MP repeats law change calls after brick death (From Your Local Guardian)

Croydon North MP repeats calls for change in the law after Broad Green brick death

8:00am Thursday 21st June 2012 in Top Stories By Hannah Williamson

Croydon North MP Malcolm Wicks has repeated calls for a change in the law following the death of Umesh Chaudhari.

The 41-year-old father-of-two was battered to death with a brick just a few yards from his home in Dennett Road, Broad Green, on July 7 last year.

On Monday, illegal immigrant Rostam Ahmadi was locked up indefinitely under the Mental Health Act for the attack.

The Old Bailey heard Ahmadi initially claimed to be an 18-year-old refugee from Afghanistan, but later revealed he was born in Iran in 1989.

He also claimed he had no mental health issues, although marks of self harm were found on his arm.

Psychiatrists later diagnosed him as suffering from paranoid schizophrenia.

In 2007, Ahmadi claimed asylum in the UK, but he was refused an extension of his leave to remain in October 2010.

Last February, his appeal was dismissed and he should have left the country, but three months later he robbed a woman walking across Mitcham Common.

He appeared at Kingston Crown Court charged with robbery but was granted bail despite oppositions by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), just six days before he killed Mr Chaudhari.

At the time of the murder Mr Wicks wrote to Justice Secretary Ken Clarke and Home Secretary Theresa May, calling for an investigation into the public agencies dealing with Ahmadi in the period leading up to the murder.

Mr Wicks is calling for a change in the law to allow the CPS to appeal the right to appeal a decision by the Crown Court to grant a defendant bail.

He said: "If the CPS think a man should not be granted bail there is no leave of appeal and there should be. Ken Clarke said he would absolutely support it.

"I will be writing again to repeat my original plea for an enquiry. I want to find out how on earth this happened.

"It ended in murder with devastating consequences for this family, we need to learn the lessons because it was one mistake by the court that led to this tragedy."

Earlier this year Croydon Council's Safeguarding Children Board instructed for a management review into the circumstances leading to the death.

A spokesman for Croydon Council said: "Although this was not deemed to be a situation that warranted a serious case review, the Local Safeguarding Children Board still appointed an independent person to look into the various agencies’ handling of the matter.

"The conclusion was that there was no evidence that the tragedy could have been prevented by any of the agencies doing anything differently.

"There were some recommendations that arose from the examination of events and which have subsequently been acted upon. "