Book Review No 26: Every Parent's Nightmare by Belinda Hawkins

While most Australians will be very familiar with the Chapelle Corby case, very few have probably heard of Jock Palfreeman. Yet Jock is living the same nightmare as Chapelle, he is currently stuck in a foreign prison for a crime he believes he did not commit and has very little hope of being released within the next decade.

Like thousands of other young Australian travellers, Jock set off for his big adventure back in 2006. Not one to stick to the normal tourist trail, Jock preferred to find off the beaten track places to visit, often volunteering and sleeping rough in his efforts to experience another culture. That was how he came to end up in Bulgaria. Having visited the country before, he was keen to head back and visit friends for the Christmas break in 2007. Unfortunately that decision set him on a collision course with an evil crime that left a young man dead.

Jock and his friends were having a night out in the city of Sofia. Although he did not normally carry a knife, on that night Jock made the fateful decision to borrow his friend's knife for protection - given that violence is a real issue in some areas of Bulgaria. As he and his friends were heading back home, they came across a group of hooligans who appeared to be attacking a young gypsy man. Initially electing to steer clear of the fray, eventually Jock put himself in danger to assist the young man - and that was when things turned really ugly.

There is not a clear account of what happened next, just dozens of different versions, which, when pieced together would seem to indicate that it was not Jock who stabbed and killed a young Bulgarian student. Yet Jock was arrested and has remained in prison to this day, charged with the murder.

Journalist Belinda Hawkins took a personal interest in the case and this book is the result of her extensive and thorough research. The odds stacked against Jock are monumental - language difficulties, being a foreigner, the fact that the murder victim was the son of prominent citizens as well as an inefficent and corrupt police system. His family have also worked long and hard in their efforts to have Jock's case appealed - but to this day, it has not happened. 

Although very well written, Every Parents Nightmare is quite information heavy. Also as there are so many accounts of what happened that night, it is easy to get a bit bamboozled with all the facts. For that reason I found I had to re-read parts and really think to get all the info straight.

All in all this is a hearbreaking story that is indeed every parent's nightmare. It will also make any parent whose child has returned safely home from an overseas adventure extremely grateful.