Red flags missed before killer asylum seeker murdered man over scooter

Lawangeen Abdulrahimzai was on the run from murder charges in Serbia when he arrived in the UK but his violent past went undetected

Lawangeen Abdulrahimzai, caught on CCTV on a bus in Bournemouth (PA Media)

An asylum seeker who murdered a man in a row over a scooter was already on the run for a double murder overseas.

Questions have been raised over a series of “red flags” that should have alerted the authorities of the danger Lawangeen Abdulrahimzai posed before he killed Thomas Roberts in Bournemouth last year.

Hewas sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 29 years at Salisbury Crown Court on Wednesday.

Lawangeen Abdulrahimzai murdered Thomas Roberts following an argument over a scooter, outside a Subway sandwich shop (Dorset Police/PA)

But before arriving in the UK Abdulrahimzai had already killed two people in one country and had been arrested on drugs charges in another. He also published photographs of a knife he owned on social media and threatened his foster carer.

Immigration minister Robert Jenrick said the Home Office will look at the full circumstances surrounding the case “so lessons can be learned”. Below we look at some of the red flags that could have prevented a tragedy.

Abdulrahimzai had a criminal record in Serbia

Abdulrahimzai captured on CCTV on a bus in Bournemouth (PA Media)

After the verdict was delivered at Salisbury Crown Court, prosecutor Nic Lobbenberg revealed Abdulrahimzai had been previously convicted of murdering two people in Serbia.

He was found guilty of two counts of murder as well as a related firearm offence in 2020, following a trial in his absence having already fled the country.

The killer had been sentenced to 20 years in prison for the offences, which took place between July 31 and August 1 2018.

Abdulrahimzai was also previously convicted of drug-dealing in Italy and given a non-custodial sentence after pleading guilty, the court heard.

He lied to authorities about his age

Lawangeen Abdulrahimzai on trial at Salisbury Crown Court (Dorset Police/PA) (PA Media)

Abdulrahimzai, who arrived in the UK in December 2019, told the authorities at the time of his arrest he was 16. Salisbury Crown Court later determined his age to be 21.

He was able to enter Britain posing as a 14-year-old schoolboy, claiming to be an unaccompanied child fleeing the Taliban. Abdulrahimzai had repeatedly resisted efforts by immigration officials to determine his real age, having missed appointments and refused to provide documentation.

The Prime Minister’s spokesman said scientific checks for age are already in place in other countries and that the UK is now looking to follow suit.

“We are considering the report of the Age Estimation Science Advisory Committee on scientific methods to assess the age of asylum seekers – and resolve the age disputes – which are indeed in place in countries like Norway, Denmark and Sweden,” he added.

Police were repeatedly warned he carried a knife

According to reports, police were warned seven times that Abdulrahimzai had been carrying a knife before he went on to stab Mr Roberts.

He had previously been seen carrying a knife by his foster parent, who had warned him not to. He had also been warned by police and social workers of the dangers of carrying a knife.

During the trial in Salisbury, the defendant was described as having a “fascination with knives.”

He posted pictures of his knife on social media

Before committing the incident, Abdulrahimzai had shared pictures of himself posing with a knife measuring approximately 10 inches on social media.

He claimed to the court he was carrying it because he was “fearing” for his life after escaping from Afghanistan.

The court also heard that he had been filmed on Snapchat assaulting a man in the street, and that he got into fights for money.