Solved case · 2005
Also known as Sharon Beshenivsky's murder · Sharon Beshenivsky's killing
The short answer
PC Sharon Beshenivsky, a West Yorkshire Police constable, was shot and killed during an armed robbery at a travel agent in Bradford on 18 November 2005. Several men were convicted of murder, manslaughter, robbery and firearms offences over the following years, with a final suspect, Piran Ditta Khan, extradited from Pakistan and convicted of murder in 2024.
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Suggest coverage for Murder of Sharon BeshenivskyOn the afternoon of 18 November 2005, PC Sharon Beshenivsky and her colleague PC Teresa Milburn responded to an activated attack alarm at a travel agent on Morley Street in Bradford. On arrival, they encountered three men who had just robbed the agent of £5,405; two were armed with a gun and one with a knife. One of the gunmen fired at point-blank range, fatally wounding Beshenivsky in the chest and also hitting Milburn in the chest. The three men fled the scene in a convoy of vehicles. Beshenivsky, who had served as a constable for only nine months after previously working as a police community support officer, became the seventh female police officer to die in the line of duty in England and Wales, and the second to be fatally shot. She had three children and two stepchildren, and died on her youngest daughter's fourth birthday. Her funeral was held at Bradford Cathedral on 6 January 2006.
Closed-circuit television footage tracked a car fleeing the scene, and an automatic number plate recognition system, recently installed in Bradford city centre, helped trace its owners, leading investigators to identify multiple suspects. On 25 November 2005, police named Mustaf Jama, Yusuf Jama and Muzzaker Imtiaz Shah as prime suspects. Yusuf Jama was arrested in Birmingham and charged with murder and robbery; Shah was arrested in Newport, South Wales, in December 2005 and also charged with murder. Mustaf Jama had fled to Somalia and was extradited to the UK in November 2007 following a Home Office–funded operation.
Six suspects in total were arrested. Following trials, Yusuf Jama and Muzzaker Shah were each convicted of murder, robbery and firearms offences and sentenced to life imprisonment with minimum terms of 35 years. Faisal Razzaq was cleared of murder but convicted of manslaughter, robbery and firearms offences, receiving a life sentence with an 11-year minimum term; he had driven the lead car and acted as a lookout. His brother, Hassan Razzaq, was also convicted of manslaughter, robbery and firearms offences, and sentenced to 20 years; he too had acted as a lookout. Raza Ul-Haq Aslam, a third lookout, was convicted of a single robbery offence and sentenced to eight years. Mustaf Jama was convicted of murder in July 2009 at Newcastle Crown Court and given a minimum term of 35 years. Appeals by Yusuf Jama, Muzzaker Shah and Mustaf Jama against their sentences were all rejected.
The alleged mastermind of the robbery, Piran Ditta Khan, fled to Pakistan, where a £20,000 reward was offered for information leading to his arrest; police renewed public appeals in 2014. Khan was arrested in Islamabad on 14 January 2020 and extradited to the UK in April 2023, when he was charged with murder, robbery and firearms offences. At his 2024 trial at Leeds Crown Court, Khan admitted organising the robbery to recover money he said he was owed by the travel agency's owner, but denied knowledge that firearms would be used. He was found guilty of murder on 4 April 2024 and sentenced on 10 May 2024 to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 40 years. He died in prison in February 2025.
PC Sharon Beshenivsky is fatally shot and PC Teresa Milburn seriously injured during an armed robbery at a travel agent in Bradford.
Police name Mustaf Jama, Yusuf Jama and Muzzaker Imtiaz Shah as prime suspects.
Yusuf Jama is arrested in Birmingham.
Muzzaker Shah is arrested in Newport, South Wales.
Beshenivsky's funeral is held at Bradford Cathedral.
Yusuf Jama is found guilty of murder and other charges and sentenced to life imprisonment with a 35-year minimum term.
Hassan Razzaq is convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 20 years.
Mustaf Jama is extradited from Somalia to the UK and charged with murder.
Mustaf Jama is found guilty of murder at Newcastle Crown Court and sentenced to life with a 35-year minimum term.
Police renew a public appeal, including a £20,000 reward, for information leading to the arrest of Piran Ditta Khan.
Piran Ditta Khan is arrested in Islamabad, Pakistan.
Khan is extradited to the UK and charged with murder, robbery and firearms offences.
Khan is found guilty of murder at Leeds Crown Court.
Khan is sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 40 years.
Piran Ditta Khan dies at HM Prison Wakefield of lung cancer.
Victims first. Every legal label is set from public records and court outcomes, not from the prose.
West Yorkshire Police constable shot and killed during an armed robbery in Bradford on 18 November 2005.[3]
West Yorkshire Police constable seriously injured (shot in the chest) in the same incident.[3]
Cleared of murder but convicted of manslaughter, robbery and firearms offences; sentenced to life imprisonment with an 11-year minimum term; acted as a lookout and drove the lead car.[3]
Convicted of manslaughter, robbery and firearms offences; sentenced to 20 years; acted as a lookout.[3]
Jailed for 18 months in 2007 for helping Muzzaker Shah evade capture.[3]
Convicted of murder after extradition from Somalia; sentenced to life imprisonment with a 35-year minimum term.[3]
Convicted of murder, robbery and firearms offences; sentenced to life imprisonment with a 35-year minimum term.[3]
Convicted of murder in April 2024 as the alleged organiser of the robbery; sentenced to life imprisonment with a 40-year minimum term; died in prison in February 2025.[3]
Convicted of a single robbery offence as a third lookout; sentenced to eight years.[3]
Convicted of murder, robbery and firearms offences; sentenced to life imprisonment with a 35-year minimum term.[3]
From the record
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