A refugee was a ‘prisoner in his own home’ before his murder due to a ‘toxic’ series of failings, according to a charity which supported him.

Bijan Ebrahimi, 44, was killed in July 2013 and his body set on fire by his neighbour Lee James after he was wrongly accused of being a paedophile.

Stand Against Racism & Inequality (SARI) warned this week that single people from minority communities need to be listened to and not dismissed as ‘oddballs’ as it spoke out ahead of a harrowing new documentary.

In the Channel 5 film, the charity’s worker, Matt Dawkins, criticises the authorities for repeatedly failing the Iranian-born man, who was disabled.

Mr Dawkins, who holds back tears as he speaks about the killing, did not realise he was terminally ill at the time the show was being filmed and died last year.

SARI supported Bijan for several years up until two years before he was murdered but he had not been referred to the support group when he suffered the final phase of abuse on a council estate in Bristol.

Director Alex Raikes MBE told Metro.co.uk: ‘We have also supported his family since his death nearly eight years ago who have been so incredibly dignified throughout their quest for justice. 

‘This tragic event could have been avoided if agencies had believed in Bijan and worked together to protect him and take action on his behalf rather than to treat him as the problem. 

‘The agencies effectively colluded with the perpetrators, trapping Bijan in a toxic, dangerous situation that basically made him a prisoner in his own home.’

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‘Treated as worthless’

Bijan was beaten to death and his body set on fire outside his home in Capgrave Crescent, Brislington.

James, then aged 24, received a life sentence for murder in November 2013 after pleading guilty at Bristol Crown Court. Stephen Norley, aged 25 at the time, admitted assisting an offender and was jailed for four years.

A report by the Independent Police Complaints Commission found that Bijan had been failed by Avon and Somerset Police and that the force’s investigation had shown ‘the hallmarks of racial bias, conscious or unconscious’.

Officers ignored his pleas for help – including his final call about an hour before his murder – as he was viewed as a liar and a nuisance.

‘Bijan was not seen as a victim of racial harassment as he should have been,’ Ms Raikes said.

‘His continual complaints were seen as a nuisance. The important learning is that when you have a singled-out person who is different who is being ganged up on by hateful people – realise just how vulnerable they are and how hard it is for them to be heard. 

‘It is easier for agencies to listen to those people from white, majority groups who can shout the loudest than it is to listen to the quieter voice of the person that is different. 

‘Police and local authorities must go out of their way to protect single people from minority communities who are being targeted with hate crime and not see them as “oddballs” who are somehow asking for the abuse they are facing.’

In the documentary, neighbours claim Bijan behaved strangely towards women, writing them letters, and took pictures on his phone of children.

One, who is not identified, says: ‘Bijan brought all this on himself. He was the one who come out and started the trouble.’

Another, Tam McSevney, says: ‘I always thought he was some kind of sexual deviant, a peeping Tom or something like that, tied down with the paedophile stories. He was a bit creepy.’

The allegations of sexual impropriety have been thoroughly denied by his lawyer and Ms Raikes told Metro.co.uk that those who knew Bijan best were ignored by the authorities.

She said: ‘Bijan was seen as a loving, caring and peaceful brother and uncle by his family – they are the ones to judge what sort of person Bijan was. 

‘The agencies involved in his case had no right to judge his character – they did not know and love him. He was treated as worthless by his perpetrators and sadly also by some of the professionals meant to keep him safe. In the end this made him feel worthless too.’

Mr Dawkins is among those speaking out in the emotive documentary, which also features family lawyer Tony Murphy, George Ferguson, a former Mayor of Bristol, and two former police officers.

The discrimination caseworker says he was ‘amazed’ at Bijan’s housing block which he describes as ‘practically like a prison’ and says he had been subject to racism, called a paedophile and targeted with a barrage of abuse from people hanging around his home.

He also condemns the decision to move Bijan – who had back problems – to another council estate in Bristol in the light of the abuse he has suffered.

‘Missed opportunities’

Mr Dawkins says: ‘He’s not the one causing this problem, it’s everyone else who’s causing it. But the easiest thing is to move him out the picture and in doing so you’re almost condoning that behaviour and you’re saying to people “you can break into someone’s house, you can call him a paedophile” and I believe that’s part of the reason why the person who killed Bijan thought he could do it, because the police and council hadn’t done anything before.’

Filmed in his home, Mr Dawkins asks: ‘How many opportunities must have been missed for Bijan to end as a burning corpse?’

Speaking to Metro.co.uk, Ms Raikes said: ‘We want to pay tribute to Matt Dawkins who didn’t know when making this film that he was terminally ill. 

‘He was a young man who made such a difference in his short life and we want to thank him and the family he leaves behind for his incredibly valuable contribution to SARI’s work.’

In the aftermath of the murder, police officers Helen Harris and Leanne Winters were dismissed from the force. PC Kevin Duffy, who breaks down in the film as he talks about Bijan’s murder, was jailed for 10 months and PCSO Andrew Passmore for four months for misconduct in a public office.

Mr Duffy, a former community beat manager for Brislington, says: ’I’d been wrongly accused, wrongly convicted of something I didn’t do. Was I scapegoated? Most definitely.’

‘Tragic case’

A spokesperson for Avon and Somerset Chief Constable said: ‘The murder of Bijan Ebrahimi was a tragedy and we fully accept the policing response was wholly inadequate and we failed to protect him. 

‘We wasted no time in implementing substantial changes, and a recent report found that our force “responds well to incidents involving vulnerable people and works effectively with other agencies to protect them”.

‘We’re now recognised as a leading force in the use of data analytics which has transformed the way we work. Had we been able to use this approach in 2013, Bijan would have been identified as one of our most vulnerable victims, triggering the level of safeguarding he needed.’

A separate, independent review found ‘evidence of both discriminatory behaviour and institutional racism on the part of Bristol City Council and Avon and Somerset Constabulary’.

It found no evidence of racism on the part of any individual.

A spokesman for the council said: ‘Our priority is to make Bristol a safe place for all people seeking sanctuary and to create an environment in which they can feel welcomed.

‘This was a tragic case that should never have happened. 

‘We fully accept the council’s role in failing Mr Ebrahimi and his family, and we fully accepted the findings of the 2017 multi-agency review.

‘Following this, a task group was set up to ensure all partners take on board the lived experienced of disabled asylum seekers.

‘We have worked with the police, local hate crime prevention agency SARI, and equality and diversity specialists to deliver race awareness training across the council and the development of new strategies and processes and practices. We are determined that Bijan’s legacy ensures every community feels safe and welcomed by the city.’

*Murdered by a Mob: The Killing of Bijan Ebrahimi is due to air on Channel 5 on Wednesday, May 19 at 9pm.

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