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Man jailed for vigilante murder

Lee James, who murdered disabled Bijan Ebrahimi in a vigilante attack in Bristol, has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 18 years. James wrongly accused of Ebrahimi of being a paedophile before beating him to death and burning his body.

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Judge: Vigilante murder is deeply shocking

Judge Mr Justice Simon described the circumstances of the murder of Bijan Ebrahimi and the subsequent burning of his body as "deeply shocking."

He noted that the victim had made several calls to police reporting hostility from his neighbours and seeking assistance on the evening he was killed.

I make it clear that the decisions made by the police either in relation to the arrest of Mr Ebrahimi, his release or the response to his requests for help is not a matter for this court.

In the early hours of Saturday July 13 he emailed the beat manager saying that he did not feel safe to stay in his own home.

In the course of that evening a number of people went out into the communal area outside the flat.

By the later afternoon this group, fuelled by the consumption of alcohol, made abusive remarks for all to hear.

These remarks that he was a paedophile were as baseless then as they are now.

– Judge Mr Justice Simon

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