Conviction of Michael Shields - Appeals

Appeals

Shields conducted two unsuccessful appeals under Bulgarian jurisdiction in 2004 and 2005 on procedural grounds relating to the original trial. The 2006 appeal saw his prison sentence cut from 15 to 10 years, but his fine increased to £71,000 and his challenge for a retrial denied. No new evidence was introduced during the appeal and the facts of the original case were supported by existing evidence. The testimony of number of friends of Shields and the confession of Graham Sankey were dismissed as being biased towards helping to free Shields regardless of facts, inconsistent and inaccurate with Sankey incorrectly describing the weapon used in the attack as a paving slab (...a stone with irregular shape and not a pavement slab... according to police forensic reports). Following Bulgaria's accession to the EU on 1 January 2007, Shields again launched an appeal against his conviction at European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, again on procedural grounds on the allegation that his rights were violated during his trial and conviction in Bulgaria. The court found against Shields, and he was returned to the UK to serve the remainder of his sentence. No court found any fault in police or judicial process - under both European and Bulgarian law - related to Shields's arrest, detention, trial and conviction that warranted a retrial.