Murdered Walsall delivery man was saving up for birth of baby
A takeaway driver who was murdered while making a delivery in Walsall had only taken the job a matter of weeks before to help save for a Moses basket for the baby his wife was expecting, it has emerged.
Father-of-two Yasser Abbas, aged 28, was set upon by three masked men wielding weapons in Madison Avenue, Alumwell, in the early hours of April 13 and suffered serious head injuries. He died in hospital four days later.
Detectives are continuing to hunt for his killers as the three-month anniversary of the attack approaches and say the murder weapon could have been an axe or meat cleaver, although they cannot be certain.
Police say he was 'purposefully lured' to the scene and believe answers to his death lie in the local community.
Mr Abbas' family today said his death had shaken a close-knit community and turned their lives upside down.
His brother-in-law Aftab Hussain, of Shard End, Birmingham, said Mr Abbas was excited about becoming a father for the second time.
The 37-year-old said: "He had packed the hospital bag because it could have been at any time.
"He had seen the job at the takeaway and wanted to get a bit of extra cash together for the baby. He wanted to buy a Moses basket."
Mr Abbas, of Raleigh Street, Birchills, was taken to Walsall Manor Hospital but was transferred to Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital a few hours later and was induced into a coma.
He had three operations to try and relieve the swelling on his brain but later died.
His funeral on May 2 took place hours after his wife Shabam gave birth to a boy, Mohammed.
The former Alumwell Comprehensive School student had worked for Moon Palace – a Chinese Takeaway in Old Birchills – and also has a four-year-old son called Daniel.
He previously worked for Harvestime bakery in Walsall as a labourer.
His uncle Tariq Hussain, aged 45, of Gladstone Street, Walsall, said: "Since this happened the health of his father, Firat, has got worse.
"His wife is caring for the baby but she is crying almost day and night.
"His four-year-old son still thinks he is in Pakistan.
"Thousands of people came to his funeral. Everybody loved Yasser."
Shazad Hussain, another of Mr Abbas' uncles, said the family were desperate for closure and to bring his killers to justice.
The 35-year-old, of Gladstone Street, Walsall, said: "Our lives have come to a standstill. A father has lost a son. A son has lost a father.
"A wife has lost her husband. We need justice."
The attackers, who were wearing dark-coloured clothing and balaclavas, fled though a small walkway at the end of Madison Avenue to a car parked on nearby Ripon Road. Det Insp Gary
Plant, from Force CID, who is leading the inquiry, said police were keen to speak to anyone who saw a dark coloured vehicle, with a low-level registration plate, leave the Ripon Road area shortly after midnight and a blue BMW 5 series car seen in the area an hour before the attack.
Anyone with information is urged to call police on 101.
