Straw provisonally rejects Liverpool fan's pardon

By Michael Holden

LONDON (Reuters) - Justice Secretary Jack Straw has provisionally ruled out granting a pardon to a Liverpool football fan jailed by a Bulgarian court for an attempted murder he denies, his department said on Thursday.

Michael Shields was convicted in July 2005 of smashing a rock over the head of bartender Martin Georgiev during a street brawl in the Golden Sands resort.

He was convicted in Bulgaria but transferred to a British prison to finish his 10-year sentence.

In December, the High Court ruled that Straw had the "power and jurisdiction" to exercise the ancient "royal prerogative of mercy" to pardon Shields, who has always maintained his innocence.

But Straw said he had provisionally decided to turn down Shields' appeal.

Straw said in order to pardon Shields he had to be satisfied that the Liverpool fan was "morally and technically innocent."

"This is a very high test and the Justice Secretary has provisionally concluded that on the evidence he currently has, that test is not met," the Ministry of Justice said in a statement.

"The Justice Secretary recognises, of course, that many will be disappointed by his decision. But in exercising this quasi-judicial function, he has adopted the approach that the Court expected him to adopt."