A man has denied the murder of PC Sharon Beshenivsky in Bradford 18 years ago. Piran Ditta Khan, 74, is charged over the fatal shooting of the officer on 18 November 2005 as she and a colleague responded to reports of a robbery. The accused was extradited from Pakistan in April and appeared at Leeds Crown Court where he pleaded not guilty to the charge of murder and four firearms offences. In February, he is due to go on trial.
Mr Khan also faces a charge of possession of a prohibited weapon for each of two firearms. The two firearms charges relate to the alleged possession of a Mac 10 submachine gun and a 9mm pistol. The charge relating to the submachine gun states it was allegedly “designed or adapted so that two or more missiles could be successfully discharged without repeated pressure on the trigger”, the court was told.
During the hearing, Mr Khan pleaded guilty to a charge of robbery on the same day as PC Beshenivsky died. This related to robbing Mohammed Yousaf of a quantity of cash. PC Beshenivsky was 38 when she was killed outside Universal Travel in Morley Street, Bradford. Her colleague, PC Teresa Milburn, was seriously injured in the attack, but survived. The judge, Mr Justice Hilliard, who appeared by videolink from the Central Criminal Court in London, remanded Mr Khan in custody until his next hearing.
It’s a case that has garnered attention for almost two decades. Beshenivsky and her partner responded to what appeared to be an ordinary call from a travel agency in Bradford. Upon arrival, they discovered the travel agency was being robbed and they immediately called for backup. In the ensuing chaos, Beshenivsky was shot and killed, while her partner was seriously injured. As soon as he was extradited from Pakistan, Khan was charged and brought to trial. He will face trial in February next year
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