THIS is the shocking moment a violent thug bludgeons a man’s head with a hammer before fleeing the UK.
Abdul Wahab, 29, can be seen in terrifying footage wielding the weapon and running into a corner shop in Spark Hill, Birmingham, before unleashing his “revenge” attack on the victim.
The man, in his 20s, can be seen stood at the till showing the worker something on his phone moments before Wahab lands multiple hammer blows to his skull.
Sick and twisted Wahab then fled to a nearby park where he dumped the hammer into a lake.
Just hours later, he was at Heathrow Airport and had boarded a flight to Abu Dhabi.
But cops were waiting to arrest him when he landed back on British soil on March 26.
Body cam footage showed the moment a smirking Wahab was snared and cuffed.
In the six-second frenzied ambush on February 21 this year, Wahab left the man with a near fatal bleed and swelling on the brain.
The victim needed metal plates inserted into his skull and jaw in order to survive, Birmingham Crown Court heard.
On October 25, Wahab was jailed for 21 years for the vicious assault.
He pleaded guilty to inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent and possession of an offensive weapon.
However, the jury found him guilty of attempted murder.
DC Sam Higginson said: “This was a brutal attack on a man in a shop in the middle of the day.
“The man suffered serious head injuries, including a bleed to the brain, and had metal plates fitted in his skull. He was in hospital for more than a month.
“Wahab then fled the country in a desperate bid to escape justice. Fortunately, we arrested him on his return to the UK.
“This sentence sends out a clear message to perpetrators who act in this way.
“We will find you, you will be convicted and you will spend many years behind bars.”
