Abdul Ezedi: Documents reveal why Clapham chemical attacker was granted asylum – as pictures show him being baptised
Documents revealing why Clapham chemical attacker Abdul Ezedi – a convicted sex offender – was granted asylum have been made public for the first time, while Sky News has obtained pictures of him being baptised in church.
Ezedi attacked a woman and two children with an alkali on a street in south London in January.
The 35-year-old, from Afghanistan, had twice been refused asylum by the Home Office after arriving in the UK on the back of a lorry in 2016.
Ezedi pictured after the chemical attack in January this year
The second refusal was overturned by a judge in an appeal hearing in October 2020 because of Ezedi’s claim to have converted to Christianity.
A suggestion that he would be at risk of persecution if he returned to Afghanistan was supported by a vicar.
Judge WK O’Hanlon, who granted Ezedi asylum at Newcastle Immigration Court in November 2020, said in his judgment that “the most compelling evidence was that of the former Reverend Merrin”.
The details of that hearing were not initially made public but Sky News can now reveal exactly what happened after receiving the court documents in full.
Ezedi being baptised. Pic: Tribunals Judiciary
‘Baptised by total immersion’
A letter written to the court by Reverend Roy Merrin, a retired ministry team leader at Grange Road Baptist Church in Jarrow, dated 28 August 2018, reads: “I have known Abdul since February 2016, during which time he has attended regular worship services at Grange Road.”
“Abdul has attended an Alpha Course organised by the church and, as a result of him coming to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, has been baptised by total immersion.”
“Abdul has established a good relationship with the other Church members, and is always willing to help as required. Apart from that, Abdul has been ready to share his faith in Christ with non-Christians.”
Reverend Merrin also told the court hearing when he appeared in person that he had previously attended tribunals for four other asylum seekers all of whom were successful in their appeals.
Sky News has contacted Reverend Merrin, who said he had no comment to make.
Also submitted to the tribunal hearing were photos from Ezedi’s baptism on 24 June 2018 as well as pictures of him engaging in what his legal team described as “street ministry”.
Ezedi giving out church leaflets. Pic: Tribunals Judiciary
‘Male supporter’ required at church
But also included in the documents is an undated “safeguarding contract” in relation to Ezedi, drawn up by “Baptists Together”, stating: “This agreement is being put in place because of a conviction of sexual assault and exposure.”
Among other conditions, Ezedi had agreed to “not enter the church without [his] male supporter being present” and “will only come to church for Sunday service”.
It was while living in the UK as a failed asylum seeker that Ezedi had pleaded guilty to one count of sexual assault and one count of exposure at Newcastle Crown Court in January 2018. He was handed a suspended prison sentence and put on the sex offenders’ register.
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Pic: Tribunals Judiciary
Ezedi twice refused asylum
There is no mention of those convictions in the tribunal judgment that granted asylum to Ezedi. The court documents have also revealed more about why Ezedi had twice previously been refused asylum.
Ezedi’s initial asylum claim after his arrival in 2016 was on the basis that he feared persecution because of his ethnic group. During that claim, he was described as a Shia Muslim.
The claim was rejected by the Home Office in May 2016 and further rejected on appeal in February 2017. By June 2017, Ezedi had run out of appeal options and was living illegally in the UK.
It was in March 2019 that Ezedi submitted a new asylum claim to the Home Office, saying he had converted to Christianity and would face persecution on that basis if he returned to Afghanistan.
That claim was refused by the Home Office in March 2020 because it did not believe his conversion was genuine.
A letter of congratulation written to Ezedi regarding his baptism. Pic: Tribunals Judiciary
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Asylum seekers have the right to appeal Home Office refusals, and Ezedi and his lawyers then compiled the bundle of documents that were put before the judge for the tribunal hearing that led to him being granted asylum.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “All asylum claims are carefully considered on their individual merits in accordance with the immigration rules.
“This means that religious conversions do not guarantee a grant of asylum.
“We have engaged with a wide range of stakeholders to help us to improve our policy guidance, training for asylum decision makers, and to ensure we approach claims involving religious conversion in the appropriate way.”
Baptists Together told Sky News: “Baptists Together did not corporately support or sponsor Abdul Ezedi’s asylum application. A personal letter of support commenting solely on Abdul Ezedi’s observed faith journey was written by a retired Baptist Minister.
“The safeguarding contract was a separate issue and was agreed between the church and Abdul Ezedi, with guidance from local and regional safeguarding leads using our national template document of the time.
“This was to show the church had sufficiently risk assessed Abdul Ezedi’s attendance at church, ensuring the safety of the congregation and considering if it was appropriate for him to attend.
“The Home Office make the final decision on asylum applications and have access to full criminal records data to enable them to do this.”
Additional reporting by Nick Stylianou, communities producer
UK
Nurse Sandie Peggie who complained about sharing changing room with transgender doctor wins part of employment tribunal
A nurse who complained about sharing a changing room with a transgender doctor has won part of her employment tribunal against NHS Fife, although several claims were dismissed.
Sandie Peggie took action against the health board and transgender medic Dr Beth Upton after she was suspended from her job at Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy following a row with her colleague on Christmas Eve 2023.
Ms Peggie, who has worked for the NHS for 30 years, was placed on special leave after Dr Upton made an allegation of bullying and harassment, and cited concerns about patient care.
The nurse lodged a claim against NHS Fife and Dr Upton, citing the Equality Act 2010, including sexual harassment, harassment related to a protected belief, indirect discrimination, and victimisation.
The employment tribunal hearings took place in Dundee before Judge Sandy Kemp earlier this year.
In a written judgment on Monday, the harassment claim was upheld against NHS Fife, but allegations of discrimination, indirect discrimination and victimisation were dismissed.
The claims against Dr Upton did not succeed and were dismissed.
Dr Beth Upton arriving at the tribunal in February. Pic: PA
Ms Peggie stated: “I am beyond relieved and delighted that the tribunal has found that my employer Fife Health Board harassed me after I complained about having to share a female-only changing room with a male colleague.
“The last two years have been agonising for me and my family.
“I will have much more to say in the coming days once I’ve been able to properly consider the lengthy judgment and discuss it with my legal team.
“For now, I am looking forward to spending a quiet few days with my family.”
Ms Peggie paid tribute to her “incredible” legal team, which included lead counsel Naomi Cunningham, junior counsel Dr Charlotte Elves, and solicitor Margaret Gribbon.
She added: “There are many others I would like to thank and will do so in the coming days.”
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The tribunal found that NHS Fife had harassed Ms Peggie by failing to revoke the grant of permission to Dr Upton on an interim basis after the nurse complained, for the period until different work rotas took effect so that they would not work together and said that, as a result, Dr Upton was in the changing room when the claimant was present on two occasions.
It also found the board had harassed Ms Peggie by taking an unreasonable length of time to investigate the allegations against her; by making reference to patient care allegations against her on 28 March 2024; and giving an instruction to her not to discuss the case, until a further message a little over two weeks later which confirmed that applied only to the investigation.
A separate hearing on remedy – which could see Ms Peggie receive financial compensation – will take place at a later date.
NHS Fife said it had been a “complex and lengthy process”.
The health board added: “The employment tribunal unanimously dismissed all of the claimant’s allegations against Dr Upton and all of the allegations against the board apart from four specific aspects of the harassment complaint.
“We will now take time to work through the detail of the judgment alongside our legal team to understand fully what it means for the organisation.
“We want to recognise how difficult this tribunal has been for everyone directly and indirectly involved.
“Our focus now is to ensure that NHS Fife remains a supportive and inclusive environment for all employees and our patients and to deliver health and care to the population of Fife.”
Retired footballer Joey Barton has been sentenced over X posts he sent to football pundits Eni Aluko and Lucy Ward, along with broadcaster Jeremy Vine.
Barton, 43, had been found guilty of six counts of sending a grossly offensive electronic communication with intent to cause distress or anxiety.
He was sentenced to a six-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, at Liverpool Crown Court on Monday.
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Watch judge’s remarks in Barton sentencing
The former Manchester City, Newcastle United and Rangers midfielder had claimed he was the victim of a “political prosecution” and denied his aim was to “get clicks and promote himself”.
But the jury decided Barton, capped once for England in 2007, had “crossed the line between free speech and a crime” with the six posts he made on the social media platform.
The prosecution argued that Barton, who has 2.5 million followers, “may well be characterised as cutting, caustic, controversial and forthright”.
Peter Wright KC continued: “Everyone is entitled to express views that are all of those things.
“What someone is not entitled to do is to post communications electronically that are – applying those standards – beyond the pale of what is tolerable in society.”
Barton denied 12 counts of sending a grossly offensive electronic communication with intent to cause distress or anxiety between January and March last year.
He was found guilty on six counts, but cleared of another six.
Eni Aluko at London’s Royal Courts of Justice last year for her libel claim against Barton. Photo: PA
In one post in January 2024, Barton compared Aluko and Ward to the “Fred and Rose West of football commentary”, and superimposed the women’s faces on a photograph of the serial murderers.
He also described Aluko as being in the “Joseph Stalin/Pol Pot category”, suggesting that she had “murdered hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of football fans’ ears”.
The jury found him not guilty in relation to the comparison with the Wests, Stalin and Pol Pot, but decided the superimposed image was grossly offensive.
Jeremy Vine. Pic: PA
Another message allegedly suggested Vine had a sexual interest in children, after the broadcaster posted a question relating to the posts about the football commentators asking whether Barton had a “brain injury”.
The court heard Barton replied to Vine’s tweet with a post referring to him as “you big bike nonce” and made references to convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The ex-footballer told the court the posts were “dark and stupid humour” and “crude banter”. He also said he had no intention of implying Vine was a paedophile.
Sentencing, the Honorary Recorder of Liverpool, Judge Andrew Menary KC, told Barton: “Robust debate, satire, mockery and even crude language may fall within permissible free speech.
“But when posts deliberately target individuals with vilifying comparisons to serial killers or false insinuations of paedophilia, designed to humiliate and distress, they forfeit their protection.
“As the jury concluded, your offences exemplify behaviour that is beyond this limit – amounting to a sustained campaign of online abuse that was not mere commentary but targeted, extreme and deliberately harmful.”
Barton was also given a two-year restraining order preventing him from contacting Aluko, Ward or Vine, or publishing any reference to them on a social media platform or broadcast platform.
He will also have to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work in the community and pay prosecution costs of £23,419.
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