There is a growing body of circumstantial evidence suggesting that Westbury-on-Trym resident Andrew Ibrahim, currently under arrest under the 2000 Terrorism Act, is a former student of Colston's School in Stapleton, Bristol.
Factors leading to this conclusion include:
1. The financial background. If, as the Telegraph reports, Andrew Ibrahim's father was a consultant pathologist at Frenchay Hospital, and resides in an £800,000 house in Frenchay Village, it is highly likely that his sons would have been sent to independent schools. The alternative for Frenchay residents would be Filton High School, Downend School or Sir Bernard Lovell School. Those familiar with these three local state schools will know that they do not tend to attract the children of hospital consultants - the latter, for instance, being described by a former teacher as populated by "working class kids whose families do not appear to hold education as a high value."
Indeed, the exclusive community of Frenchay, situated on the edge of the River Frome and with its own extensive common, has very few state educated children in it of secondary school age. The high probability is that Andrew Ibrahim was educated in one of Bristol's independent schools. This narrows the field realistically to three - Colston's, QEH and Bristol Grammar.
2. The geographical background. Frenchay is located on the north east corner of the Bristol conurbation, separated from the rest of the city by the M32 motorway. Children who live there and attend an independent school have great difficulty getting to QEH and Bristol Grammar School because of the city's huge traffic problems. A one-way car journey from Frenchay to Clifton (where the other two schools are located) takes over 45 minutes during the morning rush hour. For this reason, many Frenchay families choose Colston's School - a mere ten minutes from the Village. Many families in fact choose the school and then move to Frenchay because of its proximity to Colston's.
3. The Google factor. Trym Tales has received three visits in the last 24 hours from anonymous individuals who reached the site by googling "Andrew Ibrahim Colstons". These visitors were based in York, London and Bristol. Apparently there are individuals who are making the Colston's connection independently and are looking for evidence or confirmation.
4. The Telegraph. Since publishing this post on Sunday night, I have seen the latest Telegraph article, updated on Monday, which states that Ibrahim was a student at Colston's School and includes a quote from headmaster Peter Fraser, who has obviously had his weekend disturbed, confirming that the suspect did attend both the junior and senior schools. Well known ex-Colstonians include rugby player Olly Barkley and former test cricketer Chris Broad.
5. Trym Tales Readers. The comments below add weight to the Colston's link and are much appreciated. Thank you.
Three Footnotes:
Factors leading to this conclusion include:
1. The financial background. If, as the Telegraph reports, Andrew Ibrahim's father was a consultant pathologist at Frenchay Hospital, and resides in an £800,000 house in Frenchay Village, it is highly likely that his sons would have been sent to independent schools. The alternative for Frenchay residents would be Filton High School, Downend School or Sir Bernard Lovell School. Those familiar with these three local state schools will know that they do not tend to attract the children of hospital consultants - the latter, for instance, being described by a former teacher as populated by "working class kids whose families do not appear to hold education as a high value."
Indeed, the exclusive community of Frenchay, situated on the edge of the River Frome and with its own extensive common, has very few state educated children in it of secondary school age. The high probability is that Andrew Ibrahim was educated in one of Bristol's independent schools. This narrows the field realistically to three - Colston's, QEH and Bristol Grammar.
2. The geographical background. Frenchay is located on the north east corner of the Bristol conurbation, separated from the rest of the city by the M32 motorway. Children who live there and attend an independent school have great difficulty getting to QEH and Bristol Grammar School because of the city's huge traffic problems. A one-way car journey from Frenchay to Clifton (where the other two schools are located) takes over 45 minutes during the morning rush hour. For this reason, many Frenchay families choose Colston's School - a mere ten minutes from the Village. Many families in fact choose the school and then move to Frenchay because of its proximity to Colston's.
3. The Google factor. Trym Tales has received three visits in the last 24 hours from anonymous individuals who reached the site by googling "Andrew Ibrahim Colstons". These visitors were based in York, London and Bristol. Apparently there are individuals who are making the Colston's connection independently and are looking for evidence or confirmation.
4. The Telegraph. Since publishing this post on Sunday night, I have seen the latest Telegraph article, updated on Monday, which states that Ibrahim was a student at Colston's School and includes a quote from headmaster Peter Fraser, who has obviously had his weekend disturbed, confirming that the suspect did attend both the junior and senior schools. Well known ex-Colstonians include rugby player Olly Barkley and former test cricketer Chris Broad.
5. Trym Tales Readers. The comments below add weight to the Colston's link and are much appreciated. Thank you.
Three Footnotes:
- Everything in this post points to circumstantial factors rather than hard evidence and should be interpreted as such.
- Readers choosing to refer to this evidence elsewhere on the Internet are welcome to do so and are requested to include a link back to Trym Tales.
- Nothing contained in this post should be interpreted as a criticism of Colston's School.
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13 comments:
If you do a google advanced search for "Andrew Ibrahim" on the domain "colstons.bristol.sch.uk" there's a reference to a "P. Ibrahim" from the results of an school athletics meet in 1998. And according to the Daily Mail, Dr Ibrahim's other son is "Peter". Still circumstantial...
The Express reckons Andrew was enrolled at UWE.
Thanks for that.
I couldn't find that on the Colston's site when I looked.
The facts will emerge, no doubt.
I can confirm that Andrew Ibrahim was a pupil at Colston's School for over 5 years having been his classmate for at least 4 of those years.
He was not expelled, he was 'asked to leave'. He then returned to Colston's and that was the last I heard of him until this happened.
Thanks for the comments. Please keep them coming.
I hope you will understand that I will need to remove any comments on the blog that may be considered defamatory to Mr Ibrahim.
I hope you will understand the legal reasons for this.
Thanks for looking in!
Well he was at Bristol Cathedral School at one point, as I remember him from there.
But apparantly he's only recently changed his name to "Andrew Ibrahim"
(according to news reports), so looking in Colston records will have his old name, won't it?
When i was in Cathedral School with him I never knew his name as he was in the year above. But im sure he was there, even if it wasn't for long.
(this is the same person from above)
I have now go confirmation that Andrew (my mistake about him changing his name.. seems Andrew Ibrahim was his real name and he changed it to something else) went to Colstons, then QEH, then took his GCSEs at Bristol Cathedral School (which is how i remember him), before going to City of Bristol College, and then UWE.
Not putting my name here but i am almost certain of this, after talking to a member of Bristol Cathedral School staff
I am currently attending Colstons school and after speaking with people in Andrew Ibrahims year I casn confirm that he did go to this school. I am not surprised he lost it as Colstons is an awful school and treat u like a school would back in the 18th Century I think that this should be brought to attention in the news as this should not be aloud to be happening and i am pretty sure that this school would have been part of the reason for Andrew turning out like this.
...why do u care, the kid was, at the best of times, "bareable!" an well, a bit odd by all accounts, he blatantly just wanted to have friends, which is why he got into this muslin stuff....so dont blane him, blame the ppl who twisted his mind
I certainly know he was a student at Downside School just outside of Bath (although I believe it was only for a short period of time).
andre was always a lost kid i also went to school with him at colstons but i can say with 100 hundred percent sincerity that colstons is not the reason andrew turned out like this he was always dillusional with his warhammer when he was younger and his role playing video games as he grew up andrew was a smart kid but he believed was always living in the shadow of his brother and i think that it is this fact that drove him to do what he did
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