Vigilante murderer who killed Bijan Ebrahimi after mistaking him for paedophile jailed Bijan Ebrahimi, 44, filmed a row with his killer three days before he was killed Lee James burst in and pledged to 'f*** him up' 3 days before the murder The victim had earlier taken pictures of youths vandalising his flower baskets Police instead arrested him after neighbour reported him as a paedophile Two days after his release he was murdered by vigilante neighbours James pleaded guilty to murder; Stephen Norley, 24, guilty to assisting him James was jailed for life with minimum of 18 years in prison for the crime His accomplice Norley was jailed for four years at Bristol Crown Court A murderer jailed for life today after he killed an innocent disabled man burst into his home and told him 'I'll f*** you up' just days before he beat him to death and set his corpse alight. Disturbing footage taken by Bijan Ebrahimi shows Lee James, 24, threatening him after he was wrongly labelled a paedophile by neighbours. Mr Ebrahimi, an Iranian in his forties, was arrested by police following false complaints that he had been taking pictures of children in the Brislington area of Bristol. James stamped on his head until he died, and then set him alight in an attack on July 14. His burnt body was found just 100 yards from his maisonette. Days earlier video footage released today shows how James forced himself into his neighbour's flat and abused him before being dragged away by an unnamed woman, with witnesses hearing him say: 'I'll burn his house down'. Confrontation: Victim Mr Ebrahimi filmed his killer Lee James threatening to 'f*** him up' in a row three days before he was murdered Killer: James was filmed drinking and smoking with his children by Mr Ebrahimi, which led to a row and the police being called Andrew Langdon QC, prosecuting, said on July 11 James and his victim were involved in a row when Mr Ebrahimi filmed him drinking alcohol while looking after his children. Innocent: Lee James, 24, murdered neighbour Bijan Ebrahimi, three days after he was falsely accused of being a paedophile He said he would 'burn his house down'. 'Lee James was shouting at Mr Ebrahimi, telling him in abusive terms to stop taking pictures, to give him the camera, to delete the photographs,' the prosecutor said. 'At one point Mr James entered Mr Ebrahimi's home uninvited and remonstrated with him and threatened him.' James walked out and flagged down PCSO Raymond Kelly, who was driving a police car in the area. 'Mr James said if the police didn't deal with the situation he would deal with it himself. He repeated he wanted the situation sorted, he wasn't scared of being arrested of going to prison and would do anything to protect his children,' Mr Langdon said. Mr Ebrahimi himself called police and Pcs Leanne Winter and Helen Paris arrived at his home when James returned. They asked to see Mr Ebrahimi's footage, which was played to the court. The first clip showed James drinking with a can while standing by his children. The second showed James bursting into Mr Ebrahimi's flat and shouting at him, telling him 'take pictures of me and I'll f*** you up'. 'Get out of my house,' Mr Ebrahimi is heard saying, and then appears to sob when James left. James was given a life sentence by Mr Justice Simon at Bristol Crown Court today and told he would serve a minimum term of 18 years. The judge called it an 'act of murderous injustice'. Avon and Somerset Chief Constable Nick Gargan issued an apology after the tragedy, saying: 'Mr Ebrahimi was someone who deserved the protection of all of us and we are very sorry about what happened to him.' An Independent Police Complaints Commission Investigation has led to four constables, a sergeant and an inspector being served with notices of gross misconduct in the wake of the attack. Residents have spoken of the 'anger' and 'hostility' that was in the air locally when rumours circulated Mr Ebrahimi was a paedophile. Dreadful: James saw he was being filmed and pushed his way into Bijan's house to shout at and threaten him Following complaints that he had been taking pictures of children in the area, he was arrested on July 11 following an alleged breach of the peace after an angry mob had reportedly confronted him outside his home. He was later released. Later James barged into Mr Ebrahimi's home and told him 'he would take the law into his own hands', an earlier court hearing was told. 'Lee James was the instigator and the perpetrator of what the Crown say was a vigilante attack,' prosecutor Andrew Langdon QC said. Neighbours believe it was Mr Ebrahimi's determination to gather evidence of anti-social behaviour, damage to his garden and harassment that, through the false allegations it sparked, ultimately led to his death. James pleaded guilty to murder while Stephen Norley, aged 25 admitted assisting an offender. Prosecutors say Norley helped James drag Mr Ebrahimi's body away from the scene of the attack and had assisted in setting fire to his body by obtaining white spirit. On trial: Lee James, pictured left, pleaded guilty to the murder of Bijan Ebrahim while Stephen Norley, pictured right, pleaded guilty to assisting an offender Horrific crime: Police officers pictured investigating the scene in Bristol where Bijan Ebrahimi was found burned to death in July this year The judge gave Norley a four-year jail term for 'burning the body of a man you knew to be murdered'. Mr Ebrahimi's family said last month: 'It should not be forgotten that Bijan had been the victim of hate crimes for a number of years before his death, both due to his race and his physical disability. It was for this reason that the police should have taken especially seriously his calls for help in the days before he was murdered. The force referred itself to the Independent Police Complaints Commission because of the contact it had with Mr Ebrahimi between July 11 and 13. Mr Gargan's apology continued: 'The IPCC are carrying out a thorough investigation into the events that led to his death and we await their findings. 'Even before we hear their final conclusions, it's clear there are steps that we can collectively take to keep vulnerable people in our communities safe from harm. This is a tragedy that should never be repeated. Wrongly accused: Mr Ebrahimi was attacked outside this building in Bristol after a neighbour who spotted him taking photographs of yobs wrecking his garden wrongly accused him of being a paedophile Vigilante: Even though Mr Ebrahimi was cleared by police of any wrongdoing, local resident Lee James decided to take the law into his own hands and launched a brutal attack on the 44-year-old Andrew Langdon QC, prosecuting, told the court how James repeatedly stamped on the head of 44-year-old Mr Ebrahimi, inflicting fatal injuries. 'Following that attack Lee James and Stephen Norley dragged Mr Ebrahimi's body about 100 yards out of the crescent on to the verge of a neighbouring road before they poured white spirit over the body and set fire to it,' Mr Langdon said. By then Mr Ebrahimi was already dead. Mr Ebrahimi was an Iranian man who moved to this country in 2001. He had one brother and three sisters, two of whom live here in the UK and are present in court. Suffering: Mr Ebrahimi had for years suffered hate crimes on his Bristol estate and police are investigating whether he was properly protected Mr Langdon said Mr Ebrahimi, who lived alone with his cat, had from 'time to time' had disputes with a number of neighbours. 'He made repeated complaints to the police about them, which they clearly felt were unjustified,' the QC said. Mr Ebrahimi made complaints about flower pots being damaged outside his home, which he said were either broken by footballs or 'because he was being targeted'. 'Mr Ebrahimi used to take pictures and video films of his neighbours from his own property in a way which upset or offended them,' Mr Langdon said. It is clear he felt under siege and explained himself to the police as filming to gather evidence of the behaviour of his neighbours, which he found objectionable. Some of them alleged he was filming their children. This was derived by some to accusations of paedophilia. 'As the facts demonstrate, Mr Ebrahimi's filming appears in fact not to be focused on children but on adults.' The court was shown footage of James drinking a can of beer on a communal area in front of the flats while looking after his children, which Mr Ebrahimi had filmed. 'Whatever the cause of it, there were a number of neighbours who were hostile to Mr Ebrahimi and alleged he was a paedophile,' the prosecutor said. There is in fact no evidence whatsoever to support this claim. Dangerous: The prison van carrying Lee James, 24, and Stephen Norley arrives at Bristol Crown Court as they were both jailed today James lived with his partner and three children aged under five, at number 82, two doors away from Mr Ebrahimi. The court heard that James was violent to his partner and was not a permanent resident at the flat. Speaking after the case, Mr Ebrahimi's sister, Mrs Manizhah Moores said: 'The question that now must be answered is whether Bijan's death could have been avoided had he been afforded the protection from the authorities he deserved. Lessons must be learned before other vulnerable lives are lost. Aziz Barat, former chairman of the Anglo-Iranian Society in Bristol said: 'This has had a very deep effect on Iranians in Britain'. Loved-one: Manizhah Moores, sister of Bijan Ebrahimi, speaks to the press after the sentencing of Stephen Norley and Lee James at Bristol Crown Court Manizhah Moores, the sister of Bijan Ebrahimi, released the victim impact statement she had prepared for the court ahead of today's sentencing. In order to explain the impact of these terrible crimes on Bijan and his family, it is necessary to explain something of Bijan's background. He was born in Iran in 1969. In 1981 our mother was left paralysed by a stroke and she passed away in 1991, when Bijan was 22 years of age. In 1992 our father became ill and it was Bijan who looked after him uncomplainingly until our father's slow death to cancer a few years later. Witnessing the death of beloved parents meant that life was precious to Bijan; he knew how fragile it could be. As a result of caring for our parents Bijan did not get the same chances in life as we did, such as a university education. On coming to live in the UK in 2000 at 31 years of age he was therefore determined to make a new beginning. Bijan began to work and attend college with the aim of going to university. Unfortunately a back condition that Bijan had had since his 20s worsened, leading to his struggling with his mobility and in recent years becoming registered disabled. However this did not stop Bijan from completing diplomas in plumbing and carpentry. He also studied a foundation course in IT. For the last two years doctors had also suspected that Bijan had mouth cancer; however he was given the all clear just a week before he had his life stolen from him. Bijan was a kind man whose main interests at home were caring for his stray cat and for his flower baskets. He lived in Bristol throughout his time in the UK and met many good people. Unfortunately he was also subjected to horrendous bullying by bad people on a daily basis. Call it racism, call it prejudice, it doesn't really matter what you call it, the things our brother was subjected to were barbaric. They included setting his home on fire when he lived in West Town lane, causing our beloved, softly-spoken brother to slip further and further into depression. As a result Bijan was moved to Capgrave Crescent in Brislington in 2007; however he was deeply unhappy there and had been trying to be re-located for a number of years before his death. On visiting Bijan's flat on regular basis, my sister witnessed him being called a 'foreigner', 'cockroach' 'Paki' and being told to 'go back to your own country' on many occasions by some of the people in the area, which included both some young and some older people. We hope that nobody else ever has to witness an innocent disabled man being abused, taunted and tortured in the way that Bijan suffered. In our view this prejudice amongst some members of the local community helps explains why events escalated to Bijan being kicked to death and burned on 14th July 2013. In 2008 my sister in Bristol lost her much loved husband to a painful death. Bijan took over the role of being there for my sister and of providing a father figure to her son, a role he took very seriously and enjoyed very much. Bijan has always kept the family together through painful times. He held us when we cried; he made us laugh when we thought we never could again. When Bijan was brutally murdered on 14th July 2013 our lives changed forever. There are no words on this earth that can describe the emptiness we feel. Part of us died with him. Three or four times a week my sister drives to Brislington, sits in her car and cries. Bijan's young nephews have been deeply affected and have needed to seek counselling. On Sundays Bijan's chair is empty. 'Burning Bijan's body took away the opportunity for us to pay our respects to our brother as we could not view his body before he was laid to rest. To us this felt like Bijan being murdered twice. The loss of Bijan has left a hole in our lives that we can never fill. Our life will never be the same again.