A man who was accused of stealing flowers from a memorial dedicated to the late rock legend Ozzy Osbourne in Birmingham has had the charges against him dismissed. Parviz Jafari, 45, was facing allegations of flower theft from the site following Ozzy’s passing.
The iconic frontman of Black Sabbath, who battled Parkinson’s disease, passed away from a heart attack at the age of 76 on July 22. Following his death, a multitude of tributes, such as balloons, cards, and flowers, were left at various locations in his hometown, including the Black Sabbath bench on Broad Street and a mural on Navigation Street.
Mr. Jafari, hailing from West Bromwich, West Midlands, refuted the accusations of flower theft, asserting that a security guard had authorized him to remove some of the flowers. He made an appearance at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, September 3, where the case was dismissed after a brief four-minute hearing.
District Judge David Wain informed Mr. Jafari that the charges had been dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) as they could not establish beyond doubt that he had acted dishonestly in taking the flowers. Consequently, Judge Wain granted Mr. Jafari his freedom, stating, “Please stand Sir. The matter having been withdrawn, you are free to go.”