Michael Shields

This has been brought up a few weeks ago with Liverpool fans doing some flag display and Jack Straw saying he would pardon him. The fuss was caused by Graham Sankey confessing to the crime and Shields still doing time. I'm not sure if the campaign to free Michael to includes locking Graham up. As for the confession, it was for throwing a brick and if I'm correct people on both sides were throwing objects and Shield's offence was for dropping a paving stone on someone. There's also a statement from the hotel that he was there during the time of the incident, which meant after winning the European cup he was in bed at 11pm. He also claims not to have packed a white t-shirt that the eye witness (who I believe was the victim) claims he wore, again the t-shirt could of been disposed off quite easily.

All in all a pardon seems quite incredible with the lack of evidence claiming his innocence and after the Bulgarian court found him guilty.

I like the idea that UK citizins can serve there sentances at home but I don't like the idea that Jack Straw can simply decide to over-ride their courts.

Big Dave wrote:I like the idea that UK citizins can serve there sentances at home but I don't like the idea that Jack Straw can simply decide to over-ride their courts.

It will probably get him in trouble with the European Court sooner or later as they don't take kindly to politicians interfering with the judiciary and vice versa. The Jamie Bulger killers had their sentences reduced because Michael Howard had made the decision to extend them against the advice of the chief judge.

Maybe Jack Straw is acting on the belief that the evidence that was enough to convict him in Turkey wouldn't be enough to convict him under English law? The Turks are far less thorough in their investigations and have been known to lock people up just for being nearby, that being the only evidence.

He was convicted in Bulgarian JK, not Turkey. Doubt that makes much difference to what you said though!

Was he? I thought the incident was in Istanbul? My mistake!

The Champions Leagues final that year was in Instanbul, but the attack took place in a Bulgaria resort called Golden Sands.

Ah ok! Thanks for clearing that up.

S#alright, I thought it had taken place in Instanbul too until I checked up in it on wikipedia so it cleared it up for me too.