A son who never met his father... the tragic consequences of an evil, brutal crime

Andre Marshall had received some life-changing news before he was brutally murdered. His partner was pregnant, and at 29, he was preparing to become a father.

Despite his flaws, Andre, who had spent time in jail and had been a member of the Gooch Gang, had a loving family. His violent death robbed him of the chance to meet his child.

It also deprived him of the opportunity to change for his son, who is now eight-years-old. Andre’s mother, Patricia Ali, said: “I have been robbed of any chance of seeing Andre being dad to his son, who is eight years old and has also been robbed of his father being in his life.

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“He will grow with a different type of pain and maybe anger, knowing how his daddy was taken from us.” Mrs Ali lost her only child in the most terrible circumstances nearly ten years ago.

He was shot dead in a car park in Urmston, Trafford, in 2015. Andre had been double crossed by Abdul Ahsan, an 18-year-old who had been acting as a drugs and cash courier for him for the previous few months.

On the pretext of going to collect a drug debt, Ahsan had armed himself before opening fire at point blank range, as Andre sat in the driver’s seat of his own BMW.

He left Andre there, before making his escape. Ahsan was only brought back to the UK earlier this year to face justice, following a lengthy extradition process. In heartbreaking detail, Mrs Ali laid bare the huge emotional toll that her son’s murder has taken on her.

“It has been nine long years waiting for this moment for the defendant to be held accountable for killing my son Andre,” Mrs Ali said. “On May 20th, 2015, at around 5pm, driving home from work I received a devastating call that changed my life and left a void in me forever.

“I still remember the words from the police officer at the time. I remember my heart felt like it was going so fast.

“To this day I don't know how I drove home, tears rolling down my face whilst I repeated ‘no, no’. Andre, my only child, I loved and had big hopes for. He was loved by his family, and he loved his family too.

“Andre was known to be the hugger, the lovable, likeable funny young man who had dreams. Andre would lift me up at home or in public, he wasn't afraid to show me affection, he would happily tell everybody, ‘this is my mum’.

“He would light up a room as he had a very infectious charisma, especially with his big laugh. He had a big heart and was looking forward to one day becoming a father.

“Every day I'm emotionally saddened by the fact I must face the world without my son. At times of life events are mixed with sadness and joy with feelings of guilt.

“As I go about my day-to-day life trying to picture what Andre would look like as each year passes by. Losing a child is devastating for any parent.

“Losing your only child in evil and brutal circumstances, has double impact. Over the past nine years it’s been a rollercoaster of emotions, not knowing if the defendant was ever going to be extradited back to the UK.

“However, I never gave up on hope and to be honest the police didn’t too, and I commend them for all their hard work and determination to bring this man before the courts.

“Many people will describe this day as a day for having closure. That is may be the case for those who are not emotionally attached or connected to my son Andre.

“For me this is only closure of the process, as I have many emotions that I’ll have to navigate through life. The tragic and brutal circumstances with how I lost my son can only be described as painful. My hopes for my son Andre have abruptly been ripped away leaving me broken.

“Everyday it’s like I’m grabbing at things, so I don’t drown. The daily norms can be triggers for me, getting a call with no ID number instantly gives me palpitations.

“The meltdowns, for no apparent reason, but you get to understand it’s a wave of grief. The struggle to concentrate, my lack of confidence.

“It feels like I’m carrying a daily load, physically and emotionally. The external smile is short lived with inner pain that doesn’t allow me to feel joy for long.”

On Thursday at Manchester Crown Court, Ahsan, previously of Upper Chorlton Road, Old Trafford, was handed a life sentence and ordered to serve a minimum of 28 years after being found guilty of Andre’s murder.