When he attempted to take photographs of youngsters destroying the flowers in his pots and hanging baskets to show the police he was branded a paedophile. He turned to the police for help and phoned them on July 11. But instead Mr Ebrahimi was arrested on suspicion of a breach of the peace in front of a mob of around 20 children and adults who screamed “paedo, paedo” as he was led away. He was released without charge the next day. But rumours continued to circulate and two days later some of his neighbours came for him. Last month, a spokesman for Avon and Somerset police reiterated Mr Ebrahimi’s innocence: “We can categorically state he had not taken any indecent images and that nothing of concern had been found on his computer.”