Music fan rocked as city evicts him and destroys memorabilia

A MUSIC fan has lost his entire collection of rock memorabilia after the council evicted him from his Edinburgh flat and destroyed all his belongings.

Iranian Kaveh Salehi, 29, was locked out of his council flat on Wardieburn Place West after he took a two-month break to Manchester to check out his chances of getting a new job there.

When he returned, the council had changed the locks and removed his personal belongings, saying he was bound by a clause in the lease to inform them if he was going away for a long period.

But when Mr Salehi, who came to Britain as an asylum seeker five years ago, asked for his belongings back, he was told council workers had got rid of them.

A huge fan of rock music, Mr Salehi had collected more than 2000 CDs, autographs and signed pictures and drumsticks from his favourite heavy metal bands since he arrived in Britain, including a signed drumstick from the drummer of the Scorpions and another from Judas Priest.

The former ScotRail worker also lost photographs of his family in Iran and a valuable Persian carpet his parents had sent to him as a present.

"In Iran, when I was growing up, we weren't allowed to listen to that kind of music," he said. "People would get an odd album of Pink Floyd or something on the black market, and we were all very interested in western music.

"So since I came to the UK, I have dedicated myself to this music and have spent a lot of time building up a collection. Most of the autographs I have collected, I have got from waiting to meet the bands at gigs. They have great sentimental value to me - they were my life. I had built up a huge collection."

A spokeswoman for the council's housing department said Mr Salehi would be offered compensation for his belongings.

She added Mr Salehi had been sent two letters warning him he needed to contact them, but claimed they had no other means of contacting him.

Mr Salehi said: "They had my mobile phone number in their records, and also, I had left a piece of paper on the notice board in my flat, saying 'in case of emergency' and giving my phone number, because I knew they might have come in to do a gas check.

"When I asked them why they had not contacted me, they said they didn't phone people in this situation and had written me two letters instead warning me that if I did not contact them, I would be evicted. Obviously, I didn't get the letters because I was not in my flat." He added: "I don't want them to give me money - I want my belongings back. They mean so much to me."

Mr Salehi was up-to-date with his rent, paid by housing benefit, when he was turfed out of his home.

He added: "I understand that they had to evict me because I broke the clause in my lease. What I do not understand is how they can just dispose of my things."

Mr Salehi's MSP Malcolm Chisholm said: "I have spoken to Mr Saheli about this and have sent a very strongly worded letter to the council. I am awaiting a response from them."

The council spokeswoman added: "After many weeks absent from his property we were left with no other option but to clear the property and begin the process of re-letting the flat."