[…] // 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. Lumpen says:

    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.”

    That wasn’t a drawn conclusion, but an estimation of the likelihoods based on statements. A “long bow” would have been concluding that everyone involved were secretly members of particular ideological camps seeking to obliterate the other in a showdown on the streets of Bulgaria, for instance. My statement still seems just as likely, or even more so, as any other scenario presented. It seems very unlikely, for example, that Jock is literally a psychopath who murdered someone without any provocation, based on how he chews gum and where, or the status of his current address.

    …Is this being reported by any media outside Bulgaria? How prominent is it in Bulgaria?

  2. Bulgarian_in_Sydney says:

    Lumpen, the Bulgarians did not belong to any neo Nazi or similar group.
    While Jock was definitely an activist in several leftist “causes”. This has been reported widely in the Australian press, you can even find it in Google before the time he became infamous.
    Didn’t you read the previous postings?
    Jock was dressed in a jacket with “Gegen Nazis” written on the back and his mohawk was only shorter than on the photo example of the breed. Which proves he was fed the bullshit propaganda. He was even a walking advertisement and a recruiter. That’s how he attracted the attention of the Bulgarian, who was with him.
    This could be also the reason he was only in a T shirt the first time he appeared in court – maybe he did not want to attract attention to his political affiliations, but the “cruel” prison guards were blamed.

  3. Petrunov says:

    It is not very prominent – several days the news reported about Jock and his crime and that’s all.

    Perhaps if there is a serious development with the case they will report again.. but otherwise no one really cares about Jock or Andrey except their relatives and friends..

    About Jock being a psychopath who murders people without provocation..

    I do not know if he is a psycho, but he is clearly a man who killed without remorse.

    Another thing I know about him, is that he was not at his place – in Australia or perhaps England, but somewhere he does not belong.

    Another thing about him that I know is that he is shameless.

    There is one more thing – he is stupid – I draw this conclusion because his initial reaction was to say it was self defense and to point out that he was a ‘Good Samaritan’ when he killed.

    Here is the story of the good Samaritan:

    “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn in Jericho and took care of him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.”

    As you can clearly see this story is about being good, and helping another man – it’s not about one bad man stabbing another bad man.

    Jock is an idiot, not a good Samaritan – he calls himself a good Samaritan when he does not even know what that means. He is clearly a stupid person.

    Oh and yes – chewing gum in the court is clearly an indication of lack of upbringing and intellect.

    Also I know that Jock was involved in stabbing incidents before, regardless of all the speculations if it is true or not.

    What else I know, is that he tried to get help from the British Army when he made the big doodie – kill a man in foreign country – which perhaps indicates that he had the self confidence that someone will get his ass out of it whatever happens.

    I also do know, that he carried a knife with himself, big enough to kill a man with one strike.

    So Lumpen – I do not need to know whether he is a psycho or not – in fact I am glad he is not a psycho, because he will go to jail and not mental home.

    To Ash: I do not speak to wizards.

    Btw, ‘friend’ is clearly someone who knew Andrey, so he is obviously very, very pissed off by Jock, and everyone who try to protect him – perhaps this is why he used the bad language – a way to express his anger towards you guys.

  4. Petrunov says:

    I will comment something Ash said, which might appear interesting to all:

    ASH: “not guilty’ to killing andrey. he has plead ‘not guilty’ to murder. there is a difference.”

    Actually – there is no difference. At least I do not see it.

    Also in Bulgarian language we have only one word – ‘ubiistvo’ – so there is indeed no difference to us.

  5. Lumpen says:

    Hey Petronov: it’s the difference between a crime committed (if any) and the crime you’ve been charged with. For example, someone might kill another person through negligence or misadventure and be charged with murder, even though in the final analysis the crime committed was manslaughter.

    The state employs this strategy frequently in just about every country where they cannot simply convict or fabricate evidence. Someone will be charged with a greater crime and encouraged by defense and prosecution alike to cop to a lesser plea. Every goes him with fatter wallets and a clear conscience – except the defendant[?].

    In Jock’s case it might be possible that his reaction was not commensurate with the threat presented to him. In this case, from what I understand of how it works here in Australia, that is not the same as going out with a gun and slotting a politician, for example.

    That’s the distinction between killing and murder.

    Look, the other stuff you mentioned above is mostly pure nonsense. An emotional conviction that someone “just is” guilty is not an argument that will sway many.

    And, well, Jock’s story is a fairly good example of the what the parable is meant to mean; in Jock’s view at least, he was helping someone whom no-one else would help because of who they are.

    Also I know that Jock was involved in stabbing incidents before, regardless of all the speculations if it is true or not.

    See? Nonsense. We’re at the stage where, unless you’re bringing something to the table other than silly nationalist rhetoric (i.e “Another thing I know about him, is that he was not at his place – in Australia or perhaps England, but somewhere he does not belong”) you’re wasting everyone’s time.

    BIS: I don’t understand what you’re saying:

    Jock was dressed in a jacket with “Gegen Nazis” written on the back and his mohawk was only shorter than on the photo example of the breed. Which proves he was fed the bullshit propaganda. He was even a walking advertisement and a recruiter. That’s how he attracted the attention of the Bulgarian, who was with him.

    That’s certainly the first I’ve heard of the jacket. What breed? What does the length of his mohawk have to do with anything? What is the propaganda you’re referring to? And what part of the propaganda is bullshit? Advertising what? Recruiting who? Which Bulgarian? Why would that mean he only wore a t-shirt?

    As for his leftism, I’ve said previously that might have been rendered moot by his involvement in the Royal British Army. As I’ve also said, the leftists he was involved with in his younger days have not been part of any anti-fascist activity for quite some time – not even in rhetoric. They’re more into petitions against other political parties they don’t agree with and writing articles on how great Cuba is. Fairly evidently, if he stills considers himself either a leftist or antifascist, he’s a fairly isolated one (this is not unusual, however). No-one in the usual circles in Australia, that I’m aware of, has ever met him. Aside from Andy’s blog (and maybe Fight Dem Back?), I have seen no appeals from other Australian anarchist or leftist outlets to monitor the situation or support Jock. So it’s difficult to see how he is part of anything in that regard that has any bearing on this case.

  6. @ndy says:

    Petrunov:

    Actually – there is no difference. At least I do not see it.

    Also in Bulgarian language we have only one word – ‘ubiistvo’ – so there is indeed no difference to us.

    Whatever status the word ‘murder’ may have in the Bulgarian language, Bulgarian LAW makes several distinctions between various forms of killing. These are contained in Articles 115 to 127 in Chapter Two of the Criminal Code. In addition to distinguishing between different kinds of murder, the Code also mandates different kinds of punishment for those found guilty.

  7. @ndy says:

    Lumpen:

    It’s a long thread (and there’s some further commentary on other posts), but I believe that the first time it was stated that Jock was wearing a patch of some kind with the slogan ‘Gegen Nazis’ was on January 15, and Bulgarian_in_Sydney was the source. As evidence, he referred to a discussion somewhere on a Bulgarian forum. Here is his comment:

    Of course, my explanations what happened are just speculations, only wished to show there is another way of thinking instead blaming the Bulgarians first.

    Reading the Bulgarian forum comments I came to what is claimed to be an eyewitness story, which looks credible to me, since the blame is somewhere halfway between the two groups.

    After drinking in the bar, Jock’s friend decided to go home, while his girlfriend and Jock were with another Bulgarian going somewhere else. They decided to visit the toilet in another bar and on the way out encountered this group of young Bulgarian. They were not neo-Nazis, but ordinary boys, who unfortunately had something to drink as well. Some were with shaven heads, but this is only the latest fashion around. I have at least 3 guys with shaven heads in my Sydney office, very face-saving when starting to go bald.

    Jock attracted their attention, as he had “Gegen Nazis!” written on his jacket and his peculiar haircut. Some remarks were exchanged, but Jock decided to answer back instead of doing the wise thing and walk away. The verbal altercation escalated including the girl, and both parties eventually started swearing at each other. Jock, it seems, has learned how to swear in Bulgarian. More close contact followed, maybe he and the girl were pushed or even kicked in the shins, but neither of the Bulgarians had a weapon or was actually beating them. Again he could retreat at this point as they were 10:1, but Jock decided to play the Superhero (see above). He pulled the knife and shouting very loud “Fascists” attacked them. Andrey himself was 2m tall and you had to be out to kill to stab him straight into the heart.

    In other word, the classic drunken brawl when the boys only wanted to have fun and suddenly somebody ends up dead, while most of the participants even did not see or understand what was going on. Similar things happen around Kings Cross and Bondi every day, no Bulgarian speciality.

    By the way, since Gypsies are around 70% of Bulgarian prison population, I expect Jock having a very “intimate” knowledge of them. Serves him good, hope this will clear his head of the idealistic bullshit.

  8. Petrunov says:

    Lumpen and @ndy – you are both right to some extent:

    Lumpen – I am intentionally showing the emotional side along with all the prejudices that I may have about Jock. We are not a court, and you are not a judge, nor am I a lawyer – nothing depends on us about this story. I am not convincing you of Jock’s guilt or innocence, nor I do think that you can convince me.

    I am posting my comments on this blog in my spare time because I am into introducing my way of thinking to other people, and also learning about theirs.

    I am aware that where Jock committed the crime is irrelevant, anyway I still want to express how I feel about a foreigner coming here and killing one of my fellow-citizens.

    I am sure that you have the capacity to understand what I mean…

    “Also I know that Jock was involved in stabbing incidents before, regardless of all the speculations if it is true or not.”

    See? Nonsense.

    It may be nonsense, but Jock was involved in a similar case before, and whether it is true that he stabbed the guy or not, it is a fact that he was involved in a process of stabbing a man before.

    Whatever status the word ‘murder’ may have in the Bulgarian language, Bulgarian LAW makes several distinctions between various forms of killing.

    True, it is true – there is a term for intentional “killing” of someone (id est murder) and the law is making that distinction.

    Anyway – by pointing the fact that we do have only one single word for causing someone’s death I wanted to emphasize that whether “killing” or “murdering” was what Jock did to Andrey, regardless of how you will call it, Andrey is still not among us anymore and his mother is still grieving.

    So you must agree that whether was it was a “kill” or a “murder” the end result is the same for Andrey.

    It may sound arrogant, but let’s put it that way – Andrey does not care if he was killed or murdered as long as he ends up dead.

    For me personally, all the facts are pointing to Jock’s guilt. Again, I am not a judge. That is one of the reasons I am intentionally not pretending this blog to be some kind of a court where I must prove (or disprove) Jock’s guilt by the rules of the criminal code or Roman law.

    I pointed out some facts months ago – when I posted my first comments – from there on I am not arguing with no one whether something is true or not – please read my previous comments and you will see that this is so.

    Why? – Because I know it’s irrelevant to the reality whether you accept a given argument or not.

    So my advice to you Lumpen is – stop pretending that you are somehow gaining some imaginary points by objecting to everything someone else has to say, and spend some time to learn reading between the lines – because now I have to post an explanation to each of my latest comments.

  9. ash says:

    “Jock was dressed in a jacket with “Gegen Nazis” written on the back”
    no, he wasn’t

    “This could be also the reason he was only in a T shirt the first time he appeared in court – maybe he did not want to attract attention to his political affiliations”
    also not true. while he was wearing a jacket that night, it was taken by the police for evidence.

    “he is clearly a man who killed without remorse”
    is he? have you spoken to him?

  10. Bulgarian_in_Sydney says:

    Well, the “Gegen Nazis” on the jacket was reported on several blogs, I don’t understand where they took that from if it was not true. Also in the newspaper article was written:
    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.
    Which means, that Jock met at the bar the “metal” Anton Doychev. Graham and Jock introduced themselves as punks and antifascists. The 4 talked about the political and youth movements in Bulgaria. The conversation was also around the conflicts between the ultraright and ultraleft formations.
    So Jock was very interested in the respective propaganda, and seemingly was fed enough of it. You can’t deny that as there is an “independent” witness.

  11. Lumpen says:

    BIS: Oh but I can deny it. Watch me deny.

    I think you’re going to have to define what you mean by “propaganda”. Do you mean ideology?

    Petronov: The purpose is to separate fact from fiction and to put events in perspective, not prove guilt or otherwise. The reasons for doing this should be obvious. Proving that someone lies or exaggerates gains me nothing – for all intents and purposes, I’m just a name behind comments on someone else’s blog. It does help me assess whether something is worth factoring in to these assessments.

    I’m also not personally involved, so it’s an academic exercise for me. I’ve outlined my interest in the case.

    It may be nonsense, but Jock was involved in a similar case before.

    Repetition is not fact. This has been strenuously denied and I’m reasonably convinced it did not happen – particularly as the source for this story claimed that Jock was charged with attempted murder. It’s not the kind of thing easily hidden.

    anyway I still want to express how I feel about a foreigner coming here and killing one of my fellow-citizens.

    I find nationalism kind of comical. I can’t relate to grieving over one stranger more than other. To me, there’s the potential that a death will be followed up with an injustice, allegedly in the name of something – antifascism, antiracism – that I think is worth taking seriously. If I question the more emotive statements it’s because they’re frequently mixed up with accounts that may be worth considering. In other words, I consider these parts to be extraneous and I don’t really care how you feel. That’s not meant to be provocative, but there’s not a lot I can do, or would wish to, about your anger at the apparent crimes of foreigners.

    You’re always free to either a) not comment or b) ignore my comments and questions.

    Why you would display this emotion in the comments on a blog is beyond me.

  12. Petrunov says:

    “I can’t relate to grieving over one stranger more than other.”

    At some point one stranger is closer to me than another.. although they are both strangers. I think it is not necessary to explain why.

    Btw, I got the impression that you talk about nationalism as something wicked or wrong – I do not share that way of thinking. I hope this is not a reason for you to brand me as a Nazi.

    Anyway, we do not share neither nationality, geographic location, cultural heritage, history or anything for that matter, so I guess it is perfectly ‘Ok’ if you don’t fully understand my way of thinking.

    You make take nationalism kind of comical, but I think the more comical is denying nationalism. As if you think about it, every war that ever happened in the history derives from nationalism. Every sovereign state is sovereign because of nationalism. The fact that Bulgarians have black hair and Germans have blond hair is also related with nationalism. Even the fact that Bulgarians are still Bulgarians after being under Ottoman rule for 500 years is also related to the fact that they were one nation and being nationalistic helped them to stay that way, and not get assimilated.

    So yeah, I think nationalism is rather important for a nation to remain a nation and I am proud of my nation’s history, alphabet, language, culture, etc.

    I think that is perfectly alright, and is neither comical or wrong.

    In fact, nationalism is natural – the fact that nations still exist proves it.

  13. Bulgarian_in_Sydney says:

    The trial against Jock Palfreeman has been adjourned again for 23 September.
    It seems the journalists have stayed for the morning session only. There are reports about some of the testimonies, but not what Anton Doychev, the Bulgarian with Jock on the night of the murder said. Two witnesses, one probably the English girlfriend, did not appear in court as summoned.
    http://news.ibox.bg/news/id_820415499

  14. Maya M says:

    I am a Bulgarian, and I would like to ask some questions to @ndy and those who agree with him:
    Imagine some Australian goes to some poor country carrying a lethal weapon and allegedly kills a local. Under what circumstances (if any) would you blame the killing on the alleged perpetrator, rather than on the victim?
    Imagine some incident happens somewhere and an Australian is involved, together with some other people. Then different participants and witnesses tell different stories generally fitting their conflicts of interest. Under what circumstances, if any, would you NOT accept the Australian’s testimony as Gospel?
    As time passes, new evidence emerges (such as CCTV footage) and casts more and more doubt not only on the alleged attack on a Gypsy but even on his very existence. I hope you understand why as a Bulgarian I feel offended. This is because a foreigner put on trial for murder defends himself by stereotyping his victim and other Bulgarians as violent racists, and this is taken by other Australians as Gospel.
    Remember, when Susan Smith from South Carolina decided to drown her children, the best story she could invent was that they had been kidnapped by a black man fleeing after committing another crime. Blacks didn’t feel very happy about that.

  15. Lumpen says:

    Petronuv: There are nations, and there is nationalism. There is race and there is racism. These are largely constructs and can easily cease to exist as aggravating factors by agreement. The things you attribute to nationalism are easily, and more convincingly, explained through other factors, such as geography and technological development. And have you ever heard of a civil war? If nations were so natural, it wouldn’t be necessary to enforce them with armies, border patrols and propaganda.

    The idea of feeling superior through accident of birth is a source of amusement to me, it’s true. I laugh at the idiots who wear the Australian flag like a cape. It’s also true that I recognise that nationalism can be as a sort of survival mechanism, particularly in circumstances of colonisation and occupation or in the absence of more meaningful social activity.

    Borders and languages change. Do you think people in Naples and people in Florence felt Italian at any point in the Middle Ages? My point is that being Bulgarian might feel super important to you right now, but Bulgaria will not always exist. Nations will be superseded by another form of organisation. How is that not funny?

    Maya M: Read through the posts. I know there is a lot of them, but I’m confident that you won’t find much evidence to support your claims.

  16. Anon says:

    “Dezley Jan 3rd, 2008 at 2:37 pm

    isn’t it weird that this guy keeps turning up in the wrong place at the wrong time… and armed with a knife?”

    very true. i knew the guy personally. he seemed a bit of a troublemaker at heart.

    he’d told me stories before of spending nights in prison cells for fighting police during a riot and each time he claimed that they were bullying an innocent man and that he stood up and got battered.

    it doesn’t all add up.

    how can he be innocent if he’s been accused before and has now been caught on CCTV stabbing two men.

    just doesn’t add up.

  17. Bugarian_in_Sydney says:

    In case someone is still interested in this case, the trial has been adjourned for the umpteenth time for the 25th March 2009. The cause now was the absence of one of the members of the jury. Jock’s lawyers have demanded a new expertise [expert opinion] on the security camera footage and testimony from an Australian witness via videolink.

    I found this new photo of Jock – looks different, sort of grown up and not so cocky.

    http://www.deltanews.bg/index.php?id=10216

  18. Chrissy says:

    Verdict and sentence given. He got what he deserved despite daddy spending all that money to white wash the incident into some sort of heroic act. He is nothing but a murderous thug armed with a knife who stabbed and murdered a young man who had potential, unlike Jock.

    Now no doubt we will be subjected to a well funded PR campaign to bring the murderous thug home. I hope the Bulgarians show as much balls as the Indonesians have with Schapelle Corby in regards to making sure that they serve out their full sentences.

  19. @ndy says:

    Much depends on:

    1. The outcome of the appeals process;
    2. The verdict of the relevant bodies within the EU charged with judicial oversight of member states;
    3. The relationship between the Australian and Bulgarian governments.

    Note:

    4. Bulgaria’s President Georgi Parvanov visited Australia in October.
    5. While I’m unaware of the exact nature, if any, of the extradition agreements between the Australian and Bulgarian states, it remains possible for Jock to be extradited to Australia to serve his sentence. An Englishman, Michael Shields, was convicted in July 2005 by a Bulgarian court of attempted murder. In November 2006, he was extradited to England.

    See also : The problem of being a foreigner in a Bulgarian prison, Mila Boyanova, Bulgarian Helsinki Committee, 2006 (PDF).

    Roma protest over demolition of houses in Burgas
    September 9, 2009

    200 Roma families in the Bulgarian Black Sea city of Burgas have created a human chain surrounding their illegal houses to stop the local council from demolishing them.

    At 7:30 am Roma from Burgas gathered in the Gorno Ezerovo neighborhood to protect their homes. The first house in the neighborhood has already been demolished by Burgas municipality workers.

    Some of the Roma men have locked their wives and children in the houses so as to stop them from being demolished. They also attacked police with stones and showed reporters at the scene documents that allegedly show they have been living there for over 50 years.

    One of the Roma, Rumen Cholakov, stated that local police had beaten up some of the protesters. He added that the protests have come about as many of the people think they will be left homeless.

    The Mayor of Burgas, Dimitar Nikolov, denied these reports and said the situation is under control for the legal destruction of the properties. He also added that all of the Roma citizens have been given alternative council accommodation with low rents.

    [Bulgarian police demonstrate correct handling of Roma in the streets:]

  20. BULGARIA! says:

    “He is nothing but a murderous thug armed with a knife who stabbed and murdered a young man who had potential, unlike Jock.”

    Oh, yeah “potential”… I very well know the “potential” of such people… he son of a psychologist — these are the most despised part of Bulgarian society — rotten with corruption as well as the Police. Involved in huge psychiatric scams in which each year hundreds of Bulgarians who are not really mentally ill are declared as such, and on the other hand people who are really with psychological problems are declared fit and given license to possess weapons and work as a security or in law enforcement… We very well know them.

    And the above comments, by the defendants of A. Monov are filled with blatant lies.

    Petrunov declares that there were no “real skinheads” in Bulgaria.

    I don’t know what “real skinheads” means but for sure there are a lot of NAZI skinheads in Bulgaria.

    This is only a recent article from the 9th of December:

    http://www.monitor.bg/article?id=224244

    I cannot translate it now but I think the pictures are obvious, it is about these 3 NAZI skinheads from Yambol Bulgaria who have killed another boy younger than them for money. He was severely beaten and stabbed several times with a knife.

    I just wonder why to these cases is not given wide publicity in Bulgaria, but in the case of Mr. Palfreeman such a great fuss has been made.

    My bet is because he is a foreigner and has messed up with the son of a local shit.

    If that is not a XENOPHOBIC nation well… God help me!

    The more I delve into this story the more I am sure that Jock Palfreeman is telling the truth.

  21. doktora says:

    1.There is no football games december and january in Bulgaria-so there were no fans in groups marching somewhere.-they were only some friends from the university going to the disko.
    2.These “jipsys” are stated only by Jock.
    3.I have 30 years spend in various cities in Bulgaria and other countries too and i am not wearing knife-nobody have attacked me despite i go to clubs2-3 times per week,why this always happens with Jocks when he is out?And why he is again in Bulgaria knowing that he may be attacked.I will answer-he was not been attacked-he did not call police anytime-we have rules for the crimes and for murdering -20 years in jail at least.
    4.Please do not come in our country wearing weapons and knifes-the police is working good-just go to the winter resorts,beaches,bars,clubs enjoy yourself-but not kill,robe,rape etc.
    5.For the extradiction-o.k they may let him go out of jail in Australia-but I do not want to bump into him somewhere-he must stay in Australia-and you will wait when he will attacked again as he did so many times.

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