Sister of man beaten to death after he was wrongly accused of being a paedophile says her brother was killed because he was different

Bijan Ebrahimi wrongly accused of taking photographs of children

He was beaten to death and set on fire by neighbour Lee James, 24

Man sentenced to 18 years in jail for his murder while another, Stephen Norley, 25, will serve four for assisting an offender

Mr Ebrahimi's eldest sister has spoken about family's distress at murder



Says his only crime was 'being different' to other residents of Bristol estate



'Different': Bijan Ebrahimi was murdered by his neighbour after police wrongfully arrested him for taking pictures of children

The eldest sister of Bijan Ebrahimi, the innocent man killed when he was wrongly accused of being a paedophile, has said her brother died a 'terrible death' for being different.

The 52-year-old woman, who has asked to remain anonymous to protect her family, has spoken of her family's distress following the death of Mr Ebrahimi last year.



The NHS nurse spoke said her brother suffered years of racist abuse before being killed by his neighbours because 'he was not like them'.



Speaking to The Observer she said: 'A rumour was spread about Bijan that wasn't true.

'People need to understand the consequences when such allegations are made.



'His only 'crime' was that, for some people, he was not like them.



'Why should that lead to such a terrible death?'

Iranian Mr Ebrahimi, 44, moved to the UK in 2000. He was a trained plumber and carpenter, but was registered disabled and unable to work.



In July last year, he was arrested by police following false complaints he had been taking pictures of children near to his home in an estate in Brislington, Bristol.

Avon and Somerset police said a charge of paedophilia was completely unfounded and the man returned to his home.



It has since emerged that he was taking pictures of children damaging his plants.



Following the arrest, neighbour Lee James, 24, burst into Mr Ebrahimi's home, threatening him before dragging him outside.

James stamped on his head until he died before setting him alight. His burnt body was found just 100 yards from his maisonette.

Tragically, when he was murdered, he had been due to go on a family holiday - but his passport had expired.



On Thursday, James received a life sentence for the murder and will serve at least 18 years.

Another man, Stephen Norley, 25, pleaded guilty to assisting an offender and was given a four-year sentence. The judge called the crime an 'act of murderous injustice'.

Crime: Lee James, pictured left, pleaded guilty to the murder of Bijan Ebrahim while Stephen Norley, pictured right, pleaded guilty to assisting an offender

In the interview, the woman described a clash of cultures between her brother and several residents of the estate.

She said her brother - a Muslim - clashed with certain neighbours, in particular James, who would hold loud parties where drink and drugs were allegedly consumed.

She said Mr Ebrahimi, who considered leaving the estate five years ago to live with his sister when her husband died, also suffered racist abuse from some of his neighbours over several years.

The woman spoke of her distress at the fact that her brother had called police the night before he died asking for assistance - saying he trusted the force who ultimately left him unprotected.



An Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) Investigation has been launched in the wake of the attack.

Avon and Somerset Chief Constable Nick Gargan issued an apology after the tragedy, saying: 'Mr Ebrahimi was someone who deserved the protection of all of us and we are very sorry about what happened to him.



Wrongly accused: Mr Ebrahimi was attacked outside this building where he lived in Bristol 'It is clear that there was a collective failure on the part of statutory agencies and others to protect Mr Ebrahimi and we cannot wait for all the various external investigative processes to run their course before we start learning lessons for the future.

'We need to have some frank and candid local discussions with our partners and our communities about what we collectively can do to stop this happening again.



'Senior people in our own organisation have already put in place urgent actions to improve the way we respond to the vulnerable, handle reports of anti-social behaviour and identify repeat callers and victims and we will continue to talk to partners to improve the way we work together to protect the public.'



Loved-one: Manizhah Moores, sister of Bijan Ebrahimi, speaks to the press after the sentencing of Stephen Norley and Lee James at Bristol Crown Court

The IPCC said six police officers and six civilian communications staff had been interviewed by investigators.



Three Pcs have been interviewed under caution on suspicion of misconduct in public office, while an inspector, sergeant and a constable - who dealt with Mr Ebrahimi while in custody - have been interviewed for gross misconduct. The investigation against the inspector has since ceased.



A control room supervisor, a dispatcher and four call handlers who dealt with phone calls from Mr Ebrahimi have also been interviewed for gross misconduct.

Mr Ebrahimi's younger sister Manizhah Moores made an emotional statement about her brother's background and the distress her family have felt subsequently outside court.

She said: 'Burning Bijan's body took away the opportunity for us to pay our respects to our brother as we could not view his body before he was laid to rest.



'To us this felt like Bijan being murdered twice.

