Sheffield crime: "Scumbag" killer behind bars for 10 years while wanted man remains on the run
A man branded a “scumbag” killer has spent a decade behind bars while another man wanted by police over the horror attack remains on the run all these years later.
Idris Sadiq, described in court as an ‘utterly callous’ drug dealer, was jailed for life in 2016 over the murder of a Sheffield dad in a horrific street attack.
He was 31 years old and from Darnall Road, Darnall, when he was handed a life sentence for his role in 41-year-old Zabair Hussain’s death on New Year’s Eve 2015.
As Sadiq and two other men fled, Zabair was then run over by a passing car just seconds later.
Members of Zabair’s family shouted ‘scumbag’ at Sadiq as he was jailed at Sheffield Crown Court and ordered to served a minimum of 20 years behind bars. He was found guilty after a trial.
Detectives who investigated the murder identified a man named Sohail Khan as one of the others allegedly involved in the street attack.
At the start of the trial, jurors were told that Khan had disappeared. He flew to Pakistan a couple of days after the street attack.
Today, more than 10 years later, The Star can reveal that he is still ‘wanted’ by South Yorkshire Police.
Ben Nolan QC, prosecuting, told jurors that Khan had attempted to board an evening flight to Lahore from Manchester Airport on New Year’s Day.
But he arrived too late to board the flight – leaving the next day instead on a plane to Islamabad.
Mr Nolan said at the time: “It was the first flight out that day from Manchester to Pakistan.
“Sohail Khan left in a hurry and has never returned to the UK.”
The third man involved in the attack was unidentified at the time of the trial.
Sadiq accepted being at the scene on the night of the killing but as an ‘observer attempting to discourage the others from doing what they were doing’.
Jurors were told: “For some reason, Zabair Hussain gave offence to these men.
“All three in one way or another joined in the attack with fists and feet, as well as the deadly weapon. It is plain as day they were attacking together.
“They gave him a good beating that rendered him unconscious and left him for dead in the middle of this busy main road.”
The court heard that Zabair, who lived on Staniforth Road, had a history of drug addiction and mental health problems.
On the night in question, he was seen on CCTV on Ribston Road, off Staniforth Road, talking with the occupants of a Peugeot 307 car.
Following the conversation, the car followed Zabair as he walked along Staniforth Road, coming to a stop at the junction with Barnardiston Road.
The car stopped in the middle of the street and three men got out.
Witnesses described how three men had beaten Zabair unconscious.
A passing car then ran over Zabair, who was dead by the time police officers arrived at the scene at 11.30pm.
Justice Nicol said while he accepted defence submissions that Sadiq had not intended to kill Zabair, his mitigation was weakened by his ‘utterly callous’ behaviour in leaving Zabair unconscious in the middle of a busy road where the risk that posed was obvious.
Justice Nicol told Sadiq: “You were a drug dealer who traded in heroin and cocaine, two drugs to which Zabair was addicted.
“The truth was you were ‘the’ drug dealer in the area. As you said yourself, ‘Darnall was my patch’.”
Justice Nicol said Sadiq, Khan and the third, unidentified man, had been heard to shout ‘What did you think you were doing?’ and ‘How did you think you could get away with that?’ as they pursued Zabair down Staniforth Road a short time later with a baseball bat.
He said: “The precise cause of the grievance cannot be known but I’m sure it had something to do with your drug business.
“You and the two other men caught up with Zabair and subjected him to a dreadful beating.
“He was hit with the baseball bat, kicked repeatedly and punched as well.
“Whether you yourself wielded the baseball bat doesn’t matter - you took part in the attack knowing it was being used.”
He said a post-mortem had indicated that Zabair had suffered at least six blows to the head before he was hit by the car.
Speaking after the sentence, Zabair’s family urged the Darnall community to help bring the two other men involved in his death to justice.
A statement from the family said: “The cruel and senseless manner in which Zabair was taken from us has torn us apart and we will never be the same again.
“The guilty verdict and the sentence passed have brought us some comfort.
“However, we continue to support South Yorkshire Police in their efforts to bring justice to the others involved in Zabair’s murder and we urge the community in Darnall to come forward with any information they may have.”
Anyone with information should call South Yorkshire Police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.