill case for Australian charged
Charles Miranda
Herald Sun
January 9, 2008
Oddly, The Daily Terror report is very similar, but includes the following paragraph:
“The prosecutor said the man, Martin Stoilov, saw Palfreeman allegedly “deliver the fatal stabbing” to Mr Monov and a second stabbing to 19-year-old Antoan Zahariev.”
Sorry @ndy, many of the stories I have cited (housing, electricity) are available in the news, if you want to bother to search. Others are empirical, experienced by me and others.
I see babies held by ‘supposed’ mothers on the street constantly. These babies never cry, or even wake up. What drugs or alcohol they are given I don’t know, but a baby does not sleep for 8 hours a day.
I have some Roma friends on the street, they are 6-14 years old, about 14 in a ‘gang’. I sometimes gave them money, I like children and they were PROUD to have an American as a friend and always ran up to me. I offered food one time, but they said their ‘boss’ would beat them, only money. Once I had no money and the ‘boss’ came over, a 15 year old boy. He knew of me and when he understood I had no money to give, proudly pulled out his wallet, flashed about 800 leva and gave me 20. Well, he was taking care of the kids. Some of whom were breathing glue, very common here for Gypsies on the street.
3 very cute 15 year old Gypsy girls begging on the street with batting eyes during school time. I asked why they weren’t in school, they suggested something more fun. I looked around and there were 2 old Gypsy women watching them. I asked if they wanted to end up like them, as poor old women, they laughed and ran away.
A very cute 9 year old Gypsy in front of the Hilton, asked for money for food. I knew it was a scam, and laughed, she smiled, and then, with tears running down her face, begged, please, please, for food. She grabbed my shirt, falling to the ground, what a marvelous actress… and smiled through her tears. An older Gypsy came along and cuffed her, saying, this one’s no good, get to work.
Sure, no one will hire a Gypsy. I wonder why? There is plenty of work here, Gypsies are working in construction and other menial jobs, but it is easier to cheat, rob and prostitute, why be like THEM (Bulgarians) and work? WE ARE THE FREE PEOPLE (sucking off of society).
Where do you live @ndy, some gold plated country, no doubt, reading your Amnesty International crap off of scented station[e]ry?
David Wolf
@ndy, I suggest taking this conversation to email, as it has little to bear on Jock’s case.
[email protected]
David Wolf
I live in Melbourne, Australia. Despite Australia being one of the world’s leading producers of gold, I don’t read perfumed copies of AI Reports…
Electricity:
1) “On 6 August 2004, in a separate case concerning an almost identical situation, the Sofia District Court ruled in favor of Mr. Kocho Kochev and five other Romani plaintiffs, all residents of “Filipovtsi”, a segregated Romani settlement in Sofia, and in so doing found that the respondent state-owned electric company had committed an act of discrimination. Importantly, despite the fact that the new anti-discrimination law was enacted after this case had been filed, the court applied the new provision on the shifting of the burden of proof to the respondent and explained that being of a procedural character it was applicable to already pending cases as well as to those which have been filed following the entry into force of the new law. The court considered the plaintiffs’ claim of discrimination as sufficiently substantiated to shift the burden of proof onto the respondent. The respondent ultimately failed to establish that other — non-Romani — consumers had been treated similarly or indeed that its actions had served any legitimate purpose. Accordingly, the Court found that the six Romani individuals had suffered discrimination, and ordered the company to remove the electrical metres and to re-locate them at a height where they would be accessible, as well as to pay the plaintiffs compensation.”
2) “The Electricity Distribution Company blacked out Roma ghettos this fall as unpaid bills—and the amount of electricity stolen—mounted. Residents took to the streets in protest and neighborhood leaders warned the local authorities that there would be riots if power was not restored.” (2002)
The story concerning housing is general enough to be apocryphal.
TO VESSELIN PETRUNOV: nadiavam se da pro4ete6 tova! ti ne si poznaval li4no andrei, no az poznavah jock mnogo dobre! ne e lesno da go izdrazni6, kakvo ostava da go vbesi6! ima niakakva pri4ina da se stigne do tuk. niama na4in jock prosto da se e nahvyrlil vyrhu andrei i drugoto mom4e. a i o6te ne6to – za6to nikade ne se spomenava imeto na ranenoto mom4e, a samo tova na andrei monov? za6toto ba6tata na andrei e izvesten i veroiatno vliiatelen, a roditelite na drugoto mom4e sa prosto niakoi si hora (izviniavam se za izraza)??? pak povtarqm – jock e nai-dobri i velkodu6en 4ovek, koito niakoga sym sre6tala!!!
i o6te ne6to – viarno e 4e tuk tormoziat horata, koito izglejdat razli4no. az li4no sym popadala v dosta napregnati situacii samo zaradi vyn6niiat si vid – napadali sa me vsiakakvi samo za6toto sym goti4ka. a i vsi4ki tuk mnogo dobre znaem 4e imame vrodena neponosimost kym romite (turcite i geiovete naprimer). taka 4e ne se obiasniavai 4e sme mnogo tolerantni ili 4e ne sme rasisti. to4no obratnoto e – kogato vidim ne6to razli4no, nie se pla6im i za tova go napadame.
A rough translation of the above into English would be appreciated sunny…
sorry. i wrote it in bulgarian because it’s for a person from my country
and i hope he’ll read it
i apologize for something else too – my english is not good
maybe, but it’s a lot better than my bulgarian that’s for sure
🙂 you want to translate it?
Simply, driving a knife into someone’s heart, through the rib cage, can not be accidental (involuntary manslaughter) and in the back can not be self defense. It is clearly murder, of course the court must decide and more circumstantial proof must be analyzed.
It sure sounds like murder to me. Why do foreigners think they can come to Bulgaria and act like animals? Let them keep their incivility at home.
David Wolf
David wolf. you obviously dont know much about babies. they actually do sleep for 8 hours a day. sometimes more when they are very young. get your facts right before you start making huge assumptions and generalisations.
It also now appears that the woman who accompanied Jock on the night of the incident has returned to Sofia and is being interrogated by police:
Charles Miranda (New twist in Bulgaria kill case for Australian charged, Herald Sun, January 9, 2008) also speculates that the charges against Jock may be modified to include the supposed fact that he was in a “state of rage”…?
Dear friends of Jock, don’t you worry about him.
He is another RICH kid, and rich kids get away no matter what. The claim he has no money to travel, when his millionaire father sits next to him just makes me laugh. Remember Lisa Marie Smith?
She got bailed and even issued with an Australian passport just because her father is rich. Now she is living the good life somewhere on the Caribbean, while the poor Australian “mules” are in Bangkok Hilton for a veeery long time.
If you want to defend him stop pouring dirt over Bulgaria, just look whom to bribe. Not that ALL Bulgarian officials are corrupt, but as the average salary is 500AUD per month you can find one more easily and more cheaply than in Australia. You can bribe the witnesses, too, or if they refuse find some “mutri” to intimidate them.
For every story of Bulgarians beating Gypsies, I can find 10 of Gypsies beating, robbing, killing and raping Bulgarians. To such an extent that some Bulgarians think they have opened a war against them. Yes, GYPSIES are also the majority of Bulgarian prostitutes abroad (I can’t understand why the Western eyes can’t tell the difference between our races), but what this has to do with Jock’s case is beyond me.
Bulgarian_in_Sydney: Yeah, justice is a commodity, and generally speaking individuals get the best justice they can afford. On the other hand, Jock is accused of very serious crimes, has been denied bail, and is yet to stand trial. As for bribery, given the seriousness of the charges, and the enormous amount of attention being paid to the case, the possibility of Jock somehow ‘bribing’ his way to freedom seems highly unlikely. With regards inter-ethnic relations in Bulgaria, your story sounds eerily familiar. Substitute ‘German’ for ‘Bulgarian’ and ‘Jew’ for ‘Gypsy’ and you have a fine display of a paranoid, exterminationist worldview. Finally, with regards sex trafficking, I recommend a local film called The Jammed.
i hope james atack and matt get what’s coming to them…
dp – justice? a sense of warmth when they see Jock’s jail cell?
No, we can’t substitute Gypsies with Jews, because if Germans disliked the Jews, it was for exactly the opposite reasons – they were richer, more educated and intelligent than them. Practically all were middle class.
But as I said, what this has to do with Jock’s case, especially if the security cameras show no Gypsy being beaten?
Using the given country worst stereotypes for defence is not always the best idea.
@ndy. your peddling of anti-bulgarian & anti-victim propaganda as a means to discredit the case against your friend is shameful & embarrassing.
Copy pasting a bunch of stories about sex workers, corruption, football hooligans etc just makes you look like a fool searching for excuses.
peace
Bulgarian_in_Sydney: “To such an extent that some Bulgarians think they have opened a war against them.” In other words, Gypsies have declared war on Bulgarians.
This is my point of reference. In both cases, a non-psychotic version of history has it that the Jews/Gypsies did not pose such a threat to Germany/Bulgaria.
What any of this has to do with Jock’s case is revealed by following the thread of conversation preceeding your intervention. In other words, it’s been suggested that Jock’s motive for intervening as he did was because he witnessed an assault upon a Gypsy (Romani). Following this claim, I referred to “Bulgaria [being] notoriously corrupt — and the region’s largest exporter of sex workers, which gives some insight into economic conditions there”; an article about the (re-)emergence of the extreme right as a force on the streets in Sofia; etcetera. These are useful insofar as they provide some small amount of background information regarding Jock’s claim and suggest that, whether accurate or not, it may be plausible.
What the security cameras show I’ve no idea. As far as I’m aware, footage has yet to be made public.
Dezley: Perhaps. Alternatively, providing some information regarding Bulgarian economy, politics and society makes me look like someone attempting to establish some of the relevant background to the case.
Obviously u mor[o]n, u cannot spell what is with your comment, ur disgusting, PLEASE Grayham we need to all band together and help free Jock… I will do anything and everything i can to help you. As said before contact the sydney morning herald with all your information, TOGETHER u can all help him.
And this conversation is going [too] far, the man that spoke about the [aborigines] [being] killed or in jail, what [nonsense] I live in a town that is full of them, one of my best friends is an aborigin[e] and then on the other hand, i[‘]m a young female 23 and have been beaten by 6-8 35 [?] aborigines so don[‘]t make comments on facts you know nothing about…
I don[‘]t want to get involved in this small minded he said she said bullshit you[‘]r[e] all losing si[ght] of what [has] been said, help a young man who was just trying to defend himself and another human.
PEACE N LOVE to everyone.
Andy, c’mon, give it a miss, mate.
The Romani have the highest representation of criminality in Eastern Europe:
[Zoltan Barany, The East European Gypsies: Regime Change, Marginality, and Ethnopolitics, Cambridge University Press, 2002…]
http://romania-crime-watch.netfirms.com/
So, could it be that our old friend “Jock” was mugged, and only did what was needed to defend himself?
I am be certain that you would of done the same.
Mick,
You provide two links to demonstrate that “The Romani have the highest representation of criminality in Eastern Europe”.
The first is to the book cited above, albeit via its google page.
The second is to a bizarro website called ‘Romania Crime Watch’ maintained by I don’t know who.
The first link says nothing about the “Romani hav[ing] the highest representation of criminality in Eastern Europe”; in any case, a meaningless phrase.
The second link concerns the country of Romania, crime and corruption — it makes a few references to crimes allegedly committed by Gypsies (Romani) but doesn’t appear to have been updated since March 2004. Further, almost all of the links from the page have expired.
You really are an idiot, and that’s why this will be your last post to this thread.
@ndy, i told you – IT WASN’T SELF-DEFENCE!!!
we will update the website about Andrey after his parents and lawyers approve it, and then you will see the truth!!!
and we hope, that then you will STOP defending Jock and stop talkin’ shit about Andrey!
Please!!!
friend:
I’m aware of what you believe.
The matter is before the courts.
I’m not sure which website you’re referring to however, and I don’t know exactly what you mean by the shit about Andrey. As far as I’m aware — and as far as I’ve written — he was a 20 year old law student, the son of a local doctor.
At present, Jock’s defence rests upon his allegation that Andrey was part of a racist mob, possibly consisting of football hooligans, that attacked a Rom (“In a written statement tendered to the court, [Jock] said he had gone to the aid of a gypsy [that is, Rom] who was being attacked”). Jock claims he intervened, and was forced to defend himself. As a result of this, Andrey died.
I don’t know if this is true or not, but what I would like to see is a fair trial.
I’ve also published, in full or by simply linking to them, (almost) every article from the Australian media regarding the case I can find, as well as allowed others to comment freely.
i’ll link you, when the site is ready…
and yes, Andrey was a football fan, yes, we all love football!
he wasn’t a football hooligan
and here, in Bulgaria, from december to february there is no football!!!
“and I don’t know exactly what you mean by the shit about Andrey”
i mean that he is not a skinhead or a member of a racist mob!
and Jock wasn’t attacked!
and one more thing – Jock KILLED Andrey, and Andrey is DEAD… so Jock is guilty
this is not a suicide, there is a MURDERER, KILLER, ASSASSIN
and that MURDERER IS JOCK PALFREEMAN
i hope that you will understand what i mean
i’m in sofia visiting jock now, his dad has asked me to pass this on:
“Could you please let Jock’s friends know that bagging Bulgaria on the internet will not be helping Jock at all. Everyone should chill out until we have got things under control.”
anglos are already very unpopular with a lot of bulgarians, and some of those bulgarians happen to be involved in the police/legal system.
it’s an unfortunate situation all-round, a young man has died and another will probably spend a long time in jail. insulting each other over the internet is not helping australia’s reputation here, and definitely isn’t going to help his case.
the prosecutors actually used the james atack story and the snowman footage (which isn’t even of jock) in court yesterday to help deny jock’s bail. when i showed him a newspaper clipping with pictures from the snowman video his reaction was “as if i’d be caught fucking dead wearing those clothes”. haha.
apart from that andy, i think what you’re doing here is great. when i saw jock today i told him about this blog and he was thrilled that someone he didn’t even know was getting behind him in such a big way. if you want to email me with a mail address for you, i can give it to jock tomorrow so he can write you.
ash
Not guilty my ass! All you foreigners think that when you go to a country like Bulgaria (or any other Balkan or Third-world country for that matter) you can do whatever you please and act as if you were superior. Well, guess what – you are NOT and if you commit a crime as in this case, you will suffer the consequences. As for the claim that the murdered boy was fascist – this is complete bullshit. I’ve met him, he used to attend the same high school as me. And if you do not live in Bulgaria then you have absolutely no idea what the situation with the Gypsies is, so mind your own business for your own good.
I think the website ‘friend’ is referring to is: http://andreymonov.com/
hey GRAHAM,
Im so sorry for your friend but i think u really havent lived in Bulgaria long enough to talk all these crazy stuff. The time of the skinheads is long gone, we have some but not as many as we used to and there is certainly more fascists in the UK and OZ than here. I doubt your friend was in a self defence situation and i really doubt your girlfriend Susan was with him at the time because if she was and two guys were stabbed she wouldnt have just left Jock there on his own, would she???
And as a 26 year old Bulgarian I can 100% [tell] you that the guys who were involved in the incident WERE NOT SKINHEADS BUT ORDINARY BULGARIAN BOYS. If/ which i dont believe/ there was a gypsy involved most probably there was a reason for him to be beaten up. I have been attacked by gypsies and I have been stolen money from them so they could have been provoked. This doesnt mean Jock needs to attack he can just call the police or go [to] the bouncers of the Sheraton hotel or the bars around and report whats going on. Did he do that NOPE.
ALSO FOR ALL OF U AUSSIES – IN BULGARIA U DONT GET BEATEN UP FOR LOOKING A LIT. BIT ALTERNATIVE. THATS BULLSHIT. I AM FROM SOFIA. I HAVE DARKER SKIN THAN MOST BULGARIANS AND HAVE NEVER BEEN ATTACKED BY ANYONE AND NEVER BY SKINHEADS EITHER. U GET BEATEN UP HERE FOR GOING TO A GROUP OF GUYS AND STARTING TO SWEAR AT THEM, WHICH MANY DRUNK ENGLISH SPEAKERS DO. JOCK IS A KILLER AND IF THERE WAS ANY SELF DEFENCE INVOLVED HE CAN HOPE FOR A LESSER JAIL SENTENCE. AND U GRAHAM, BETTER STAY AWAY FROM THE CASE AS U BARELY KNOW JOCK – 18MONTHS IS NOT ENOUGH TO JUDGE SOMEONES CHARACTER AND PSYCHO MIND. LEARN SOME BULGARIAN LANGUAGE START MINGLING WITH THE LOCALS AND MAYBE U WILL SEE WE ARE REALLY NICE AND FRIENDLY TO THOSE CLOSE TO US.
GOOD LUCK AND I FEEL SO SORRY FOR THE POOR GUY – ANDI :O((((
I don’t know why all the Bulgarians love their football so much; they’re absolutely terrible at it.
VIK- you said…”AND U GRAHAM, BETTER STAY AWAY FROM THE CASE AS U BARELY KNOW JOCK – 18MONTHS IS NOT ENOUGH TO JUDGE SOMEONES CHARACTER AND PSYCHO MIND”.
I have known jock for 5 years and there are people on this blog that have known him longer and we all agree with grahams opinion on jocks character. you obviously dont know him at all so maybe you shouldnt be the one judging his character.
Ash –
could you please tell Jock that all of the boys are thinking of him and praying for him back in syd.
– hammo
Funny how you can’t find a trace of remorse on his face, isn’t it? He certainly doesn’t look like a person struggling under the weight of their conscience, like somebody who realises that they have killed a man…! Now let me remind you that Jock-the-good-samaritan has actually confessed to a murder (and even @ndy hasn’t yet dared to allege that Jock-the-good-samaritan’s confession has been falsified or obtained under any form of duress…). So, in Jock Palfreeman we seem to have a person who knows they killed a man but who doesn’t seem to be bothered much about the fact. Now, that’s a bit inhumane, isn’t it? ‘cos really if you are half normal, even if you consider yourself not guilty, the sheer realisation that you have committed a murder will surely be too much to bear. Unless of course you are one of those few amongst us who have no regard for human life…
And how about those two mutually exclusive facts of Palfreeman’s apparently quite colourful 20-year old life: he has both staged anti-war ralies and signed up with the army! So on the one hand he is very much against any war, but on the other he is happy to be sent to war zones (the British army has troops in Iraq)? Wake up to the reality people: Palfreeman is a trouble maker and a thug who’s been all too ready to jump at opportunities to be violent and to bash.
I hear Jock’s defence will be “temporary insanity”. Well can’t blame his lawyer for resorting to the flimsiest of all defences – it’s a tough job to defend a confessed murderer.
he didnt do it – i just have a feeling about it –
and he didnt confess to murder!! he confessed to self defence… everyone who knows the other guy who said that he got stabbed in 2004 has said he is a liar and the guy who was with jock earlier that night said that there is fascists all over there…
im thinking of you jock… i dont think you did it…
You can tell all of that by seeing a picture of his face? With that level of observational skill, maybe you should be out solving mysteries instead of posting comments on blogs.
If you ask me, there hasn’t been too much evidence yet, only bail hearings. As I’m not directly involved, I’m going to wait until I see something that sways my opinion.
Notice I can say that without invoking gypsies? Ah, the delights of not being a crazy racist.
You’re like Sherlock Holmes and Batman, all wrapped up in tinfoil.
“katrice
Jan 10th, 2008 at 9:05 pm
he didnt do it – i just have a feeling about it”
blah! you just have a feeling… well, i’m from Sofia, Andrey was my friend, i saw his blood, i was talking with the doctors, when they said that Andrey is DEAD, because of your friend Jock, who KILLED Andrey, and yes, i was at the funeral… what do you feel about that?!?
Rest in peace, Andi!
no worries hammo. i fly out of bulgaria tomorrow, so ill get his dad to pass it on
if anyone else has letters of SUPPORT for jock, send them my way and ill make sure he gets them
ash
…And to ‘hey ya’:
I have spoken with Jock, and trust me, he understands exactly what he’s done. Just because the few photographs of Jock that make it into the media show him composed and calm, it doesn’t mean he isn’t remorseful or ‘disregards human life’. Jock has an extraordinary emotional strength that not many people have, this is his way of dealing with things. Please don’t judge his morality based on a few pictures.
Also, being part of a military does not mean you are violent or pro-war. I am also a serving member (in Australia), and I can tell you that the vast majority of troops in Iraq (excluding American forces) are not involved in the ‘war’ itself, but the humanitarian and relief efforts.
The UK armed forces’ main priority is helping the Iraqis develop their own effective security forces. Not continuing a war, but trying to end one. Read up on what you’re talking about before you make comments on Jocks ‘mutually exclusive’ lifestyle.
There is no need to know Jock. One thing is clear he murdered a young guy.
LUMPEN : man im actually involved in solving mysteries /in my dreams hahaha/ come on i dont want to be rude but as a Bulgarian and coming from Sofia I can tell u that those guys 500% did not attack your friend and if they did it was totally provoked. we are very different than the english speaking cultures /yes i have lived for more than 8 years in the UK n NZ/. and when we get drunk we dont just attack people. anyway Jock should say why he really did it for the sake of the parents. they need to know why he took the life of their kid.
Vic
I’m in Brazil and I guess I can have a shot at what he was carrying a knife for. I’ve also been reading stuff about Jock and also know a guy who knew him. As far as I can see he has a heart of gold… but charging at a group of obviously violent neo nazis to protect someone is honorable but fucking nuts. I wish him all the luck, we need more concerned citizens like him in this world.
ash: “I can tell you that the vast majority of troops in Iraq (excluding American forces) are not involved in the ‘war’ itself, but the humanitarian and relief efforts…”
pffffff
come on!!! humanitarian… yeah, right! humanitarian my ass!!!
humanitarian war?!?
wtf???
no-one asked you to be there and to “relief”!!!
wake up!!!
JOCK PALFREEMAN IS A MURDERER!!!
Quote: but charging at a group of obviously violent neo nazis to protect someone is honorable but fucking nuts.
Obviously nuts, honorable murder, not, but what gives you the idea they were obviously violent neo Nazis? From what I have seen, and understand of Bulgaria’s youth, they were normal teenagers. If they were real skinheads Jock would just be a boot stomped puddle on the street, not a murderer waiting for trial.
There is no honor in stabbing anyone in the back, just as there has been no honor from the ‘coalition of the willing’ for the decimation of Iraq.
David Wolf
Ash: Let Jock know we’re all thinking of him, if there is anything we can do, you have my number. Tell him I haven’t finished editing the snow video n sorry sam m’s snowman bit got leaked, that was ridiculous… but I’ll finish the rest one day. H-Man
Quote: we need more concerned citizens like him in this world.
More knife wielding madmen, like in America’s shopping malls and schools, good idea, idiot. Who needs laws when we have weapons? It’s a damn good thing he didn’t have an automatic weapon. Imagine…
David Wolf
Ash: Let Jock know i’m thinking of him too!
All Andrey’s friends thinking of that MURDERER!
That’s almost unbelievable. I hope James, Matt and The Snowman are happy at having obtained some degree of revenge…
Whether you know either party or not, how can you wish for anything other than a fair trial and an opportunity for Jock to defend his actions, everyone deserves that.
It has been suggested that due and fair process is a problem in Bulgaria, so I only hope that this is not the case for Jock.
In regards to a throwaway comment made earlier that Jock would be fine because he is a “Rich Kid” (Bulgarian_in_Sydney) Andrey was also the son of a prominent member of the Sofia community was he not? He doesn’t strike me as “being fine”.
It’s difficult facing something like this in your own country let alone a foreign one, so I hope fairness and legal process without bias is used.
(And don’t arc up with cries of ‘Jock wasn’t fair’, what has happened has happened, it needs to be dealt now more with clear heads and intelligence and less with emotions spurned on by loss, anger and confusion as that’s what created this situation in the first place.)