Every Parent's Nightmare: Jock Palfreeman and the true story of his father's fight to save him from a lifetime in a Bulgarian jail

Belinda Hawkins

Every Parent's Nightmare: Jock Palfreeman and the true story of his father's fight to save him from a lifetime in a Bulgarian jail
Format
Paperback
Publisher
Allen & Unwin
Country
Australia
Published
26 February 2014
Pages
336
ISBN
9781743318829

Every Parent’s Nightmare: Jock Palfreeman and the true story of his father’s fight to save him from a lifetime in a Bulgarian jail

Belinda Hawkins

What would you do if your son was jailed for life in a hellhole of a Bulgarian prison for a crime you believe he didn’t commit?

In 2009, young Australian traveller Jock Palfreeman was found guilty of the murder of Andrei Monov, the only son of two people well connected in the Sofia legal fraternity. He claims he went to the defence of gypsies being attacked by Monov and a bunch of soccer hooligans. The Bulgarians claim it was an act of cold-blooded murder.

In a case of many twists and turns, where vital evidence was kept out of court and crucial witnesses never called, Belinda Hawkins brings to life the legal battle that haunted two shattered families on opposite sides of the globe. She also reminds us of the dangers we all confront when travelling to worlds very different to our own. But it is the attempts by Jock’s father, Simon Palfreeman, to obtain justice for his son and the terrifying emotional cost involved that are at the heart of Every Parent’s Nightmare.

This is the harrowing story of what happens when worlds collide. It is also the powerful and heartbreaking story of one father’s fight to prove his son’s innocence.

Review

A GAP year spent travelling through Europe has become the norm for most Australian teenagers but what happens when the adventure goes seriously wrong?

The aptly named Every Parent’s Nightmare is a true account of Jock Palfreeman, a 21-year-old Sydney man who was convicted of murdering a young student in Bulgaria. Written by Australian Story reporter and Walkley Award-winning journalist Belinda Hawkins, the book meticulously chronicles Palfreeman’s journey, following an altercation with a group of football fans on a cold, dark street in the city of Sofia. Put simply, Hawkins’s novel is the story of what can happen in a foreign country, where both the language and legal system is a world away from what we know.

It’s hard not to feel a sense of injustice at the situation Palfreeman finds himself in. Crucial witnesses are missed, key evidence is overlooked and previous statements are deemed inadmissible throughout the court proceedings. Conflicting interests – personal, political and business-related – of key players are also exposed, including those of the victim’s parents . All the while, Hawkins makes clear the devastating impact on Palfreeman’s family as a father struggles to pull together every possible to resource to help his son.

One of the key themes of the book is the overwhelming impact media coverage can have on a case. Bulgarian reporters painted Palfreeman as a violent madman, an anarchist consumed with rage while similarly little kindness was shown by Australian papers back home. In contrast, Hawkins’ journalistic integrity shines through , highlighting gaps in the case without making assumptions and gently leading readers to draw their own conclusions.

Every Parent’s Nightmare is a gripping read, and an important one. Jock Palfreeman is still there, in Bulgaria, serving a life sentence for a crime he quite possibly did not commit.


Sharnee Rawson is a journalist with News Queensland.

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