Memorial for homeless man who died after attack

A memorial service is to be held in honour of a popular homeless man who died after he was attacked in the street.

Craig Dean, known locally as Yankee, died in hospital on 9 July, two days after he was assaulted on Springfield Road in the Kings Heath area of Birmingham. He was 53.

A man, 23, has since been arrested on suspicion of murder, while three others - two men aged 23 and 31 and a woman aged 34 - were also detained on suspicion of assisting an offender.

The service for Mr Dean, who was originally from San Diego, will be held at the New Life Baptist Church in Kings Heath at about 19:30 BST on Thursday.

Melanie Johnson-Remy, who is attending the service, said she and her dad would speak to Mr Dean every Saturday when they went to Asda in Kings Heath - where he was often seen sitting outside.

"He was just a delight," she told BBC Radio WM. "It was a part of our Saturday mornings to see him."

Of his death, she said: "It's so terrible that he's been taken. It is devastating."

Bilal Ahmed, a security worker at the Asda store, said he was a "nice guy" who would never bother anyone.

"Anytime I'm up, I come back for a break, and he's outside, and we'd have a conversation," he said. "He'd say, 'I appreciate you just letting me sit down here.'"

Mr Ahmed also recalled how Mr Dean helped to save someone's life outside the store by performing CPR on them when they suffered a heart attack.

Dawn Ashburn described him as a familiar face who was "consistently smiling", adding that he would be "dearly missed".

She said the "heartbreaking" news of his death left her in tears.

"I was devastated when my sister told me. He had a real serving heart and spirit," she added.

"I hope, wherever he is, he can see what an inspiration he was to everybody because he brought a community together."

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