Michael Shields' family claim he is a scapegoat

Shields, 18, was jailed on Tuesday for attacking waiter Martin Georgiev with a paving stone.

However, Graham Sankey, 20, from Liverpool, has now signed a statement admitting the assault.

A spokeswoman for Shields' solicitors in Bulgaria said an application for bail was likely to be made on Monday.

Mr Shields visited the teenager in the Bulgarian prison and said: "My son's doing very fine at the moment."

An earlier unsigned statement by Mr Sankey was not accepted at Shields' trial.

But the fresh confession could help free Shields, who denied attacking the waiter in the resort of Varna.

'Brick thrown'

Shields' father and sister Melissa flew to Bulgaria from their home in Edge Hill in Liverpool on Thursday morning.

After visiting the prison, Mr Shields said of his son: "He's just got good news. He just passes his wishes to everyone in Liverpool and his mother and father and thanks to all the help and support he's being getting off everyone in Liverpool and Bulgaria.

"I hope the UK Government and the Bulgarian Government can get involved with each other and get this mess sorted out and get my boy home where he belongs to his mother and his loving family back home in Liverpool.

"Even if it puts me six-foot under I have promised I will get my boy home to his mother."

The engineering student said he was in bed when the attack took place after the Champions League final in May.

I have promised I will get my boy home to his mother Michael Shields snr

A spokeswoman for Shields' solicitor in Bulgaria said they had received the signed confession by fax and were now waiting for the original to arrive in the post.

She said an application for bail was expected to be made on Monday and an application for a reduction in sentence was expected within 10 days.

In the confession, electrician Mr Sankey, from Anfield, said he threw a brick at a group of people when he saw a fight. He claimed he did not realise at the time Mr Georgiev was injured.

Mr Sankey said: "I accept that I must have caused the serious injury to Mr Georgiev.

"My conscience has been tormenting me ever since."

His solicitor David Kirwan said Mr Sankey had suffered death threats and the decision to provide the statement follows "the worst days of his life and that of his family".

He added: "Graham had hoped that by admitting responsibility for the attack on Saturday that the Bulgarian courts would immediately free Michael Shields.

"Instead, the Bulgarian judge dismissed all rational pleas for an adjournment and sentenced an innocent man to 15 years in prison.

'Totally bewildered

"Graham was left shattered and totally bewildered by these turn of events. He wishes he could turn back the clock for both his own sake and that of Michael's."

Mr Kirwan said he is disappointed and concerned and is taking steps through the Foreign Office to ensure it gets to the authorities.

He also said he is "concerned to ensure that passions subside on Merseyside so the Sankey family can return to their home, and we can assess the situation and move forward. We can't proceed in a climate of fear."