'An innocent boy full of hope for a safe, peaceful and productive life,' say parents of murdered Sheffield boy
“He was just 16-years-old - taken from us as a result of an ongoing feud that was nothing to do with him.”
These are the heartbreaking words from the family of Abdullah Yaser Abdullah Taleb ( also known as Abdullah Yaser Abdullah Al-Yazidi), the Sheffield teenager who was run over and killed in a senseless murder in June last year.
Two brothers were today (February 13) convicted for their roles in the murder of teenaged Abdullah following a five-week trial at Sheffield Crown Court.
The 16-year-old was walking on Staniforth Road in Darnall when he was run over and killed by Zulkernain Ahmed, 21, who had been trying to collide with a group of e-bikes and mopeds.
CCTV footage showed how Ahmed pulled onto the wrong side of the road and drove directly at the three bikes.
He collided with one of them and flung the rider over a hedge - but also crashed into innocent Abdullah, who had been walking down Staniforth Road without a care in the world.
Zulkernain and his brother, Amaan Ahmed, 26, both of Locke Drive, fled the scene and abandoned the Audi A3 on nearby Robinson Avenue.
They were captured on CCTV running from the vehicle and returning to their homes to collect passports and thousands of pounds in cash.
The pair were apprehended in the early hours of the next day at the Port of Dover as they tried to flee the country.
Today, Abdullah's family have shared the below statement in tribute to young Abdullah, who had arrived from Yemen just weeks before his death.
The tribute reads: "Our son Abdullah was just 16-years-old, an innocent boy who had recently arrived from Yemen, full of hope for a safe, peaceful and productive life in England, when he was taken from us as a result of an ongoing feud that was nothing to do with him.
"We are devastated by our loss, but our faith gives us strength and we welcome the guilty verdict. We now ask for privacy as we grieve as a family. We wish to thank the witnesses for their courage, the good people of Darnall, the prosecution team and the police for their support during this unimaginably painful time."
South Yorkshire Police DCI Benjamin Wood, the Senior Investigating Officer in this case, said: "This was a heartbreaking case which was entirely avoidable. Abdullah was a completely innocent boy who had his whole life ahead of him.
"The reckless, reprehensible behaviour of Zulkernain and Amaan Ahmed has left a family facing the devastating reality of never seeing their son again. Our thoughts remain with them."
Zulkernain and Amaan were also found not guilty of three counts of attempted murder against the three bike riders.
Zulkernain was found guilty of causing grievous bodily harm with intent and two counts of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm. Amaan was found guilty of Section 20 wounding.
Both men have been remanded into custody ahead of sentencing on June 4, on the anniversary of Abdullah’s death.