Michael Shields

[paulcooper4]

I was reading in the echo yesterday about how michael shields`s parents are wiped out now. All there life savings have been used up and they are having to rely on help from family etc now to pay for flights and the legal fight. His mum made a very good point in that when he is sent to prison on british soil very shortly, the publicity will die down after a brief flurry, but this is when they need money more than ever before. You see, as part of the deal struck to get michael bought to a prison over here, the shields family have to pay EIGHT THOUSAND POUNDS a month. Michaels dad is a window cleaner, and his mum lost her job for the council through having time off understandably with stress.These people can not afford anything like 8000 a month. I urge people to keep making donations, preferably on a monthly basis, enough people making small monthly donations will soon add up. Remember, this could just as easily be happening to you or your family. Also, I only use est1892 myself, but i understamd some of you post on a lot of fansites, it would be helpful to the family if you could do something similar to this on the other sites too. Now is the time we really need to pool together as LFC fans and show michael and his family that we have not forgotten them, and we WILL NOT forget them either. The lad only went to watch a game of football.
Thankyou


You can donate directly into HSBC - Account number :- 22296330 - sort code :- 40-29-08 or go to the website www.freemichaelshields.org and I think theres a link there to pay with paypal.

[Paul.S]

I cleared this thread of all the KT allegations as I said I would, but accidentally wiped the other posts also.

Sorry guys!

[Le Chacal]

Ian : If EU negociators accepted Bulgaria its because they fill all the criterias, "human rights", "fair trial"...etc included.

[paulcooper4]

I cleared this thread of all the KT allegations as I said I would, but accidentally wiped the other posts also.

Sorry guys!

hahaha never mind, it went a bit wrong anyway. better the way it is now i think!

[IanTheRed]

I cleared this thread of all the KT allegations as I said I would, but accidentally wiped the other posts also.

Sorry guys!

Oh ****, and you are in charge of the software?

Doomed, we're all doomed I tell ye.... mark1975 eat your heart out!

[Mumsafan]

I cleared this thread of all the KT allegations as I said I would, but accidentally wiped the other posts also.

Sorry guys!

You plonker!

[Mumsafan]

For those who missed it last time. Here's Spike's post from YNWA:


Just an idea but having seen the idea about a quid donation being made at the home games, and how it would be enough to bring the lad back here to serve his sentence.

How about opening this up to many of those who can't make it to the game and have a bring a pound to work day?

In return employers could let staff dress down or summat.

Another idea would be to 'Give Michael a break' and have a day whereby individuals forego a 15 minute workbreak in exchange for a £1 donation from their employer or even from the individual (£1 for 15 minutes is some way below national minimum wage so the employers gain if anything from the additional productivity).

With over 150,000 people employed in the city alone this could go some way towards bringing Michael back home.

For those who aren't in the city the 'bring a pound to work day' may allow them to do something worthwhile and swell the coffers at the same time.

Not many people will be aware that the release fund has interest added onto it so every day that nothing happens it becomes more out of reach for Michael's family to bring him home.

This isn't about large donations, it's about a lot of people doing one small act of sacrifice to bring Michael home.

[disco]

That's a million pounds over 10 years - 'kin hell!

How the hell can they justify that?! (the authorities I mean of course)

[Mumsafan]

I can't see how they can but we can't interfere in their justice system. What our govt have to do (and some MPs are doing) is make it difficult for this shower to become members of the EU , which they are desperate to do. They are hoping a deal can be arranged in exchange for our(GB) vote.

[Redzion]

Fight to free Michael has left our lives in ruins


By Greg O'Keeffe, Liverpool Echo


MICHAEL Shields's parents today revealed how the fight to free their jailed son has financially and physically ruined them.

Michael Snr and Marie Shields are penniless after spending £40,000 on the year-long campaign to bring the 19-year-old home from his Bulgaria prison.

Despite the generosity of supporters who have donated thousands of pounds to their appeal, the couple have forked out their entire savings since the Wavertree student was arrested and jailed last May.

The crippling situation has taken its toll on their health - with Michael Snr being rushed to hospital after a heart scare in June and Marie needing prescription pills to sleep.

Now they must pay up to £90,000 for Michael to serve his 10-year sentence in a British prison.



Last month, the ECHO revealed how Michael could be home by the end of August after campaigners paid £26,000 to the Bulgarian authorities to secure his transfer to a UK prison.


But the Bulgarians will insist that installments of £8,000 must be transferred every month until the fine is fully paid.


The couple have spent all their money to pay for flights to visit Michael and to fund the legal fight to have his conviction quashed.


The situation has become so bad they have fallen behind with the rent on their home.


Last December Mrs Shields, 46, lost her cleaning job with Liverpool council for taking too many days off with stress.


Mr Shields, 46, a window cleaner, said: "First the little nest egg we had saved up started to go and then everything else began to go until we were left with nothing.


"Now we are relying on the kindness of our family and everyone in Liverpool who is behind us.


"Atone point I was going to have to tell Michael we couldn't come and see him anymore because both our bank accounts were empty.


"But we had a family meeting and Michael's aunts and uncles and cousins started putting £20 a week in a kitty.


"We'd be lost if it wasn't for our family and the people who don't even know us but have got the generosity to put their hands in their pockets to help an innocent lad who is locked up."


Michael was originally jailed for 15 years after a Bulgarian court convicted him of attempted murder following an attack on waiter Martin Georgiev last May.


He has always maintained his innocence and his cause is being championed by campaigners including the Bishop of Liverpool, the Right Reverend James Jones, Jamie Carragher and Paul McCartney's brother Mike McCartney.


Anfield electrician Graham Sankey confessed to the attack, but judges refused to consider his statement and Sankey later retracted it.


At an appeal hearing earlier this year,the courtcut Michael'ssentence to 10 years, but ordered him to pay £70,000 in fines and compensation, which has been accruing interest ever since.


Developments have progressed quickly since the family met Europe minister Geoff Hoon at Westminster last month.


The former defence secretary has been in contact with the Bulgarian authorities to thrash out the small print of the deal after Michael's MP Louise Ellman asked him to intervene.


Mr Shields said: "The past 14 months has been like one big blur in many ways.


"Now we're looking at the reality of having Michael home and it's good just to get to that stage.


"But I'm scared that all this amazing support could dry up when we get him back on English soil. That's when we will need help more than ever because we've somehow got to find £8,000 a month for God knows how long."


Mrs Shields said: "The money doesn't mean anything to us. All I want is to have my arms around my lad again and have him home.


"The day he walks free I won't be worrying about all our money having gone or the rent. I'll just be crying because we'll have our lives back.


"I've tried to take every setback in my stride and stay positive. Some days I get up and go down to the campaign office and feel likeI'm busy and making progress.


"But other days it's like I'm back to square one.The hardest part is when I speak to him on the phone and those seconds before I have to put the phone down. It breaks my heart every time."


In July the ECHO revealed Paul McCartney was approached to headline a fundraising gala concert in Liverpool for the Bring Him Home appeal.


Liverpool FC season ticket holder Michael was arrested only days after watching the Reds win the Champion's League in Istanbul.


Kop hero Jamie Carragher has backed Michael's campaign and donated boots and shirts as raffle and auction gifts for the fund.


The winner of a raffle for Carragher's recent FA cup final winning shirt will be announced on the first day of Liverpool's new season, on August 19.


Reporter Greg O'Keeffe says . . .


MICHAEL will spend his first days back on British soil in Wandsworth prison, London.


He is likely to remain there for a month of assessments and checks before being transferred to a prison in the north west, possibly Walton.


Many people will ask how our prison service can justify keeping Michael behind bars after the prime minister has backed his campaign for justice. The simple answer is that it has no choice.


The foreign office has signed a contract with the Bulgarians that Michael will not receive special treatment in the UK and cannot be released until he has served his sentence.


That sentence could ultimately be about four years. Michael has already served a year of his 10-year sentence and may have to serve half.


His family will now pray that their appeal to the European Court of Human Rights, which is in its very early stages, succeeds.


The sobering fact is that some experts think the appeal process could still take up to two years.


Michael's backers


CLLR JOE ANDERSON: The no-nonsense Labour leader has become the backbone of the campaign. He was instrumental in raising enough money to pay for Michael to be transferred to a British jail. Cllr Anderson has become a close friend and confidant of Michael's parents and has visited the teenager several times in Varna jail.


MP LOUISE ELLMAN: The MP for the teenager's home ward Riverside forced the government to take notice of the case and even won the support of Tony Blair. She has used her contacts to ensure that the government cannot ignore the injustice.


BISHOP OF LIVERPOOL JAMES JONES: A face to face visit with engineering student Michael was enough to convince the leader of the Anglican church in Liverpool that he was innocent. He bravely chose to voice his concern over Michael's conviction.


THE LIVERPOOL ECHO: Telephoning the ECHO was the first thing Michael Shields Snr did after learning of his son's arrest. Since then the ECHO has put Michael's plight on the international agenda and ensured it remained in the headlines. We first revealed the confession of Graham Sankey and reporter Greg O'Keeffe was the first member of the media to interview Michael in his jail cell. ..SUPL

[paulcooper4]

yep thats the article mate, never thought of posting it on here thanks

[disco]

Right, so it's 90K - so £8K a month for almost a year. That should be do-able charity wise surely?

[IanTheRed]

Right, so it's 90K - so £8K a month for almost a year. That should be do-able charity wise surely?

Seriously? For a local 'fund' hardly known about by the non-football/non Merseyside fraternity? Its hardly the Dogs Trust, Rocking Horse appeal for Alder Hey or Cancer Research.

Remember he has actually been convicted of attempted murder (I believe was the crime) and nobody knows if he is guilty or innocent. We can all speculate but we don't have the facts until he gets a proper crime. This was also 14 months ago - the average Star or Mirror reader has an attention span which lasts 2 weeks (****ing hell Minny Dowling was forgotten about quicker than you can say Soham).

£8,000 from a small amount of people (I'd say 80% of Evertonians wouldn't give a penny, which splits Merseyside in two) every single month is one hell of an amount. Every day which passes means more people become apathetic.

[Mumsafan]

£1 per home game for 40,000 folk would work tho

[AnfieldForever]

Paul will be adding this to the top of the site either tonight or tomorrow...



with a link back to www.freemichaelshields.org