The family of a man who was murdered by his neighbour after being subjected to years of threats and abuse have criticised the police and authorities for their “toothless and ineffective” response to the danger he posed.
Father-of-three Matthew Boorman, 43, was stabbed 27 times on his doorstep by Can Arslan, 52, who had laid in wait for him to return home from work.
The killing in October last year was the culmination of 12 years of threats from Arslan against his neighbours in Walton Cardiff, near Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, Bristol Crown Court heard.
Gloucestershire police have now referred themselves to the police watchdog, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), and are under investigation.
Mr Boorman’s wife Sarah suffered a deep wound to her leg as she tried to pull the defendant off her husband, and the attacker then forced his way into the home of Peter Marsden and knifed him eight times.
The murder and subsequent threats and attacks were caught in graphic detail on the neighbourhood’s many CCTV and doorbell cameras installed by anxious residents.
Arslan admitted the attempted murder of Mr Marsden, causing grievous bodily harm to Mrs Boorman, and a charge of affray, but denied murder.
Instead, he claimed he was guilty of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility, but this was rejected by the jury which convicted him of murder.
He was remanded to Broadmoor secure hospital and will be sentenced in June.
At the time of the murder, Arslan was the subject of an injunction prohibiting him from threatening or abusing his neighbours, and had been served with a notice of eviction.
Small rows over parking and a scratch to a car had escalated to the point where Arslan had repeatedly threatened to attack or kill those living near him.
In May, Mrs Boorman had made a statement to police setting out a summary of the threats they had received from the defendant.
She said they were worried about being murdered, or that someone was going to be seriously hurt very soon.
Arslan made counter-allegations, accusing the Boormans of racially abusing him.
The day before the attack, a police officer had telephoned Arslan about the complaint he had made.
During the call, Arslan verbally abused the officer, calling him a motherf***** and a cocksucker, and told him he would sort his neighbour out himself, adding “I will murder him”.
Speaking after the verdict, Mr Boorman’s sister Sarah Elston said: “We will never be the same without him, but as we move forward and learn how to cope without him, we fight in his name to expose not only the malice and cruelty of the man that did this, but also the failings in the system that let this happen.
“In the years that preceded Matthew’s death, multiple agencies and authorities were warned of the threat that this man posed not only to Matthew, but to many other neighbours who were threatened and harmed by him.
“Although Matthew’s murder has shocked us all to the core, the incident was not remotely out of the blue.
“The police and other authorities had been told about how dangerous this man was, the threats he made, and the risks he presented.
“The response was toothless and ineffective, even when the defendant himself told the police he was going to murder Matthew.
“That conversation took place on October 4, the night before Matthew died. He was not even warned.
“Matthew was not this man’s only victim on that dreadful evening, but he was the only one with the misfortune to pay the high price of his life.
“But Matthew’s story must not end here. We must all ask ourselves why this was able to happen, and how things were ever allowed to get this far. Mistakes were made.
“They must be acknowledged, truly learned from, and must never be repeated.”
Mr Boorman’s widow spoke of his zest for life and how he loved spending time with his family.
“Perhaps what people will remember most of all about Matt is his smile. His energy, his love, his laughter – a very proud father of his children,” she said.
During the trial, the court heard that Arslan was not mentally ill or in the grip of psychosis, but that he has been diagnosed with a personality disorder.
It manifested itself in extreme anger and aggression to perceived insults, making grandiose claims about himself and an exaggerated sense of his own importance.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said it was investigating Gloucestershire Police’s “actions following a series of reported neighbourhood incidents” prior to Mr Boorman’s death.
Craig Holden, Assistant Chief Constable of Gloucestershire Police, said an independent multi-agency review had been commissioned.
“It is crucial we allow these reviews to be carried out without prejudice and as such it would not be appropriate to comment in any detail at this time,” he said.
“We can reassure people that we will act on their findings and that we have already been working hard to listen to members of the community and take any steps possible to improve how we can keep people safe.”
Peter Tonge, from Tewkesbury Borough Council, said: “As a local council our powers in these difficult and complex situations are limited, particularly when it involves private housing – we did not have the authority to evict him, nor have the power to instigate eviction proceedings ourselves.
“We have been made aware that questions have been raised about the different authorities’ involvement in this case, and clearly we take this seriously.
“As with all serious cases like these, we will be carrying out a full review of our involvement.”
