Rahim Mohammadi: Who is the Allotment Killer?
Killer Britain with Dermot MurnaghanAt 2am on 28th February 2017, 80-year-old Lea Adri-Soejoko was found dead at her cherished allotment in Colindale Gardens. She had been strangled with a lawnmower cord in a brutal attack by fellow allotment holder Rahim Mohammadi.
How could such a horrific crime happen to a beloved grandmother and respected community member?
Colindale Gardens, tucked off London’s Edgware Road, is home to 90 allotment plots, including those of both the victim and her killer. Mohammadi left Lea's body in a locked shed after the violent assault, a crime that shocked the nation.
Join us at Crime+Investigation as we explore Mohammadi’s troubling history, the events leading to this tragedy, and the sentence that will mean he spends at least 19 years behind bars. The case is also featured on the latest series of Killer Britain with Dermot Murnaghan, which will be available from Monday, 12th May on Crime+Investigation.
A plot to kill
Lea Adri-Soejoko was an allotment plot holder for over 20 years; she loved to grow fresh fruit and vegetables and watch her work flourish. But sadly, she would lose her life at the plot she adored so dearly.
Fellow allotment owners and friends said of the victim: 'She was very organised. She was getting older, so she couldn’t look after the plot in the same way that she probably would have when she was younger.'
Why would someone want to kill Lea Adri-Soejoko?
According to sources, there had been several heated discussions between the two months before the attack. The victim told Mohammadi to 'shut up' at a growers’ meeting.
It has been alleged that Lea, as a secretary and treasurer, wanted to remove Mohammadi’s plot. Later, the court also heard that Mohammadi had ambitions to take over the running of the allotment.
Who was Rahim Mohammadi?
Originally from Iran, 42-year-old Rahim Mohammadi had sought political asylum in 2005 and had been involved with the Colindale allotments since 2008.
The suspect was given the plot through Freedom From Torture, an organisation that supported victims of torture who were suffering from PTSD. Allotment therapy provided people with an opportunity to relieve their trauma.
The victim’s son, Mark, said this of his mother’s murderer: 'Where they come from has nothing to do with it. We are the children of immigrants. This is about the actions of one wicked individual.'
A wicked and vicious attack
Five months after the allotment owner’s heated exchange, Mohammadi killed Lea to 'stop her complaining'.
His reputation for having a volatile temper became known when he assaulted the grandmother in a chilling attack that caused fractures and bruising to the ribs. The vulnerable woman was left savagely beaten and strangled before her eventual death.
After the brutal attack, Mohammadi locked the victim’s body up in the mower shed, which only four other plot owners had access to, including himself. It was said that Lea was still wearing her apron, Wellington boots and had her shed keys in her pocket.
Police discovered her body following the sound of her mobile phone ringing. Luckily, Lea’s family had reported her missing, and she was found before Mohammadi could cover his tracks.
The sentence
Mohammadi continued to maintain his innocence during the hearing, even though forensics found his DNA on the cord he used to strangle Lea, and he was captured coming and going from her allotment on CCTV.
He told police and interviewers that he had heard shouting from Lea’s allotment but dismissed it as a drunken fight. The 42-year-old also claimed that the only reason he was at the plot that evening was to pick opium for his bad back.
Despite the multitude of evidence surrounding him, Mohammadi continued to provide various accounts of his movements, all of which didn’t seem to add up.
Rahim Mohammadi was found guilty of murder and was sentenced at The Old Bailey to at least 19 years in prison.
A family torn apart
In a crime that shocked the country, a family was left devastated by the loss of their loved one. Lea Adri-Soejoko.
'This crime has torn a family apart and sent shockwaves through a close-knit community.'
'Mohammadi is a violent, evil, and volatile individual and he will spend many years in prison as a result of his appalling actions.'
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