A father heading home from work in Perry Barr was ambushed and slashed across the face by violent muggers who have left him scarred for life – for the sake of his mobile phone. The distraught dad has been left in trauma by the shocking incident. Police are now appealing for help to catch the culprits.
He has only recently spoken publicly of the incident, with his family saying the impact on him has been crippling. “He was heading for the bus after a painting job and was jumped and stabbed through the cheek and across the face,” said his 18-year-old daughter, speaking for her dad. “All they wanted was his mobile phone.”
The family – mum Hala, dad Imad and four children aged six to 20 – are originally from Syria and were moved out of the wartorn country under the refugee resettlement scheme. As soon as they were legally permitted to, Imad has been working and earning money to better the family’s situation, while the two older daughters are studying.
The violent robbery occurred near the junction of Wellington Road and Willmore Road, Birmingham, close to Perry Barr train station, at about 9.40pm on April 2. The father was taken to hospital with a deep wound through and across his cheek and nose, undergoing multiple stitches and being kept in hospital to recover. He has been left with a deep scar.
The incident has left him traumatised and he is undergoing mental health support, said his family. “It was really awful. We hope the person who did this will be caught.” The family initially lived in private rented accommodation in Erdington, until the landlord decided he wanted the property back and evicted them last year. They ended up being moved to a property in Wolverhampton by Birmingham City Council because of a shortage of social family homes.
The property has undergone emergency repairs because of damp and mould inside that has affected the health of the couple’s youngest son, Adam, six, who has been hospitalised several times this year because the housing condition has aggravated his asthma. The incident was not initially publicised by the police.
Today West Midlands Police said of the incident: “We were called after a man reported being slashed across the face as his phone was stolen near the junction of Wellington Road and Willmore Road, Birmingham. It’s understood to have happened at around 9.40pm on 2 April and the man was taken to hospital with facial injuries. We’ve carried out enquiries, including reviewing CCTV in the area, and we’d ask for anyone with information to contact us. You can do this Live Chat on our website, or by calling 101, and quote 20/200988/26.”
