Consular officials from the Australian embassy in Athens flew to Sofia on Monday December 31 2007 to see Paul "Jock" Palfreeman, who was held in custody on the accusation of a stabbing murder.

Palfreeman has been charged with murder and attempted murder after a brawl in the Bulgarian capital Sofia on December 28, Australian daily Heraldsun said.

Palfreeman had been arrested after allegedly fatally stabbing 20-year-old Andrei Manov, the son of prominent local psychotherapist Hristo Manov, during a brawl, the newspaper said.

He has been charged with Manov's murder and the attempted murder of another man who was badly injured.

Palfreeman has denied charges, saying he was trying to defend himself from being attacked by a group of men.

"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," the Heraldsun quoted an Australian department of foreign affairs and trade (DFAT) spokesman as saying.

"We are continuing to provide consular assistance to the man and his family in Australia."

There has been confusion about Palfreeman's identity with local reporters and police initially identifying him as Joe or John Paul Freeman, the Heraldsun said.

Palfreeman was 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 Heraldsun said.

The newspaper quoted a ministry of defence spokesman as saying that it was unknown how long Palfreeman had been in training at the centre and that 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 was quoted as saying.

"I wouldn't want to speculate on any disciplinary action that might be taken until the outcome of the proceedings," the spokesman said.