PM’s wife backs ‘free Michael Shields’ bid

Nov 26 2008 by Mike Chapple, Liverpool Daily Post

THE tears in the eyes of two women yesterday told their own story of the pent up emotion and sadness in the battle to get Liverpool supporter Michael Shields freed from his jail sentence.

Michael’s mother, Maria, could not hold back her feelings after she walked into 10 Downing Street to present a personal letter about her son’s case to Sarah Brown, the wife of the Prime Minister.

And the compassion that Mrs Brown obviously felt for another women in distress clearly showed as she embraced Mrs Shields during their 10 minutes together.

“She sat there listening to what I had to say about Michael. There were tears in both our eyes,” said Mrs Shields. “She said ‘As a family, you have our support’, and she will be reading the letter and let Jack Straw know that we have met today.”

The emotional meeting was seen as an important step forward in the campaign launched after Shields, 22, was jailed for 15 years in Bulgaria in 2005 after a barman was attacked after Liverpool FC’s European Cup Final victory in Istanbul.

Despite another man confessing to the attack, Shields was jailed and his sentence reduced to 10 years on appeal.

He was transferred to the UK to serve the remainder of his sentence, but his supporters never halted their campaign to prove his innocence.

The case was delayed in months of legal argument between the Government and the Bulgarian authorities, who say the UK has the power to free Shields. But the Government disagrees, meaning Shields would have to serve the sentence in full where he is currently jailed at HMP Haverigg in Cumbria.

A judge at London’s High Court decided last month that Shields’ case should be heard by three judges and the judicial review hearing is due to begin on December 4.

The Shields family were later joined at a demonstration outside the Ministry of Justice by supporters and well-wishers with placards and a banner saying “Free Michael Now”.

During a press conference, Mrs Shields and her husband Michael, sat with the Bishop of Liverpool, the Right Rev James Jones, Liverpool Riverside MP Louise Ellman, and Euro MP Arlene McCarthy.

The Bishop said failure to deal justly with the Shields case was “nothing short of a scandal”.

“I have read the transcript of the trial and studied the case and I have talked to and listened to Michael on a number of occasions and I too believe that he is innocent. I believe with my colleagues here this is indeed a travesty of justice,” he said.

“The impotence of the system to deal justly with this case and to instigate a review is nothing short of a scandal.”

Bishop Jones said it appeared to him that the fan’s case had become “lost in a chasm between two jurisdictions”.

“It is extraordinary this should happen to somebody, especially when these two countries are within the same European Union.”

Mr Shields, a window cleaner, from Towerlands Street in Liverpool, said: “We have seen our son go through hell. I have suffered with my health and my wife has lost her job. We have been through an absolute nightmare. No family should go through this.”

Mrs McCarthy accused the Bulgarian authorities of refusing to “engage” with Mr Shields' legal team, and “refusing to engage” in terms of reopening the case and looking at new evidence.

She said: “I feel that, with Michael personally and the Shields family, what they have had to go through is nothing short of a travesty.

“I do believe the pain, the depression and the problems they have had in trying to deal with Michael being in prison as a miscarriage of justice has been phenomenal. But I believe they have dealt with it bravely and have never given up hope.”

Mrs Ellman said: “We feel strongly Michael is a victim of a miscarriage of justice.”

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