Police had been warned as much as seven occasions {that a} violent Afghan asylum seeker was carrying a knife earlier than he went on to kill once more on British soil, it has emerged.
The Dwelling Workplace additionally did not examine the fingerprints of fugitive Lawangeen Abdulrahimzai towards police databases when he entered the UK – as a result of he falsely claimed to be a baby.
Abdulrahimzai was on the run from homicide costs in Serbia when he arrived in Britain and was later convicted in his absence of gunning down two folks with a Kalashnikov assault rifle.
Regardless of repeated warnings to UK police about Abdulrahimzai’s obsession with knives, he went on to fatally stab aspiring Royal Marine Tom Roberts in Bournemouth final 12 months.
Police launched this mugshot of Lawangeen Abdulrahimzai, 21, after his conviction for homicide
Abdulrahimzai murdered Thomas Roberts (pictured) with a ’10cm blade’ after an argument together with his good friend about an e-scooter outdoors a Subway sandwich store
A supply who knew the killer mentioned: ‘Once I noticed that somebody had been murdered on the town and an Afghan fella with a knife had been arrested, my ideas turned instantly to Abdulrahimzai.
‘I can’t imagine the police by no means discovered something on him.’
Members of the native cricket membership the place Abdulrahimzai as soon as performed mentioned they alerted Dorset Police that the Afghan, identified to them as ‘Lo’, was carrying a machete two days earlier than he murdered 21-year-old Mr Roberts. The pressure mentioned no weapon was discovered.
Police additionally acquired as much as six extra additional warnings about his tendency to hold a weapon whereas ladies on the membership had been instructed to ‘keep away’ from him.
On one event, Abdulrahimzai – who was later estimated to be as much as six years older than he claimed – was mentioned to have despatched a lady particulars of a failed suicide try after she spurned his advances.
A former good friend on the cricket membership, who requested to not be named, mentioned Abdulrahimzai would generally arrive ‘smelling of weed and booze’, and was additionally noticed with a knife – a lot to the alarm of fogeys.
He mentioned: ‘He got here to a coaching session on the Thursday earlier than the homicide with a machete in his bag.
‘We had been horrified. He was instantly banned. One of many mother and father refused to take him dwelling of their automobile as a result of he noticed it.
‘I have no idea how the police did not discover something. It was a machete, for Christ’s sake.’
A picture of a knife held by Lawangeen Abdulrahimzai in a video posted on his TikTok web page
Assassin asylum seeker Lawangeen Abdulrahimzai, seen right here on bus CCTV, pretended he was a baby to evade authorities
He mentioned membership officers instructed his foster mom, who mentioned she additionally instructed police ‘six occasions earlier than’ that she suspected he had a knife.
Quick-tempered Abdulrahimzai additionally challenged an opposition cricketer to a battle after an argument throughout a match, the supply mentioned.
He mentioned: ‘They had been giving our captain a little bit of stick, getting in his face, and Lo began being actually aggressive and responding to it.
‘He known as him out into the automobile park for a battle. Lo overreacted. He mentioned: ‘I will f*** him up.’ We calmed him down.’
Sources confirmed Abdulrahimzai was fingerprinted when he arrived within the UK in December 2019, telling officers he was 14.
Bloodstained journey of Afghan, 21, who mentioned he was a baby
Oct 2001 Lawangeen Abdulrahimzai claimed, like many Afghan kids, to not know his date of delivery. However a courtroom later decided that he was born round this time. He mentioned he was 4 or 5 years outdated when his mother and father had been killed by the Taliban within the Laghman province within the east of the nation.
Oct 2015 Having been tortured by the Taliban and left for useless along with the highway, Abdulrahimzai is smuggled out of Afghanistan by Pakistan by a person described as his ‘uncle’. He has his fingerprints taken in Serbia, after which just a few weeks later in Norway. Jul 2016 Abdulrahimzai, utilizing one among his many pretend names, has his fingerprints taken within the northeastern port metropolis of Trieste, Italy.
Feb 2017 He’s convicted of two drug offences in Italy and handed a suspended sentence. Jun 2017 Abdulrahimzai is again in Serbia.
Jul 31 to Aug 1, 2018 Abdulrahimzai weapons down two fellow Afghans with an assault rifle at a shed close to a motorway in Dobrinci in an obvious argument about folks smuggling. He flees in a taxi. He’s declared a wished man by Serbian authorities. Oct 2018 Abdulrahimzai is again in Norway. Nov 2019 He applies for asylum in Norway, however is refused.
Dec 26 2019 Weeks later, Abdulrahimzai travels as an unaccompanied passenger on a Brittany Ferries service from Cherbourg in France to Poole in Dorset. Upon arrival, he tells officers he’s 14.
Jan 2, 2020 He’s positioned into the foster care of Nicola Marchant-Jones, an skilled foster carer in Bournemouth. Adbulrahimzai, who’s initially unable to talk English, later begins attending college domestically. Nov 2020 Abdulrahimzai goes on trial, in his absence, in Serbia for the double-murder. He’s convicted and sentenced to twenty years in jail.
Dec 2020 Ms Marchant-Jones raises the alarm with social companies, who contact police, after she spots Abdulrahimzai with a knife throughout a buying journey. He’s spoken to, however not arrested.
Aug 2021 Abdulrahimzai has an argument together with his fostermother and leaves the house. He’s later positioned with one other household. Mar 10, 2022 Dorset Police obtain a report that he’s carrying a knife. No weapon is discovered, nonetheless, and no arrests are made.
Mar 12, 2022 Abdulrahimzai headbutts a person throughout a row outdoors a nightclub in Bournemouth. Moments later, he will get into an argument with 24-year-old James Medway over an e-scooter. Thomas Roberts, 21, acts as ‘peacekeeper’ however is then stabbed twice by Abdulrahimzai. The incident lasts lower than half a minute. The killer escapes on foot. Mr Roberts dies later in hospital.
Mar 13, 2022 Abdulrahimzai is arrested after by chance leaving his telephone on the scene. He tells officers he’s 16 years outdated.
Jan 23 2023 Abdulrahimzai, decided by a courtroom to be 21, is convicted of murdering Mr Roberts by jurors in Salisbury.
*WATCH: Asylum seeker headbutts reveller on evening out earlier than stabbing*
However, crucially, his data weren’t run by worldwide police and asylum laptop programs as a result of, on the time, he was being handled as a minor.
The next 12 months, fingerprint comparisons revealed his earlier rejected asylum claims in Norway and Italy.
However he remained free to hold on a 3rd asylum declare right here in Britain and murdered Mr Roberts in March – 27 months after arriving within the UK.
If his full historical past had emerged earlier it could have affected how the Dwelling Workplace handled his declare, probably revealed he was mendacity about his age, and Mr Roberts’ homicide might have been averted.
It’s understood human rights points performed a key function in Abdulrahimzai’s case.
Removals to Afghanistan have been nearly not possible when an asylum seeker claims they’re at risk from the Taliban, because the killer did.
Different kinds of authorized problem are continuously lodged when the Dwelling Workplace makes an attempt to take away migrants who’ve beforehand claimed asylum in different international locations.
Nonetheless, the Dwelling Workplace has refused to disclose particular particulars of Abdulrahimzai’s asylum declare and the way it was dealt with.
There has additionally been widespread concern over asylum seekers pretending to be kids with the intention to get hold of concessions in the way in which their claims are processed by the UK.
It got here as Dwelling Workplace minister Chris Philp mentioned X-ray checks to ascertain the true ages of migrants will probably be launched quickly.
Referring to Abdulrahimzai, the minister instructed BBC Radio 4’s In the present day programme: ‘He posed as 14 and along with immigration attorneys strung the method for years earlier than it was found he was an grownup.
‘It demonstrates why we want extra strong, harder age evaluation strategies. For the time being, age assessments are performed by a social employee interviewer.
‘What we have to introduce are scientific age evaluation strategies utilized in different European international locations together with X-rays of bones just like the wrist.
‘The immigration minister will probably be fairly shortly introducing these scientific bodily age evaluation strategies. This case is a really, very highly effective illustration of why we have to do that.’
Within the Commons, Conservative MP for Bournemouth East Tobias Ellwood demanded an investigation after there have been ‘so many pink flags missed that might have revealed what a risk to society this particular person was’.
Immigration minister Robert Jenrick replied: ‘As you may know sentencing is but to happen, however we will probably be investigating the total circumstances surrounding the case in order that we are able to guarantee we study all the teachings.
‘One that we are going to actually be taking ahead is a extra strong technique for assessing the age of these coming into the nation, making the most of trendy scientific strategies.’
Earlier this month, an impartial scientific panel arrange by the Dwelling Workplace put ahead proposals for bodily examinations to evaluate the age of asylum seekers.
They prompt utilizing a mixture of X-rays of the knowledge tooth and the hand or wrist, plus MRI scans of the knee or collarbone. The Dwelling Workplace is anticipated to roll out plans inside months, sources mentioned.
Abdulrahimzai was discovered responsible of homicide by a majority verdict at Salisbury Crown Court docket yesterday. He will probably be sentenced tomorrow.
Jurors weren’t instructed through the two-week trial that Abdulrahimzai shot two folks useless with an AK-47 in Serbia in summer season 2018 earlier than happening the run.
Dorset Police had been approached for remark. A pressure spokesman beforehand mentioned it was ‘not conscious of any earlier convictions associated to Lawangeen Abdulrahimzai’.
The spokesman mentioned: ‘Abdulrahimzai was not marked on any police intelligence programs throughout the UK as having convictions, nor was he marked as having convictions on the Police Nationwide Laptop or Police Nationwide Database.
‘Consequently, no earlier convictions would have been raised with any police pressure throughout the UK.’
