"Piran Ditta Khan was the architect of the operation"
A man has been convicted of murdering a police officer by planning the armed robbery in which she was shot dead in 2005.
Piran Ditta Khan spent nearly 20 years on the run for his involvement in the killing of PC Sharon Beshenivsky in Bradford on November 18, 2005.
Khan was the last of seven men involved in the armed robbery to face trial.
He had previously admitted robbery but denied the police officer’s murder.
At Leeds Crown Court, 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.
PC Beshenivsky was shot on her youngest daughter’s fourth birthday as she arrived at the scene of a robbery at a travel agent in the city centre.
As the police officer approached the entrance with her colleague PC Teresa Milburn, three men burst out of the travel agent, shooting the pair.
PC Beshenivsky’s injuries were fatal while PC Milburn was seriously injured.
The gunman was one of three armed men who had carried out the robbery and fled with approximately £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.
The court heard Khan masterminded the robbery and played a “pivotal role in planning the raid and giving instructions to the others”.
Khan said 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.
Shortly after PC Beshenivsky’s death, Khan fled to Pakistan.
He remained there before being arrested by Pakistani authorities in 2020 and was extradited to the UK to face justice in 2023.
Following the guilty verdict, Detective Superintendent Marc Bowes, of West Yorkshire Police, said the force had remained “doggedly determined” to bring all of those responsible to justice.
He said: “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.”
DS 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.
“PC Sharon Beshenivsky lost her life in the most horrific of circumstances in the line of duty. She will always be remembered.”
David Holderness, of the CPS, 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 thanked 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.”
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