My lovely boy was murdered by an Afghan terror suspect who posed as a baby orphaned by Taliban to sneak into Britain – however he’d already killed twice. It is torn my household aside… and now authorities try to cowl it up

Peter Wallace is haunted by the final moments of his beloved stepson’s life.

Peter wasn’t there, exterior a department of the sandwich chain Subway on a Bournemouth road, within the small hours of March 12, 2022, to witness the second 21-year-old Tom Roberts was stabbed within the chest by Afghan migrant Lawangeen Abdulrahimzai.

However Peter, who welcomed Tom into his life as a one-year-old when he met and fell in love with the boy’s mom Dolores, has seen the CCTV footage. It’s seared in his reminiscence.

He can recall every agonising second of watching Tom, who aspired to grow to be a Royal Marine, intervene in a heated row between his personal good friend and Abdurahimzai over an e-scooter.

‘I watched the CCTV of his final moments and the very last thing he did was put his arms out between the killer – I can not bear to say his identify – and his good friend,’ says Peter.

‘The truth that Tommy had each his arms stretched out meant that he wasn’t defending his physique, and the killer immediately reached into his trousers, pulled out a knife and stabbed him.’

Two years have handed, and the grief Peter feels is ever-present and has solely been compounded by all that has occurred since.

For within the devastating aftermath of Tom’s homicide, it emerged that this was no easy case of fallacious particular person, within the fallacious place on the fallacious time.

When he had slipped off a cross-channel ferry into the nation, in 2019, Abdulrahimzai had instructed Border Pressure officers he was a 14-year-old orphan, fleeing the Taliban.

The reality, nevertheless, was very totally different; in actuality he was 19 and had already killed twice earlier than that night time, gunning down two fellow Afghan migrants with a Kalashnikov rifle in Serbia in 2018 the place he labored as a folks smuggler, whereas zig-zagging his approach round Europe.

The quite a few failures that left an grownup killer free to stroll the streets, masquerading as a baby, then {the catalogue} of missed alternatives to identify the pink flags that would have served as a warning of the risks to return have been laid naked within the wake of the tragedy.

Blunder upon blunder that heaped agony on Tom’s grieving household, who, after Abdulrahimzai’s conviction for homicide in January final 12 months, accused the Border Pressure and Dwelling Workplace of systematic failures which allowed Abdulrahimzai into the nation.

That they had hoped {that a} full inquest into his demise would result in some accountability from the authorities.

However final week, these hopes have been dealt one other crashing blow when, after plenty of pre-inquest assessment hearings, senior coroner for Dorset Rachael Griffin dominated there was no want for a full inquest to happen.

Mrs Griffin dominated the inquest didn’t meet the standards for Article 2 of the European Conference of Human Rights, that the state knew or should have identified of an instantaneous danger to a person’s life they need to take affordable steps to cope with that danger.

She stated Tom and Abdulrahimzai have been strangers and though there was an ‘rising sample of violent behaviour and a danger to others of hurt’, on the time of the homicide the unlawful immigrant had not used a knife in an act of violence nor made any threats to kill since arriving within the UK in December 2019.

However for Peter, {the catalogue} of errors and missed alternatives is as damning because the mindless crime that robbed him of the boy he cherished and raised.

‘The killer did not simply take Tommy’s life – he destroyed my complete household,’ he says, sadly.

Peter and Tom’s mom Dolores began a relationship in 2001 and married six years later; Peter serving to to lift not solely Tom, however his elder sisters Patti and Erika. The couple went on to have a son collectively, William, who’s 14.

However Peter reveals that he and Dolores separated after practically 25 years collectively final March. Why? 

‘The pressure of attempting to be a traditional household grew to become an excessive amount of and we parted methods,’ he says. ‘It is devastated me as a result of we have been so glad earlier than this occurred.

‘I’ve a cherished reminiscence of myself and Dolores sipping tea in mattress on a Sunday, surrounded by Tommy and the opposite youngsters enjoying by our facet. It was a extremely healthful and wonderful expertise. Nevertheless it’s all gone now. Solely William has saved me going.’

Peter speaks with pleasure of the boy who he taught to experience a motorcycle and who grew right into a strapping younger man, albeit one who remained a delicate soul.

‘Tommy didn’t have an aggressive bone in his physique,’ he says. ‘Actually, I do not assume he ever had a battle in his life.

‘He did not actually exit an excessive amount of both, he was very homely. He and his buddies have been actually eager on holding match and wholesome.

‘For the final two years, Tommy had been coaching at a boxing gymnasium in Christchurch. He by no means appreciated hurting anyone so would primarily work-out, practice on the punchbags and spar.

‘I used to be happy as a result of he was any individual who would not say boo to a goose and I needed him to discover ways to take care of himself as a result of I understand how the world may be.

‘He’d constructed up a formidable physique and was happy with how huge his arms have been and the way toned he was. He was in actually good bodily form.

‘That is the factor that bothers me, he might have overpowered his attacker had he needed to or had the possibility to, however he did not have that aggression in him.

‘We at all times instructed him, ‘stroll away and reside one other day’ and so he was by no means one who’d exit on the lookout for fights. He was the gentlest child you might ever meet.’

On the night time violence erupted into his life, Tom, a part-time DJ, had been out with two buddies and was on the lookout for a cab dwelling when, within the type of innocuous scene that unfolds on many a metropolis road after an evening out, considered one of his buddies picked up an e-scooter from the bottom exterior a Subway sandwich retailer and joked they need to experience it dwelling.

An enraged Abdulrahimzai stormed over and confronted them. Tom initially walked away, however returned when the argument grew extra intense.

He fastidiously positioned his hand out to recommend they have been of no menace however when the Afghani squared as much as him he slapped him away in self-defence. At this level, Abdulrahimzai produced a 10-inch, gold-handled knife from the waistband of his trousers and stabbed Tom, twice.

Recalling the second the household have been instructed, Peter says: ‘It was 5 or 6 o’clock within the morning and we acquired a name from Poole Hospital to say that Tommy had been stabbed and that it was very severe and will we come down.

‘We acquired there as quick as we might however once we acquired there, he’d already gone.

‘He’d died on the scene, the medics had managed to revive him sufficient to be taken to hospital however they could not save him.

‘The worst factor was not being allowed to see him. The police wanted to maintain his physique within the mortuary for forensic functions.

‘We could not hug him one final time and say goodbye. All we had was a bag of his possessions.’

First got here the heartache, then, as an investigation unfolded, the revelations.

It transpired that Abdulrahimzai had arrived within the UK on December 26, 2019, hidden in a automobile on a ferry from Cherbourg and instructed Border Pressure officers he was 14, however no age evaluation was carried out.

Astonishingly, he was positioned into two secondary faculties in Bournemouth after claiming to have escaped Afghanistan, the place the Taliban had killed each his dad and mom.

Issues over Abdulrahimzai’s actual identification and age have been raised on a number of events – together with by his foster carer. His fingerprints have been taken a number of weeks after arriving within the UK and revealed he had hyperlinks with Norway and Italy.

The prints have been despatched to each nations however with no request for any additional data. If this had been carried out it could have revealed his true age.

Neither have been Abdulrahimzai’s fingerprints shared with Interpol both, not till after Tom’s demise, when a search revealed that in September 2022 he had been convicted of capturing two males useless in Serbia.

Alarm bells may need rung so many occasions: when he was expelled from one faculty for carrying a knife on the premises, when he was faraway from care after threatening his foster mom, or when two days earlier than he killed Tom he was stopped by police for carrying a machete.

He was, as Tom’s household put it, ‘a loaded canon’, one which simply occurred to level at Tom.

There had been a lot promise to the life Tom was constructing.

Formidable, he’d not too long ago accomplished an engineering apprenticeship and had submitted an software to hitch the Royal Marines.

Peter recollects fondly how his stepson excelled at design and know-how as a scholar at St Peter’s College in Bournemouth after which at Highcliffe College.

‘He moved to Highcliffe and had deliberate to do A-levels there till he secured a two-year apprenticeship with a neighborhood engineering agency,’ he says. ‘I feel he was just a little bored of what he was doing to be sincere, he was hands-on and appreciated a problem and so needed to proceed with engineering however with the Royal Marines.

‘His father has a army background and Tommy was bodily very match. He signed up and despatched off the appliance a month earlier than he was murdered. We by no means heard again so won’t ever know if he would’ve been profitable.

‘Tommy had his complete life in entrance of him. He was smitten together with his girlfriend, Gemma. He instructed his mom and myself that he was actually eager on her. He hadn’t purchased an engagement ring or something like that; however I do not assume a proposal was too far-off. He’d talked about it.’

As an alternative of recent recollections, Peter is left with the outdated ones of the boy he cherished as if her have been his personal.

‘Tommy was an awesome child,’ he says. ‘I taught him to experience a motorcycle and we would usually exit collectively within the kayak – off locations like Lymington and Beaulieu – and he completely cherished being a part of Sea Scouts. He simply cherished the water.

‘He additionally performed rugby for a time when he was about ten. Nevertheless it was simply to maintain me glad often because I cherished rugby. Tommy was by no means that eager on enjoying as a result of he did not just like the considered getting harm or, worse, hurting an opposition participant.

‘When he first began enjoying, he’d chuck the ball away on goal however regularly he realized tips on how to cross and deal with.’

Peter has needed to maintain on to these recollections at nighttime days since Tom’s homicide.

‘I fell right into a pit of despair when Tommy died,’ he admits. ‘I did not know what to do.

‘I misplaced my stepson after which my spouse and needed to stroll away from work as a result of I used to be changing into too aggressive.

‘My background is in physiotherapy however most not too long ago I used to be working for an organization promoting medical provides and on a number of events I acquired into arguments with clients.

‘I used to be warned about my conduct and I knew I needed to step again earlier than issues grew to become even worse.

‘Individuals say that point is a superb healer however two and half years on and the ache is simply as intense – maybe much more in order I’ve misplaced all the things.

‘I am present process counselling however I am not the identical man I used to be. I watched Tommy’s final moments performed in courtroom. I did not need to, however I wanted to know what occurred.

‘I watched that man pull out a knife and stab the boy that I might taught to experience a motorcycle, took kayaking and browsing. The blow triggered him to stumble in the direction of some bins and fall down on the ground by no means to stand up.

‘That may change anybody. It is all about studying to deal with what’s occurred since you by no means recover from it.’

As for his son’s killer, he says: ‘There have been so many warning indicators that Abdulrahimzai shouldn’t be right here but the Dwelling Workplace did nothing about it.

‘It looks like all the things is being swept below the carpet and it’s a huge cover-up.’

On the time of the inquest ruling, a Dwelling Workplace spokesperson stated: ‘Our deepest sympathies stay with the family members of Thomas Roberts.

‘We are going to think about the findings of the coroner’s report, however it could not be applicable to remark additional within the interim.’

The Dwelling Workplace has been contacted for additional remark. 

Bloodstained journey of Afghan double assassin who shot two folks useless with an AK-47 in Serbia however was allowed to assert asylum within the UK earlier than killing once more

He was the drug dealing double assassin whose violent previous eluded the Dwelling Workplace and Border Pressure brokers when he claimed asylum on Boxing Day 2019. 

However barely two years after arriving in Poole, Dorset – having duped officers into pondering he was a 14-year-old boy – ‘knife obsessed’ Lawangeen Abdulrahimzai added a 3rd sufferer to his physique depend, murdering harmless Thomas Roberts in chilly blood. 

The 21-year-old Afghan nationwide stabbed the aspiring Royal Marine to demise throughout an argument over an e-scooter in Bournemouth city centre in March final 12 months. 

And on Monday, Abdulrahimzai was discovered responsible of homicide following a trial at Salisbury Crown Courtroom – the place his bloodstained journey from Afghanistan to Bournemouth was lastly unveiled. 

In a shocking revelation, the courtroom heard how Abdulrahimzai had been handed a 20-year jail sentence in his absence for ruthlessly slaughtering two fellow Afghans in Serbia, gunning them each down with an AK-47 assault rifle in 2018.

Earlier, the courtroom heard how as a 15-year-old little one, Abdulrahimzai had been tortured and left for useless by the Taliban – who had beforehand executed each his dad and mom when he was simply 4 or 5. 

Now Abdulrahimzai’s journey may be revealed.  

October 2001: Lawangeen Abdulrahimzai claimed, like many Afghan kids, to not know his date of start. However a courtroom later decided that he was born round this time – simply weeks after Al-Qaeda boss Osama bin Laden masterminded the 9/11 terror assaults in America. 

Abdulrahimzai stated he was 4 or 5 years outdated when his dad and mom have been killed by the Taliban within the Laghman province within the east of the nation.

Oct 2015: Having been tortured by the Taliban and left for useless together with the street, Abdulrahimzai is smuggled out of Afghanistan via Pakistan by a person described as his ‘uncle’. He has his fingerprints taken in Serbia, after which a number of weeks later in Norway.

Jul 2016: Abdulrahimzai, utilizing considered one of his many pretend names, has his fingerprints taken within the northeastern port metropolis of Trieste, Italy.

Feb 2017: He’s convicted of two drug offences in Italy and handed a suspended sentence.

Jun 2017: Abdulrahimzai is again in Serbia.

Jul 31 to Aug 1, 2018: Abdulrahimzai weapons down two fellow Afghans with an assault rifle at a shed close to a motorway in Dobrinci in an obvious argument about folks smuggling. He flees in a taxi. He’s declared a needed man by Serbian authorities.

Oct 2018: Abdulrahimzai is again in Norway.

Nov 2019: He applies for asylum in Norway, however is refused.

Dec 26 2019: Weeks later, Abdulrahimzai travels as an unaccompanied passenger on a Brittany Ferries service from Cherbourg in France to Poole in Dorset. Upon arrival, he tells officers he’s 14, when in actuality he’s regarded as round 19 years outdated. 

Jan 2, 2020: He’s positioned into the foster care of Nicola Marchant-Jones, an skilled foster carer in Bournemouth. Adbulrahimzai, who’s initially unable to talk English, later begins attending faculty regionally – the place the wicked killer went on to ‘terrify’ younger women, sending them indecent selfies, and beating up younger boys.

Nov 2020: Abdulrahimzai goes on trial, in his absence, in Serbia for the double-murder. He’s convicted and sentenced to twenty years in jail.

Dec 2020: Ms Marchant-Jones raises the alarm with social companies, who contact police, after she spots Abdulrahimzai with a knife throughout a procuring journey. He’s spoken to, however not arrested.

2021: Dwelling Workplace’s Forestall anti-terrorism activity group was instructed Abdulrahimzai was ‘vulnerable to terrorism’ in 2021.

Aug 2021: Abdulrahimzai has an argument together with his foster mom and leaves the house. He’s later positioned with one other household.

Mar 10, 2022: Dorset Police obtain a report that he’s carrying a knife. No weapon is discovered, nevertheless, and no arrests are made.

Mar 12, 2022: Abdulrahimzai headbutts a person throughout a row exterior a nightclub in Bournemouth. Moments later, he will get into an argument with 24-year-old James Medway over an e-scooter.  Thomas Roberts, 21, acts as ‘peacekeeper’ however is then stabbed twice by Abdulrahimzai. The incident lasts lower than half a minute. The killer escapes on foot. Aspiring Royal Marine Mr Roberts dies later in hospital.

Mar 13, 2022:  Abdulrahimzai is arrested after by chance leaving his cellphone on the scene. He tells officers he’s 16 years outdated.

Jan 23, 2023: Abdulrahimzai, decided by a courtroom to be 21, is convicted of murdering Mr Roberts and jailed for a minimal time period of 29 years.

January 2024: Senior coroner Rachael Griffin guidelines at a pre-inquest assessment listening to that Tom’s demise was not associated to a terrorist incident or terrorist exercise and Dwelling Workplace Forestall critiques aren’t related to this inquest.

September 2024: Senior coroner guidelines there is no such thing as a want for a full inquest Dwelling Workplace failings to happen.