A Brit Sikh shopkeeper, who was murdered for cigarettes and chocolates by four hoodies, had been planning to quit his corner store. According to The Sun, Gurmail Singh, a dad to three kids, had confided to his family that the job was "getting a bit dangerous" the day before he died, his 63rd birthday.

Darshan Singh, 67, a relative, was quoted, as saying: "Gurmail was a gentle man. He was definitely going to pack it in. In the past year or so things had got increasingly difficult."

Gurmail's shop was robbed just days before the hammer-wielding killers, thought to be in their teens, battered him in Cowcliffe, West Yorkshire.

Regulars from a nearby pub sought to stop the attackers from fleeing, but failed.

Detective Superintendent David Pervin said: "He was killed for next to nothing."