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In what will probably be his last interview Michael Shields has told Click Liverpool he is determined to clear his name despite the Bulgarian authorities attempts to undermine his efforts.
"The Bulgarians definitely don't want it but, I think if you can shame them into doing it, then they'll do it," said Michael today.
The 22-year-old Liverpool FC fan was pardoned and released from prison by Justice Secretary Jack Straw last month after spending four-and-a-half years behind bars.
Michael was convicted of the attempted murder of waiter Martin Georgiev whilst on holiday in Bulgaria in the aftermath of Liverpool's Champions League triumph in Istanbul.
Despite overwhelming evidence proving his innocence Michael was jailed by a Bulgarian court. He served most of his time in the UK before his release.
The campaign that sought his release is now focusing on proving his innocence, spearheaded by Labour councillor Joe Anderson who recently held a meeting with Bulgaria's Deputy Prime Minister.
"He was happy with the way it went," said Michael of the meeting. "We are still trying our best just to convince them.
"I think the most frustrating part of it is all red tape, it's a bit slow but we're trying to get it done as quick as we can.
"They're just so relaxed about it over there, they're kind of happy the way it's dying down because they're not taking so much flak.
Shields, from Edge Hill, does not believe anything would be achieved by working with the victim Martin Georgiev to bring the real culprit to justice. The Bulgarian waiter always maintained it was the then 18-year-old Shields who committed the attack.
"He's still standing there saying it was me that done it," he said. "I don't know if I sat down with him he'd agree to it.
"I think if someone showed him the evidence and he saw what happened it would probably open his eyes but there's reasons to why he's saying what he's saying.
"A lot of people don't want to hear it but, while it was a horrible crime, the fact that he got a lot of money for it means that he's never really going to want to turn around and want the truth to come out.
"He needs to realise that we're not going to stop until we can say to him 'You've been proven a liar, what have you got to say about that?'"
Shields is now adjusting to life out of prison and admits to getting annoyed now and again that he has missed so much in the past few years.
He says: "I'll sit there and go well I shouldn't have been in prison but I was. It's about getting rid of that as quick as I can and thinking I'm out now anyway so just forget about it, just deal with it.
"I don't forget about what's happened just move on."
- To hear what Shields has to say about his time in prison and what he has been doing since being back in Liverpool watch our video interview now.
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