Tests carried out on body of Telford man Ismaaeel Rehman

Tests are being carried out on the body of a 24-year-old man who died 18 months after he was left for dead in Telford, detectives said today.

Ismaaeel Rehman was found fighting for his life in the street in Heath Hill, Dawley, in July 2009.

He had been attacked and suffered serious head injuries. His step-father Jamil Rehman and mother Kursheed said the trainee carpenter from Dudley had to undergo rehabilitation to be able to talk again after the attack.

They want to know if the head injuries he suffered in the attack were linked to his death on New Year's Day.

It is understood he suffered a seizure while visiting relatives in Walsall.

His family have called for his body to be returned so they can arrange his funeral but detectives today said it was vital extensive tests were carried out first.

They will then decide whether the police investigation needs to be re-opened.

Detective Inspector John Elcock, from CID at Telford's Malinsgate Police Station, said: "We are carrying out tests on Mr Rehman's body and these tests are all part of the postmortem process to find out the cause of his death.

"It is vital we carry out these tests so that we establish whether his death requires further investigation from us and whether it is related to the serious assault he suffered in Dawley back in 2009."

He said Mr Rehman's family had been kept informed about the case.

"We have done our utmost to keep Mr Rehman's family informed about the investigative work we have been doing and a family liaison officer was assigned to the family shortly after we became aware of Mr Rehman's death.

"We are aware that Mr Rehman's family would like us to release his body to them as soon as is possible and I'd like to reassure them that we are endeavouring to carry out the necessary investigative work as quickly as we can," Mr Elcock said.

He said any new information was being released to the family as quickly as possible.

Seven men were arrested in connection with the attack at the time but were released without charge

By Crime Correspondent Kirsty Smallman