Asylum seeker jailed for murdering man after lying about his age to enter UK
An asylum seeker who stabbed a man to death in a row over an e-scooter has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 29 years.
Lawangeen Abdulrahimzai killed aspiring marine Thomas Roberts, 21, outside a Bournemouth Subway sandwich shop in March last year.
Following his conviction on Monday, it was revealed Abdulrahimzai, 21, was already a convicted killer who gunned down two people in Serbia and dealt drugs in Italy.
The Afghan national was granted entry to the UK in 2019 after telling authorities he was a 14-year-old schoolboy whose parents had been killed by the Taliban.
His lies were so convincing, he was placed in foster care with a woman who told the Mail she ‘had to accept he was 14’.
A court heard Mr Roberts was acting as ‘peacemaker’ after his friend James Medway got into an argument with Abdulrahimzai in the early hours of March 12.
Mr Medway wanted to take an e-scooter Abdulrahimzai had claimed for himself and left propped against the Subway on Old Christchurch Road.
The confrontation, which lasted only 24 seconds, saw Mr Roberts slap Abdulrahimzai in the face.
He responded by revealing a knife he had hidden between two pairs of trousers and stabbed Mr Roberts twice before running away into nearby woodland.
Abdulrahimzai buried the knife in the woods before burning his trousers, jacket, and an Afghan flag he was wearing as a scarf.
He was arrested after police traced his mobile phone that he dropped as he fled.
The convicted triple killer admitted manslaughter at Salisbury Crown Court but a jury found him guilty of murder.
Jailing him for life, Judge Paul Dugdale said: ‘I sentence on the basis that Mr Abdulrahimzai was at all times the aggressor that night and by his behaviour created a situation that led to Thomas Roberts’ death.
‘Over and above that, he was looking for trouble.’
Turning to Abdulrahimzai, the judge continued: ‘You started the conflict, and throughout you were the threatening aggressor.
‘In seconds you took the life of a thoroughly decent man with a bright future who was loved greatly by so many people.
‘Your momentary act of extreme, senseless violence has left a family with a tragic loss that they will feel for the rest of their lives.’
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