Funeral of murdered Paisley shopkeeper takes place

Jul 9 2012 by kbarrSUN, Paisley Daily Express

THE heartbroken family of murdered shopkeeper Javaid Ali yesterday paid an emotional farewell as his funeral took place.

Mr Ali, 48, was honoured during a poignant service at the Glasgow Central Mosque yesterday afternoon.

The funeral took place more than three weeks after dad-of-three Mr Ali was stabbed in the neck while working at his Sunshine Grocers store, in Green Road, Paisley.

He was placed on a life support machine at thetown’s Royal Alexandra Hospital but failed torecover from his injuries.

Among those paying tribute to Mr Ali was his devastated 25-year-old son Abbas, who described him as “a wonderful father.”

Abbas said: “He meant so much to us and it is heartbreaking to know we will never see or speak to him again.

“I cannot put into words the suffering this has caused our family and it will take a long time for us to come to terms with what has happened.”

Cops are still hunting for Mr Ali’s evil killer and have appealed to anyone who has information to come forward.

A £50,000 award has now been offered for information which leads to the arrest and conviction of whoever was responsible for the brutal murder.

The cash is being provided by crime-fighting charity Crimestoppers, the Association of Convenience Stores and the Scottish Grocers Federation.

Kate Jackson, national manager of Crimestoppers, said: “This was a heinous crime. For this shopkeeper to be attacked so violently in his own establishment is truly shocking.

“We are offering a reward of up to £50,000 to anyone who can supply us with information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for this offence.”

James Lowman, chief executive of the Association of Convenience Stores, added: “For a retailer to be killed while just trying to do their job is horrific and tragic.

“The whole of our membership wants to come together to support the police in catching and convicting those responsible and we hope that, by offering this reward, we can assist in the culprits being brought to justice.”

Police are still trying to establish the motive for the fatal attack on Mr Ali, who lived in Barrhead.

Officers have interviewed more than 700 people in Green Road and the surrounding areas and are continuing to study CCTV footage from inside Mr Ali’s store.

The Paisley Daily Express has joined forces with our sister title, the Daily Record, to distribute posters appealing for information which will help to catch Mr Ali’s killer.

If you can help, call the incident room at Paisley Police Office on 0141 435 1022 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.