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LONDON- Australian diplomats have visited a Sydney man being held behind bars in Bulgaria for allegedly stabbing another man to death.
Paul "Jock" Palfreeman, 21, has been charged with murder and attempted murder after an alleged street brawl in the Bulgarian capital Sofia last Friday.
He denies both charges and says he had been trying to defend himself from being attacked by a group of men.
Consular officials from the Australian Embassy in Athens flew to Sofia to meet Palfreeman on Monday, when he was charged and remanded in custody by a judge.
"There has been one of the consular officials from our embassy in Athens who travelled to Sofia on the 31st (of December) and saw the Australian man," a Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) spokesman said.
"We are continuing to provide consular assistance to the man and his family in Australia."
Palfreeman, who also uses the first name Jock, is believed to have been arrested while on holiday with friends in Bulgaria for Christmas.
He has denied the charges against him.
There has been confusion about Palfreeman's identity, with local reporters and police initially identifying him as Joe or John Paul Freeman.
He is enrolled as a private in the British army's 1st Battalion Infantry Training Centre at Catterick in northern England, under the name Paul Palfreeman.
The centre is home to the British army's largest garrison.
A Ministry of Defence spokesman said it was unknown how long Palfreeman had been in training at the centre and the army was in the process of contacting authorities in Bulgaria to find out more details about his arrest.
"Obviously we are keeping an eye on the situation," the spokesman said.
"I wouldn't want to speculate on any disciplinary action that might be taken until the outcome of the proceedings."
Palfreeman was arrested after allegedly fatally stabbing 20-year-old Andrei Manov, the son of prominent local psychotherapist Hristo Manov, during a brawl.
He has been charged with Mr Manov's murder and faces another charge of attempted murder after another 19-year-old man was badly injured during the alleged fight.
Palfreeman is expected to appear before Sofia City Court on January 8.
Bulgarian officials believe he entered the country on December 22.
- AAP
