Family of man murdered by asylum seeker posing as child accuse authorities of 'sweeping his death under the carpet'

5 September 2024, 09:37

By EJ Ward

The family of a young man aspiring to join the Royal Marines, who was murdered by an asylum seeker, has slammed the decision to cancel an inquest into his death, accusing the authorities of attempting to ‘sweep it under the carpet’.

Tom Roberts, a 21-year-old DJ, was fatally stabbed in the chest by Afghan national Lawangeen Abdulrahimzai on 12 March 2022, outside a Subway restaurant after he intervened in a row over an e-scooter.

Before he'd even reached Britain, Abdulrahimzai had already murdered two fellow Afghans in Serbia following an argument over what may have been related to the people-trafficking business, a court heard.

Abdulrahimzai, who had also sold drugs in Italy, was 18 when he came to the UK, but managed to convince authorities he was a 14-year-old boy whose parents had been killed by the Taliban.

He was placed with a foster carer despite having been convicted in his absence for gunning down two people in Serbia with an AK-47 assault rifle.

Despite this, he was placed into two secondary schools in Bournemouth, Dorset, before being expelled from one for carrying a knife. Just two days before he took Roberts’ life, he was stopped by police for possessing a machete.

In January 2023, Abdulrahimzai was sentenced to 29 years in prison for Roberts’ murder at Salisbury Crown Court. It was revealed that the Home Office’s Prevent anti-terrorism programme had flagged him as ‘susceptible to terrorism’ in 2021.

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Police statement after sentencing of Lawangeen Abdulrahimzai

The Roberts family had previously held the Border Force and Home Office accountable for systemic failures that allowed Abdulrahimzai to enter the country.

They were hoping a full inquest would bring these failings to light. However, following several pre-inquest hearings, Dorset’s senior coroner, Rachael Griffin, determined that a full inquest was unnecessary.

Ms Griffin ruled the inquest did not meet the criteria for Article 2 of the European Convention of Human Rights, which states that if the state knew or ought to have known of an immediate risk to an individual’s life, it must take reasonable steps to deal with that risk.

Ms Griffin acknowledged that there were “individual errors” but said they “do not amount to a systemic failure”.

The family expressed deep disappointment with this outcome, alleging a cover-up by the authorities. They believe that if immigration checks had been properly conducted when Abdulrahimzai arrived in Poole, Roberts would still be alive today.

Dolores Wallace-Roberts, Tom’s mother, voiced her frustration: “I am very disappointed by the coroner’s decision not to resume the investigation into his death. It is unfair. "The Home Office don't want to engage with us. They are accountable and there is negligence there but they just block any attempts to find out more."

"I have very serious concerns about how Border Force checks the identity of those arriving in England and whether they are criminals and how BCP Council checks the ages of those claiming to be children.

"I have concerns about the response of Dorset Police to a report of someone carrying a machete in a public place and the failure of the authorities to check and share information, which allows the status quo to continue.

"Everything is wrong in this country and it will continue to happen again."

Peter Wallace, Tom’s stepfather, echoed her sentiments: "It feels like everything is being swept under the carpet and it is a bit of a cover-up.

"The Home Office has never apologised to me because if they did they would have to admit their failings.

"It is disappointing that lessons will not be learnt about their complete failures, but they don't want them out in the open."

In her ruling, Coroner Griffin stated that the case did not meet the criteria for Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which holds that authorities must act on known risks to life. She noted that, while Abdulrahimzai exhibited a pattern of violent behaviour, there had been no indication that he posed an immediate threat to life at the time of Roberts’ murder.

Despite the glaring oversights in Abdulrahimzai’s case, including missed opportunities to uncover his criminal history, Griffin maintained that it was speculative to suggest these failings directly led to Tom Roberts’ death. She explained that Abdulrahimzai had entered the UK without undergoing proper age assessments, which were further delayed despite concerns raised by his foster carer.

During his time in the UK, numerous warnings about Abdulrahimzai's violent tendencies went unheeded. He carried knives and was implicated in several incidents, including an alleged assault at school. In the days leading up to Roberts’ murder, police were informed of Abdulrahimzai wielding a machete in public but failed to take further action when they were unable to access his residence.

In a tragic postscript, it was not until after Tom Roberts’ death that Abdulrahimzai’s fingerprints were shared with Interpol, revealing his prior conviction for double homicide in Serbia.

BCP Council, which took Abdulrahimzai into care as an unaccompanied child asylum seeker, responded by stating that once the immigration services deemed him under 18, they were obliged to provide him with care under government guidelines.

Dorset Police also issued a statement, acknowledging an internal review of their response to reports of Abdulrahimzai carrying a knife. Although they made efforts to locate him, the police said no immediate threat was identified, and there was no evidence of misconduct.

A Home Office spokesperson extended their sympathies to the Roberts family but refrained from further comment pending the consideration of the coroner’s report.