THE son of a shopkeeper who was stabbed to death in his own store has made an emotional plea for his killer to be caught.

Abbas Ali spoke out following the death of his father Javaid, 48, who was attacked in Sunshine Grocers in Green Road, Paisley, Renfrewshire, on June 15.

He died in the town's Royal Alexandra Hospital last Friday.

Senior detectives leading the hunt for Mr Ali's killer described the attack as "horrendous and vicious".

Abbas Ali, one of three sons, yesterday paid tribute to his father and urged anyone with information about the murder to contact police.

Mr Ali, 25, said: "Our family is absolutely devastated at the loss of my father.

"He was a wonderful father, husband, son and friend. He meant so much to us and it is heartbreaking to know we will never see or speak to him again.

"I cannot put into words the suffering this has caused our family and it will take a long time for us to come to terms with what has happened.

"As a father, I could not have asked for more. My dad was an exceptionally hard worker and a great provider for our family.

"He always put our needs first and did his best to provide my brothers and me with opportunities that he did not have when he was younger."

Mr Ali described how his father was a key part of the community and showed "genuine warmth and kindness" towards those who were less fortunate and vulnerable. He added: "The brutal manner in which he was taken from us is very difficult to accept. I cannot bear to imagine the pain he might have been in when he was attacked."

Two years ago, Mr Ali fought off two robbers, one of whom had a crossbow, while the other had a knife.

More than 60 police officers are working on the inquiry into his death and have visited 700 homes and taken up to 170 statements so far.

The driver of a car that stopped outside the shop shortly after the incident has come forward, but detectives are still trying to trace a man who was seen walking from the direction of Sunshine Grocers at about 3pm on the day of the incident and a young woman carrying Aldi shopping bags. She was walking towards Green Road in the direction of the cycle track.

Detective Chief Inspector Duncan Sloan, of Strathclyde Police, said: "This was a horrendous, vicious and unprovoked attack on a popular and well-respected member of the local community. We are following a number of lines of inquiry and keeping an open mind as we try to establish potential motives for the attack.

"I know Mr Ali was a popular member of that community and I'm appealing for people in that community to come forward."

Police said they will maintain a large presence in the area to gather information and to reassure any concerned residents.

Chief Superintendent Alan Spiers, divisional commander for the area, said it was not believed to be a racially motivated crime. He said: "Mr Ali was an integral part of the community and would go out of his way to help someone.

"We do not believe there is a racial motive. We believe the answer lies within the community.

"Someone will have come home that night and may have been acting strange or out of character or may have something on their clothes. We would urge people to dig deep into their conscience and, if they know anything, to come forward with vital information."