Invalid beaten, set alight after photographing vandals

Bristol City Council, which housed Bijan Ebrahimi, has launched its own inquiry. Photo / AP

On the few occasions the quiet and self-effacing Bijan Ebrahimi ventured outside his drab council maisonette on the outskirts of Bristol, it was to tend to his flower baskets. He did not work - he had a back problem and was registered disabled - so his focus was on his cat and his garden.

His interest in horticulture provided him with his greatest pleasure, but also played a significant role in his death.

When Ebrahimi saw local youths apparently vandalising his flowers, he took pictures of them. It was a decision that would lead to his being wrongly branded a paedophile by his neighbours.

One was so incensed by his alleged crime that he beat Ebrahimi unconscious, and, with the help of a friend, set him alight after dousing him with white spirit.

The two men will be sentenced next month after admitting their roles in the death of the 44-year-old Iranian national, who was described by his family as a caring, loving and unselfish man. Three police officers have also been suspended as an inquiry continues into how the Avon and Somerset force dealt with Ebrahimi's requests for help after the abuse began.

Six civilian call handlers are set to be questioned by the police complaints watchdog as it investigates whether his cries for help were taken seriously. Bristol City Council, which housed Ebrahimi, has launched its own inquiry.

Police went to Ebrahimi's home at Capgrave Crescent, Brislington, on July 11 after he called them to complain of damage to his flowers and harassment. When the officers arrived, a group of neighbours emerged to tell them that he had been taking pictures of children.

Ebrahimi was taken into custody, interviewed and released without further action. Police would also confirm later that he had not taken any indecent images and nothing of concern had been found on his computer. But his removal had set in motion the chain of events that would lead to his death.

- Independent