Two plead guilty to burning disabled man to death in unfounded vigilante attack

[PatPig]

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2478285/Innocent-man-burned-death-vigilante-neighbours-mistook-paedophile.html

"An innocent man was kicked and beaten unconscious before being burned to death by vigilante neighbours who mistakenly believed he was a paedophile.

Bijan Ebrahimi, 44, took a series of photographs of local youths attacking his hanging baskets and intended to hand the film to police as evidence.

But someone saw him with the camera and told police that Mr Ebrahimi, who was registered disabled and couldn't work, had taken inappropriate pictures of children.

Officers took him away for questioning and as Mr Ebrahimi was taken from his council flat in Brislington, Bristol, residents began chanting 'paedo, paedo'.

He was quizzed at a police station but officers soon realised the mistake and Mr Ebrahimi was released from custody.

But rumours had already begun circulating in the local community that he was a child abuser and he was murdered two days later.

A court heard how Lee James, 24, beat him unconscious and then, with the help of friend Stephen Norley, also 24, dragged his body into the street and set him on fire.

The pair will be sentenced for the brutal crime next month after entering guilty pleas at Bristol Crown Court."

"One resident, who wanted to remain anonymous, said: 'On the Thursday evening (before his death) everyone came out and they were calling him a paedophile.

'There were about 20 people out there all having a say. They had him down as a 100 per cent paedophile.

'When the police took him away everyone was cheering. Then he got released back into that.'

Another resident added: 'Whoever started those rumours now has to live with that. He wasn't a paedophile and he's now dead.That's a hell of a thing to have on your conscience.'

Both the Independent Police Complaints Commission and the local council have now both launched a review into the way the case was handled."

www.bristolpost.co.uk/Angry-mob-targeted-murdered-Bristol-man-wrongly/story-19997157-detail/story.html

"The Post has been told that James, who admitted murder, warned at least one parent that Mr Ebrahimi had been taking photographs of children in the crescent.

Several men came from nearby streets with the intention of "dealing" with the allegations by threatening him, but refrained.

Sources have said that Mr Ebrahimi was only taking photos of the children he believed had, at James' instigation, damaged his flower beds."

"The council has refused to say whether they received any complaints of anti-social behaviour from Mr Ebrahimi during his time in Capgrave Crescent.

It has also refused to confirm whether he made complaints about his flowers being damaged, or whether he was moved from his previous council house, believed to have been on Callington Road, because he was having trouble with neighbours there."

"In September, the IPCC confirmed it had served three constables who dealt with Mr Ebrahimi with gross misconduct notices after information about their conduct "came to light"."

[Dawndonnaagain]

How very sad. The poor man's family must be absolutely shattered by this.

[OneStepCloser]

Very sad, but unfortunately I am not suprised and I doubt this will be a one off. I hope they are subjected to very long prison sentences. The bayers on the side lines make me sick.

[AchyFox]

That's horrendous.

This is not a case of mistaken identity or paedophile "hunting".

The murderer deliberately labelled him as a paedophile when he took photographs of the murderer's younger gang members destroying his flowers!