diff --git a/admin/user.php b/admin/user.php
index 2dffa223490..42665249adc 100644
--- a/admin/user.php
+++ b/admin/user.php
@@ -70,6 +70,9 @@
 
         $user = $DB->get_record('user', array('id'=>$delete, 'mnethostid'=>$CFG->mnet_localhost_id), '*', MUST_EXIST);
 
+        if ($user->deleted) {
+            print_error('usernotdeleteddeleted', 'error');
+        }
         if (is_siteadmin($user->id)) {
             print_error('useradminodelete', 'error');
         }
@@ -86,7 +89,7 @@
             echo $OUTPUT->confirm(get_string('deletecheckfull', '', "'$fullname'"), $deletebutton, $returnurl);
             echo $OUTPUT->footer();
             die;
-        } else if (data_submitted() and !$user->deleted) {
+        } else if (data_submitted()) {
             if (delete_user($user)) {
                 \core\session\manager::gc(); // Remove stale sessions.
                 redirect($returnurl);
diff --git a/lang/en/error.php b/lang/en/error.php
index f7c5ac85b60..caceae0f0b8 100644
--- a/lang/en/error.php
+++ b/lang/en/error.php
@@ -560,6 +560,7 @@ $string['usernotaddederror'] = 'User not added - error';
 $string['usernotaddedregistered'] = 'User not added - already registered';
 $string['usernotavailable'] = 'The details of this user are not available to you';
 $string['usernotdeletedadmin'] = 'User not deleted - can not delete administrator accounts';
+$string['usernotdeleteddeleted'] = 'This user has already been deleted.';
 $string['usernotdeletederror'] = 'User not deleted - error';
 $string['usernotdeletedmissing'] = 'User not deleted - could not find the username';
 $string['usernotdeletedoff'] = 'User not deleted - deleting not allowed';