MICHAEL Shields' father today urged Graham Sankey to stand by his original confession and help to free his innocent son from jail.
The 45-year-old window cleaner, in Bulgaria with his wife Maria, was stunned by Sankey's U-turn outside Liverpool magistrates court yesterday.
Electrician Sankey confessed last July to the attack for which Michael Shields is serving 15 years in a Bulgarian jail.
But yesterday his solicitor, David Kirwan, read a state-ment in which Sankey, from Anfield, retracted his confession - minutes after contesting a police bid to ban him from football matches.
Sankey's legal team now feel the attack their client admitted to was different from the one in the Shields case.
Michael Senior, who must break the news to 19-year-old Michael as he waits for his final appeal, said: "Graham Sankey admitted last July he caused the injuries to Bulgarian waiter Martin Georgiev and he also said Michael is innocent.
"He actually said: 'I accept I might have caused the serious injuries to Mr Georgiev. My conscience has tormented me ever since. I read in the papers about Michael Shields and I could not let any innocent man take the blame.'
"If he believes he had an involvement, he should present himself in Bulgaria so he can clear his own name and my son's name."
