Upperthorpe murder: Police hunt driver of car found burned out on Sheffield road believed to be linked to Assel Al-Essaie death

The movements of a VW Golf is being sought by police. Also inset is the scene on Daniel Hill and victim Assel Al-Essaie

Mr Al-Essaie was shot dead on Saturday, February 18, after attending a family celebration on Daniel Hill in Upperthorpe.

The senior investigating officer overseeing enquiries wants to trace the movements of a Volkswagen Golf in the days and hours prior to the shooting.

A VW Golf like this one is believed to have been used in the shooting

Detective Chief Inspector Steve Whittaker said: “Our investigation into the murder of Mr Al-Essaie continues in earnest and today we have had officers out continuing to scour CCTV cameras and conducting house-to-house enquiries.

“Our enquiries so far have revealed a number of vehicles we are keen to trace, in particular a silver/grey Volkswagen Golf R with the registration plate PJ10 OJU.

“The picture we have released is similar, although I must stress the car we want to trace is a three-door car with an unusual twin exhaust at the back.

“We believe this is the vehicle used by the suspect or suspects involved in this murder and as a result, it’s incredibly important we hear from anyone who may have seen this car on Saturday in the hours before or after the shooting in Daniel Hill, Walkley.

“This car was later found abandoned and burned out in Rough Lane, Wortley, so any information you can give us about its movements would be greatly appreciated.

“Did you see this car on Saturday or the days prior? Do you know who may have been driving or travelling in that car? Any piece of information, no matter how small, could help us with our investigation.

“In addition, we’re also interested in tracing the movements of two Mercedes cars that were also seen in the Daniel Hill area at the time of the incident. We believe the victim was in a black Mercedes C Class car registration plate LP66 RUH when he was shot and then taken to hospital in a white Mercedes C Class car, registration plate NU15 PZF. Any information about the movements of these cars would also be incredibly helpful.”

Please call 101 or email [email protected] quoting incident number 571 of 18 February.

You can also call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.