A FATHER whose son was stabbed to death in a crack den five years after they moved to Britain for a better life has spoken out about the murder.

Habib Alizadeh, disabled down one side of his body after a bomb blast, arrived in England from Afghanistan in 2003.

But on January 5 his eldest son Firadon was murdered in Verona House on the Larner Road estate, Erith, just four days after his 18th birthday.

On December 22 at Southwark Crown Court former professional bare knuckle fighter Lee James was found guilty of the murder and sentenced to a minimum of 25 years and 17 days in jail.

Mr Alizadeh attended every day of the 23-day trial and says he was so upset with what he heard he tried to throw himself from London Bridge.

He said: “In 23 days I’ve died 23 times.

“I pictured how he was killed and every time I see that I just feel dead.”

News Shopper: Firadon Alizadeh

Firadon had been inside the flat with two 16-year-old friends when crack addict James came in at 3am claiming to want to buy drugs.

James attacked them with a knife and Firadon died at the scene from his injuries.

Mr Alizadeh said: “That night we told him not to go but he told us he would be back in an hour.

“It was his first time going out at night. He just wanted to celebrate his birthday.”

During sentencing Judge Anthony Pitts said Firadon had been “in the wrong place at the wrong time” and praised him for his courage in trying to protect his friends.

His father said: “When the judge said that it showed he didn’t die for no reason. He saved his friends and killed himself.”

Mr Alizadeh said the murder had been particularly hard on Firadon’s mother, who is still in Afghanistan with six children and, has been unable to get a visa to come and visit her son’s grave.

He said: “It should be reasonable for a mother and son to come and visit the cemetery where he was buried.

“She’s crazy and sometimes she can’t control herself and just starts crying.”

The 40-year-old, who lives with nine other members of his family at a four-bedroomed council flat in Simmons Street, Woolwich, says he has asked Greenwich Council to move but no action has been taken.

He said: “We’ve been staying in this house for a year and we’re in prison. We don’t go out or anything.

“When we go out we feel frightened, scared or upset because this is the area where he died.”

The boys who were with Firadon that night were shown in the trial to have links to the Woolwich Boys gang.

And after Firadon’s death, videos surfaced on the internet showing some of his activities with the gang IVS.

But the family say they never met the teenager’s friends.

Firadon’s 14-year-old sister Saeeda said: “My father’s not surprised about the gangs because when he was in school he was part of a gang. But they were playing with a football - these are playing with knives and drugs.

“He took on all his responsibilities as a dad and he was trying to take my brother in the right direction.”

James, formerly of Sutherland Road, Erith, pleaded guilty to wounding the two 16-year-olds.

He was sentenced to 13 years for one of the counts of wounding and nine years for the other.

Both sentences are to run concurrently with the life sentence.

Michael Harwood, aged 33, of Willowcroft, Lee Park, Blackheath, was found not guilty of murder.