Mouayed Bashir: Family describe brother, son and best friend

Mr Bashir was born on August 7, 1991, the second child of Mahasin Khalil and Mamoun Bashir. His two brothers, Mohannad and Mohamed, have also attended the hearing at Newport Coroners Court.

The brothers were born in Karachi, Pakistan, where their father worked for Saudi Arabia Air Lines. Their family was of Sudanese heritage.

In 2000, Mamoun Bashir moved to London to take up a new job at Heathrow. The rest of the family followed in 2001, and they moved to Newport in 2005.

A tribute read in court on Wednesday, January 17, described how Mr Bashir was liked by classmates and teachers in school and completed a welding NVQ at Nash College. He worked several jobs including planting and forklifting at local farms and warehouses and became a registered carer, offering “vital support” for his mother.

His favourite thing to do was host barbecues in the park, where he would feed friends, strangers and homeless individuals. He played practical jokes and made people laugh by pretending to be an opera singer, the family said. He loved traditional Sudanese music and hip-hop.

Mr Bashir’s older brother Mohannad said: “When I was growing up, Mouayed was my best friend. He was so kind and generous, I used to say he reminded me of my grandad who would give you the last penny in his wallet if you were in need.

“Mouayed was very clever and sometimes used to tease me in school because he knew things I didn’t. Mouayed was a great cook and always tried to make the family smile, especially our Mum. I would call him ‘Mr Make It Happen’ as nothing was impossible for him.”

Mohannad described how, as his brother’s mental health deteriorated, he lost his “cheeky smile, spark in his eyes and the warm loving glow”, developing a low self-esteem and tending to isolate himself from others.

'Cool kid'

Mohamed Bashir said it was an “honour” to have had Mouayed as an older brother.

“We didn’t have it easy growing up as we were always moving countries to a new house or city," he said. "We knew that when we made friends, they might be temporary so the only people we had were each other.

“It was always easy for him to make friends no matter the environment. He was a cool kid.”

On January 16, 2021, just over a month before his death, the family say Mr Bashir was the victim of a stabbing which caused him both physical and psychological pain.

Mohamed continued: “I picked him up from the hospital and took him to his girlfriend’s house to recover. He adored his girlfriend and her two children. However, he became paranoid and his recovery was difficult for her to deal with alongside caring for her children.

“I then helped him move into our parents’ house. After this, his mental health got worse. He was paranoid and was not himself. When we lost Mouayed, we lost a brother, a son and a best friend.”

Mr Bashir's father, Mamoun, said his son was "very caring" and loved to socialise. His mother, Mahasin, said: "He was kind, handsome and smart. He grew up close with his family, and grew into a very generous and caring young man. When we moved to Newport, we were a very unified and happy family. Him and I were very close. We suffer a lot because of his death. I miss him very much."

Mr Bashir died on February 17, 2021.

The inquest into his death continues.