Sabina Rizvi murder case could be reopened, inquest told

Sabina Rizvi was shot to death while driving away from a London police station

Police could reopen the case of a woman shot dead outside a police station 20 years ago if further information comes to light, an inquest has heard.

Sabina Rizvi, 25, was killed in the early hours of 20 March 2003 in Bexleyheath, south-east London.

In 2004, Paul Asbury, then aged 22, was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 20 years after being convicted of her murder.

He was also convicted of the attempted murder of a passenger in her car.

• Inquest probes police role in woman's 2003 shooting

Det Supt Francis De Juan, from the Metropolitan Police, told the Old Bailey that Asbury's defence was that "he played no part in the events and named his associates Lee Bishop, Tommy Brown and Moushy Sargent as being responsible".

Counsel to the inquest Cathryn McGahey KC asked Mr De Juan: "Did the police investigate those individuals?"

He replied: "They did. Aside from Mr Asbury, the police investigation made a number of arrests. As of this time, none have been charged."

Ms McGahey said: "If further information was to come to light now, would the police reopen the case?"

Mr De Juan said: "Then the case would progress, yes."

The inquest is being heard at the Old Bailey in London, almost 21 years after Ms Risvi's death

He added that a report produced for the Met's anti-corruption command shortly after the death found any indication of impropriety on the part of police officers was "highly speculative". Ms Rizvi was shot as she drove away from Bexleyheath police station.

Giving evidence, Mr De Juan said Ms Rizvi's death was not considered to be a "death in custody" at the time.

The original police investigation established that evening before she was killed, phone numbers linked with Asbury were in frequent contact with his associates.

It also found that one of those phones was close to Bexleyheath police station, and a phone linked with Asbury was in the area of the police station until about the time that Ms Rizvi and the passenger in her car, Mark Williams, were shot. He was badly injured but survived.

Opening the full inquest at the Old Bailey, Ms McGahey said Ms Rizvi's family believed there was "more that should be investigated".

Ms McGahey said: "The criminal trial had looked only at the role of Paul Asbury and of accomplices who had been directly involved in the shooting or in destroying evidence afterwards.

"The criminal trial had not looked at whether the police at Bexleyheath police station were in any way implicated in what had happened."

She told the jury at the Old Bailey that they would be asked to look at "whether any action or inaction on the part of the police caused or contributed to Sabina's death".

The inquest, which was originally opened and adjourned in 2003, was reopened in February 2019 by the senior coroner for south London.

It was delayed by the coronavirus pandemic and is now being heard by assistant coroner Angela Rafferty KC.

The evidence is expected to be heard for two weeks, with the jury's conclusion expected during the week beginning 25 March.

Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [e-mail]