Four men have been found guilty of murdering Birmingham shopkeeper Suppiah Tharmaseelan.

Suppiah was stabbed to death during an attempted robbery at his Select Convenience Store in Kingstanding last November. He was found with stab wounds by police officers responding to a 999 call and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Twins John and Ian Meenan, and brothers Anthony Bayliss, and Liam Ryan, all from Birmingham, were found guilty of murder. All four defendants will be sentenced at a later date.

Suppiah’s wife Sangeetha said that she and her four children, who witnessed the attack via the store’s CCTV system, would never get over their loss. “Suppiah was a hard-working man and worked long hours to support his family,” she told local press. “I have lost my husband and my whole life. Everything we worked for has been ripped to pieces. He was my life. My children cry at night and are afraid that these nasty people will come back. They close their eyes and the nightmare returns.”

Detective chief inspector Sab Johal of West Midlands Police said Suppiah was “well known and liked in the community”.