Sharon Beshenivsky: Robbery ringleader guilty of PC's 2005 murder

Piran Ditta Khan fled to Pakistan after PC Beshenivsky's murder in 2005, but was extradited in 2023

A man has been found guilty of murdering a police officer by planning the armed robbery in which she was shot dead almost 20 years ago.

Piran Ditta Khan, 75, spent nearly two decades evading justice for his part in the killing of PC Sharon Beshenivsky in Bradford on 18 November 2005.

Khan, who was extradited from Pakistan last year, was the last of seven men involved in the robbery to face trial.

He had previously admitted robbery but denied the officer's murder.

At Leeds Crown Court on Thursday, Khan was also found guilty of two counts of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life and two counts of possession of a prohibited weapon.

• Detective's promise to murdered PC's husband

Sharon Beshenivsky had been a PC for less than a year before she was fatally shot in Bradford in November 2005

PC Beshenivsky, 38, was gunned down on her youngest daughter's fourth birthday as she arrived at the scene of the robbery at a travel agents in the city centre.

As she approached the entrance to the travel agents along with her colleague PC Teresa Milburn, three men burst out of the business shooting both officers.

Shot at close range and left lying on the pavement, PC Beshenivsky's injuries were instantly fatal, while PC Milburn was seriously injured.

The gunman was one of three armed men who had just carried out the robbery and fled with around £5,400 in cash.

Six people were subsequently arrested and convicted of charges including murder and manslaughter, with Khan being the seventh and final to face trial.

Before Khan was jailed, a further six men had been sentenced in connection with PC Beshenivsky's death

Jurors at Leeds Crown Court were told Khan was the mastermind behind the robbery and played a "pivotal role in planning the raid and giving instructions to the others".

Khan told the court he was waiting in a car and "eating sandwiches" with Hassan Razzaq while the raid was being carried out.

Razzaq and his brother Faisal Razzaq were later found guilty of manslaughter, robbery and firearms offences. Raza Ul-Haq Aslam was convicted of robbery.

Muzzaker Shah and brothers Yusuf Jama and Mustaf Jama - the three armed men who went into Universal Express - were convicted of murder, robbery and firearms offences.

Leeds Crown Court heard how Khan had spent almost two decades evading justice having escaped to Pakistan shortly after PC Beshenivsky's death.

He remained there before being arrested by Pakistani authorities in 2020 and was extradited to the UK to face justice last year.

Danny Savage, BBC News Correspondent, in court

It's horrible sitting in court watching the last moments of someone's life on CCTV.

We all know what's about to happen, but Sharon Beshenivsky and Teresa Milburn had no idea.

Their marked police patrol car can be seen pulling into Morley Street in Bradford one Friday afternoon 18 years ago.

They were both due off shift in less than half an hour. It was PC Beshenivsky's daughter's fourth birthday. An attack alarm had been activated at a travel agent. They get out of their car and stroll purposefully across the road towards the front door of the building. A second or so later a horrific scene plays out.

PC Beshenivsky is left dying on the pavement and PC Milburn is shot in the chest by three men who burst out of the door firing a pistol.

The CCTV shows the gunmen sprinting to their getaway car. For Sharon Beshenivsky's family, the clocks stop.

The man who planned the raid is coolly driving around nearby in the passenger seat of a Mercedes SLK. Moments before the robbery he and an accomplice gave the nod that the coast was clear. And then drove away.

What must Piran Ditta Khan have thought when he heard others in the gang had shot two police officers?

He thought enough to go to ground and flee to Pakistan.

It took many years to get him back but now he has finally been convicted of killing Sharon Beshenivsky.

The 75-year-old is likely to die in prison. He can expect a very long sentence for killing a police officer.

Senior Investigating Officer Det Supt Marc Bowes said PC Beshenivsky would "always be remembered"

Speaking outside Leeds Crown Court following Thursday's guilty verdicts, Det Supt Marc Bowes, from West Yorkshire Police, said the force had remained "doggedly determined" to bring all of those responsible to justice.

"Sharon and Teresa went to work that day fully expecting to come home to their families and friends. But due to the horrific actions of those who have now been convicted for those offences, that wasn't the case," he said.

Det Supt Bowes added that he wanted to acknowledge the "respect and dignity" shown by PC Beshenivsky's family over the past 18 years.

"I do hope that today's convictions go some way in enabling them to move on with their lives," he said.

"PC Sharon Beshenivsky lost her life in the most horrific of circumstances in the line of duty. She will always be remembered."

David Holderness, specialist prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service Yorkshire and Humberside, said: "Piran Ditta Khan was the architect of the operation and meticulously planned the robbery that was to be carried out using firearms which, if they thought necessary, could be used to kill.

"Despite not firing the fatal shot, he is as guilty of Sharon's murder as the man who pulled the trigger."

Mr Holderness went on to thank West Yorkshire Police, the National Crime Agency, the Pakistani authorities and international colleagues who helped extradite Khan to face justice.

Tom Dowdall, Deputy Director International at the National Crime Agency, said: "Anyone who leaves the UK to avoid facing justice for crimes they have committed should know that we will leave no stone unturned to locate you, bring you back to the UK and put you before the courts."

Khan will be sentenced at a later date, yet to be set.