British cops suspended after innocent man accused of paedophilia burned to death

Police and Crime Commissioner Sue Mountstevens says there are "some real questions that need to be asked" after the brutal murder of Bijan Ebrahimi who was burned to death by vigilantes after being wrongly accused of being a paedophile.

Bijan Ebrahimi, a keen gardener, took pictures of local youths as they attacked his plants and intended to hand the photographs to police as evidence.

But instead officers were called when he was seen with the camera and he was led away for questioning as residents chanted "paedo, paedo".

Officers realised their mistake at the police station and he was released, but rumours had already begun circulating that he was a child abuser and two days later he was beaten unconscious, dragged into the street and set on fire.

His family believe that he was failed by the authorities. "The police should have taken especially seriously his calls for help in the days before he was murdered," they said in a statement.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission has launched an investigation.

The three constables who originally went to Mr Ebrahimi’s maisonette have been suspended and served notices of potential gross misconduct charges; three other police officers involved in his detention have not been suspended but face the same charge. In addition, six civilian call handlers will be questioned to establish whether they treated Mr Ebrahimi’s cries for help with due seriousness.

Lee James, 24, pleaded guilty to murder at Bristol Crown Court and his friend Stephen Norley, also 24, admitted assisting an offender after deciding to "take the law into their own hands".

Original report here

　

　

　

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