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| Pardon appeal for Shields refused | Pardon appeal for Shields refused |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| Jailed football fan Michael Shields has had an appeal for a pardon provisionally refused by Justice Secretary Jack Straw. | |
| The 22-year-old was jailed for 15 years for the attempted murder of a Bulgarian barman after his team's victory in the Champions League Final in 2005. | The 22-year-old was jailed for 15 years for the attempted murder of a Bulgarian barman after his team's victory in the Champions League Final in 2005. |
| High Court judges ruled Justice Secretary Jack Straw had the power to grant Shields a pardon in December. | |
| Shields, from Edge Hill, Liverpool has always maintained his innocence. | Shields, from Edge Hill, Liverpool has always maintained his innocence. |
| A statement issued by the Ministry of Justice said: "Following a detailed and careful consideration of all the relevant evidence the Justice Secretary Jack Straw has made a provisional decision that the application for a free pardon from Mr Michael Shields should be refused. | |
| "Mr Straw has made his decision in accordance with the High Court judgment of 17 December 2008 which indicated that, in order to grant a free pardon, he would have to be satisfied that Mr Shields was morally and technically innocent." | "Mr Straw has made his decision in accordance with the High Court judgment of 17 December 2008 which indicated that, in order to grant a free pardon, he would have to be satisfied that Mr Shields was morally and technically innocent." |
| New evidence | |
| The football fan is currently serving his sentence at Thorn Cross Young Offenders Institute, in Appleton Thorn, Warrington. | The football fan is currently serving his sentence at Thorn Cross Young Offenders Institute, in Appleton Thorn, Warrington. |
| A government committee was set up by Mr Straw to review new evidence which came to light after Shields' trial in Bulgaria which cast doubt on his original conviction. | |
| Shields was with a group of friends who visited the Golden Sands resort in Varna, Bulgaria, after the club's Champions League win. | |
| He was arrested with several others by local police on 30 May 2005 after barman Martin Georgiev was hit on the head with a paving slab, suffering a fracture skull. | |
| He was convicted later that year and transferred to serve out his sentence, which was reduced on appeal to 10 years, in the UK in 2006. | |
| Shields' parents Marie and Michael Snr, who have led the campaign to see him freed, are said to be 'too upset' to talk about the decision. |