Britain: Free at last, but why did Michael Shields’s pardon take so long?

A disgrace that it took political convenience to free an innocent man

Jack Straw, the Justice Secretary, latched on to a comment made in passing from Mr Shields Sr when he met the family on August 28. They presented him with new evidence, believed to be the oral confession of another man, Graham Sankey, to the attack made on the second day of Mr Shields’ trial in Bulgaria. Mr Shields Sr said that his daughter Melissa had visited Mr Sankey, and that in front of his parents he confessed to the assault.

Mr Straw said: “I was told in the course of the visit that the man made an oral confession in front of several people. This episode, I was told, happened on July 22, 2005, a day after the start of Mr Shields’ trial in Bulgaria. “I will not set out in this statement all the evidence that has come to light over the last two weeks but suffice it to say that there is very good reason to believe I was being told the truth. This, in my view, profoundly changed the credibility of the various accounts of what actually happened in this case.” After he was told of the confession, Mr Straw asked Merseyside Police to make further inquiries.

Although Mr Straw has been aware of Mr Sankey’s public confession for some time, the particular episode involving Miss Shields did not form any part of the representations to the minister either before or after his provisional judgment. One source said: “It is safe to say that if that had not come out at the meeting, it would have been a case of ‘I’m sorry but you are staying in jail’. It tipped it over the edge”.

Mr Straw now questions the appropriateness of his role, as Justice Secretary, in granting pardons and exercising power over a prisoner’s liberty, and says that he will explore alternative options.

Mr Shields, looking gaunt, delivered a sober assessment at a press confererence hours after his release. He said: “The last four years have been the hardest four years of my life. I would like to say a massive thank you to all those people out there, including Liverpool and Everton football fans, who have supported me and my family over the last four years by writing letters, by protesting, by marching. Your voices were heard. Thanks to you, I knew I would never walk alone.”

The Anglican Bishop of Liverpool, the Right Rev James Jones, read out a statement on Mr Shields’ behalf. He said: “Most of all I want to thank my mum and dad, my sisters, my family and my friends, who never for one minute doubted my innocence. “It is a hard thing to be locked away for a crime you did not commit. I was just 18 when I was arrested. I am now 22 and face having to rebuild a life which was shattered by the failure of two legal systems, one here in the UK and one in Bulgaria. “Today is a happy day for me but one of mixed emotion too. I am a free man, yes, but it should not have come to this. I would like to extend my sympathy to the family of Martin Georgiev, who was the innocent victim of an unprovoked attack. He and his family, like me and mine, have been denied justice for four long years.”

Mr Shields, whose team had won the 2005 Champions League Final in Bulgaria, was arrested after Mr Georgiev, a barman, was struck over the head with a rock. He was jailed for 15 years despite claiming that he was asleep in his hotel at the time. He was later transferred to prison in England.

As recently as July 2 Mr Straw delivered what appeared to be a devastating setback when he declined to grant a pardon because he was not persuaded of Mr Shields’ innocence.

His legal team appeared bemused yesterday by Mr Straw’s explanation. John Weate, Mr Shields’ barrister, suggested that the new evidence highlighted by Mr Straw was “corroborative” rather than fresh. He said: “We have at all stages submitted as compelling a case on his behalf as possible. We do not want to get into some kind of spat with the Secretary of State but if he finds some piece of evidence as important, that is fine with us.”

It is known that Mr Straw had been subjected to political pressure from Brendan Barber, leader of the TUC. At one stage Michael Shields Sr threatened to stand in opposition to Mr Straw in his Blackburn constituency.

Mr Shields’ lawyers say that in effect Mr Straw had the evidence to issue a pardon at his disposal for many months but prolonged their client’s prison stay for no good reason. They appear unconvinced by Mr Straw’s apparent change of heart, which came at a time when the campaign was moving into the political arena during party conference season.

It has yet to be decided whether Mr Shields will pursue the campaign to have his conviction quashed in the Bulgarian courts.

Original report here



(And don't forget your ration of Wicked Thoughts for today. Now hosted on Wordpress. If you cannot access it, go to the MIRROR SITE, where posts appear as well as on the primary site. I have reposted the archives (past posts) for Wicked Thoughts on Wicked Thoughts Archive