THE parents of Tom Roberts have told of their utter disbelief at the 'failures at every level' that left a double murdering asylum seeker free to kill their son.

Dolores Wallace and Tom's step-father, Peter Wallace, spoke after Lawangeen Abdulrahimzai was jailed for 29 years for stabbing to death the 21-year-old in Bournemouth in March 2022.

The devastated couple spoke of their astonishment over how the killer - who they described as a loaded cannon - was ever allowed into the country after committing a double murder in Serbia.

Bournemouth Echo:

The then 18-year-old posed as a 14-year-old when he arrived on a cross-Channel ferry in Poole in December 2019 and claimed asylum.

Border Force officials believed him and as a result he was placed with a foster parent and allowed to attend a secondary school where he mixed with boys and girls as young as 11 until he got excluded for carrying a knife.

The Wallaces' revealed the police only told them about the Serbia killings one week before the trial.

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Mrs Wallace, who moved to Britain from the Philippines over 20 years ago after meeting Mr Wallace, said: "The system is so broken it needs to be radically overhauled.

"Each so-called child needs to have proper checks done on them before it's too late.

"None of them should be allowed to walk the streets, or school corridors, until all the checks have been carried out into their pasts.

"When I moved to Britain from the Philippines I had to go through all sorts of checks. Why were they not done for him?

"I just don't understand why schools didn't do anything when (Abdulrahimzai) was kicked out for possessing a knife.

"He was let loose amongst all those 14-year-olds, anything could have happened.

"How many more people are out there like him?

"If someone had done their job properly this could have been prevented.

"It's just so unfair that this happened to my Tommy, he was such a kind and caring boy, he never hurt anybody."

Bournemouth Echo:

Mr Wallace, who was Tom's step-father for 20 years, said: "Why was this vermin allowed on the streets?

"There were enough warnings. He is evil and had killed two people in Serbia.

"His foster carer felt threatened by him and then kicked him out.

"He was suspended from school too.

"He was a loaded cannon and he just happened to point at Tommy.

"We feel like the system has let us down. We only learnt about the other murders a week before the trial began and we had to keep it secret.

"Yet they let him in with no checks whatsoever. I have been checked more when signing up to a gym or going abroad on holiday."

Tom had been acting as a peacekeeper in an argument between his friend and Abdulrahimzai over an e-scooter when he was stabbed to death.

Bournemouth Echo:

Mrs Wallace, a 50-year-old housekeeper, said: "Knife crime is a problem all around the world but we can fix it here in Britain. More needs to be done in schools to educate children that people who carry weapons in the street are cowards."

She described her son as a 'hero' who probably saved the lives of others who might have got in Abdulrahimzai's way.

She said: "Tom is a hero in my eyes, it could have been anyone that night."

Mr Wallace added: "He (Abdulrahimzai) set out to kill someone that night, it could have been anyone.

"What happened to Tommy was probably good for everyone else. Who knows how many people he saved?"

They described how Tom's dream had been to become a Royal Marine and were convinced he would have thrived in the armed forces.

Tom had been looking for a bigger challenge after mastering his work as a precision engineer.

When he had been at school he had always had a talent for the more hands-on subjects like D.T and woodwork.

He always had a passion for water sports, kayaking, airsoft and cycling.

Mr Wallace, a sales assistant who has previously served in the army and worked as an engineer, said: "It's been heartbreaking, it's just such a waste of such a precious life.

"When you lose your son it's like losing a part of you.

"Your whole life is built around those moments with your children.

Bournemouth Echo:

"The only thing we can take from this is that it was quick and painless, Tommy didn't even know he had been stabbed.

"He was never in any fights at school, we encouraged him to take up boxing so that he would be able to defend himself if anything like this happened."

The devastated couple are backing their local MP, Tobias Ellwood, who has called for an inquiry into how Abdulrahimzai was allowed into the country.

Mr Wallace said: "I'm not against asylum seekers, I understand some of these people have nowhere else to go, but the right checks have to be in place so that this doesn't happen again.

"There is nothing that anyone can do that will make us feel better but we hope that something will change now.

"We support what Tobias Ellwood is doing, demanding an inquiry.

"I just want to see a proper system put in place so that this doesn't happen again.

"Rightfully there will be a lot of questions and I hope they are all answered."

Bournemouth Echo:

Mrs Wallace, who has a daughter, Patti, and younger son, William, added: "I'm so relieved that Tobias Ellwood is listening to us and on our side.

"There is a problem and it's good to know someone is working on it."

Both parents hope that support can be given to a local charity called Gloves Up Knives Down which tries to support young people in communities affected by knife crime.

They also want a memorial bench and plaque installed at Horseshoe Common in Bournemouth - the scene where their son was murdered.