THE mother of a Newport drug dealer savagely killed at the hands of a brutal robbery gang has paid a moving tribute to him.

Refa Begum has spoken lovingly of her "charming and funny" son Shafiul Islam.

She made a victim impact statement which was read before his killers were jailed for more than 50 years at Newport Crown Court.

Euan Peters was convicted of murdering the 22-year-old while fellow gang members Perrie Dunwell and Conlan Dunnion were found guilty of manslaughter.

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They were all convicted of conspiracy to rob Mr Islam at his flat in the Shaftesbury area of Newport on November 14, 2019.

The city's crown court heard how the statement was written by his mum with the help of his younger twin sisters, Senteia Tahrin and Pahmida Tahrin, and his aunt Shelina Suhel.

Prosecutor Mark Wyeth QC read the statement which said: “Shafiul was the first born and first baby in the family. My mother felt so proud of Shafiul and had a lot of love for him.

“He has a very special place in her heart.

“When Shafiul went to high school he had a lot of bad influence around him which made him make some bad decisions in his life.

“Our mother did everything she could to try and stop him but he was too involved and he would say they were his friends.

“It was as though he had no choice.

“We think Shafiul was offered a lot of money and nice clothes which is why he got himself into the lifestyle that he did.

“I knew he just wanted a better life for us and himself as we didn’t have a lot.”

Speaking of their ordeal after he was savagely attacked, they said: “When the police knocked on the door at 1am back in November 2019 we were told that Shafiul had been hurt and was in hospital.

“We didn’t realise at that point how serious it was.

“We thought he would be OK but then went to see him in hospital and he was on a life support machine and we realised how bad it was.

“The doctor told us that Shafiul’s brain was so damaged that there was little they could do.

“We were so upset to see him like that. He didn’t look like Shafiul anymore.

“We were hopeful for a few days that a miracle might happen, but deep down we knew that was not going to happen.

“Shafiul was so young and his death was so unexpected. It did not need to happen. It was brutal.

“We could not understand why anyone would want to hurt him as to us Shafiul was shy and kind in nature.

“He had a likeable personality, he was charming and funny.

“Why would someone want to do that to him?”

“We are disgusted that Dunnion considered himself a friend of Shafiul’s. The others were old and Shafiul is half their age and so young.

“He was defenceless and they ganged up on him.”

On the special relationship between mother and son, they said: “Mum and Shafiul had a strong bond and he loved mum.

“The last time he came to visit in person was a few days after his birthday which was just before he died.

“It was November 7 and mum gave Shafiul a Nike top.

“He said, ‘I love you’ as he went out of the door and hugged her.

“That is mum’s last memory of her son, her firstborn, her baby boy being alive.”