Documents reveal for the first time why Clapham chemical attacker Abdul Ezeidi, a convicted sex offender, was granted asylum, with Sky News obtaining photos of his baptism.

Ezeidi Attacked a woman and two children There was alkali on a street in south London in January.

The 35-year-old man from Afghanistan was refused asylum twice by the Home Office after arriving in the UK in a lorry in 2016.

The second refusal was overturned by a judge at an appeal hearing in October 2020 because Ezeidi claimed to have converted to Christianity.

Claims he would risk persecution if returned to Afghanistan were backed by a pastor.

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 former pastor Merlin”.

Details of the hearing were initially withheld from the public, but Sky News can now reveal exactly what happened after receiving full court documents.

In a letter to the court on August 28, 2018, the Rev Roy Merrin, retired pastoral team leader at Grange Road Baptist Church in Jarrow, wrote: “I I have known Abdul since February 2016, during which time he regularly attended services at the church, Grange Road.”

“Abdel attended the Alpha program organized by the church and was baptized by full immersion because of his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.”

“Abdul developed excellent relationships with other church members and was always willing to help as needed. Beyond that, Abdul was ready to share his faith in Christ with non-Christians.”

Appearing in person, Pastor Melling also told the court hearing that he had previously attended court for four other asylum seekers, all of whom had been successful in their appeals.

Sky News contacted Rev Merlin, who declined to comment.

Also submitted to the court hearing were photos of Ezeidi’s baptism on June 24, 2018, as well as photos of him engaged in what his legal team described as “street ministry.”

But the documents also include an undated “protection contract” relating to Ezedi, drawn up by Baptists Together, which states: “The agreement was signed as a result of concerns over sexual assault and exposure. conviction.”

Among other conditions, Ezeidi agreed “not to enter the church without permission” [his] Male supporters are present” and “will only come to church for Sunday services.”

Ezeidi admitted one count of sexual assault and one count of exposure at Newcastle Crown Court in January 2018 while living in the UK as a failed asylum seeker. He was given a suspended sentence and placed on sex offender terms. Register.

Those convictions were not mentioned in the court decision granting Ezedi asylum. Court documents also reveal more about why Ezedi was denied asylum twice before.

Ezeidi first applied for asylum after arriving in 2016, citing fears of persecution because of his ethnic group. In that statement, he was described as a Shiite Muslim.

The claim was dismissed by the Home Office in May 2016 and further dismissed on appeal in February 2017. By June 2017, Ezedi had no appeal options and was living illegally in the UK.

In March 2019, Ezedi submitted a new asylum application to the Interior Ministry, stating that he had converted to Christianity and would face persecution if returned to Afghanistan.

In March 2020, this was rejected by the Home Office, which did not believe his conversion was genuine.

Asylum seekers have the right to appeal the Home Office’s rejection, and Ezeidi and his lawyers then compiled a series of documents to present to a judge for a court hearing, which ultimately led to him being granted asylum.

Sky News has contacted the Home Office for comment.

Baptists United told Sky News: “Baptists United did not co-support or sponsor Abdul Ezedi’s asylum application. A retired Baptist pastor wrote a personal letter of support, commenting only on the journey of faith that Abdul Ezedi observed.

“The safeguarding contract was a separate matter and was agreed between the church and Abdel Ezeidi using our then national template document, guided by local and regional safeguarding leadership.

“This is to demonstrate that the church has fully assessed the risks of Abdul Ezeidi attending church, ensuring the safety of the congregation and considering his suitability to attend church.

“The Home Office makes the final decision on asylum applications and has access to full criminal record data to enable them to do this.”

Additional reporting by community producer Nick Stylianou