Pardon for football fan Shields

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Some excellent news today about Michael Shields, the young Liverpool man convicted in Bulgaria of attacking and seriously injuring a local man after Liverpool's European Champions League triumph in 2005.

[Extract from BBC NEWS | England | Merseyside | Pardon for football fan Shields]


Liverpool fan Michael Shields has been pardoned by Justice Secretary Jack Straw after being detained for four years over an attack in Bulgaria.

The 22-year-old, from Liverpool, was released after Mr Straw ruled he was "morally and technically innocent" of the attempted murder of a barman.

He was found guilty in 2005 after his team's win in that year's Champions League final.

Mr Shields and his family were said to be "absolutely ecstatic".

Mr Shields' parents, Michael Snr and Maria, have campaigned for his release since he was convicted.

Joey Graney, Mr Shields' uncle, said the family would like to see the Bulgarian authorities re-open the case and for the "real culprit to be caught".

He said: "This lad has lost four-and-a-half stone. Why should have a lad, a young innocent lad, have to have gone through what he's gone through? I honestly believe there should be an inquiry. There should be a public inquiry into this case and I think the government should pressurise the Bulgarians to re-open this case. They know who the real culprit is - everyone knows who it is and he should be made to stand up and face what he really [did]."

(See above link for the rest of the article)

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