Following the sentence of Piran Ditta Khan, the daughter of the late West Yorkshire Police officer Sharon Beshenivsky seeks “peace” for her mother.
During a heist at the Universal Express travel agencies in Bradford in November 2005, 38-year-old Beshenivsky was shot and killed. The murder of Beshenivsky was pinned on Khan earlier this month.
Since Khan was the last of seven robbery suspects to face sentencing in May, Beshenivsky predicted “relief” upon his conviction, knowing he and the others would be behind bars. Nevertheless, she acknowledged that it does not repair the hole in her heart and that the void in her soul will remain indefinitely.
Beshenivsky was slain in the line of duty after just nine months of serving as an officer. On her birthday, she often visits her mother’s grave in Bradford to grieve her passing.
At Leeds Crown Court on April 4, a jury convicted takeout restaurant proprietor Khan guilty of murder. He denied being a murderer.
Khan parked close to the Universal Express agency because he thought it would be a good target for their cash. As the net closed in on him, Khan returned to his home nation of Pakistan. However, he was arrested in 2020 after years of talks and diplomacy.
The three assailants who stormed the agency with a submachine gun, handgun, and knife were subsequently convicted of murder and sent to prison. The jury heard Khan’s admission of robbery, but he denied any involvement in the crime’s planning or organization and claimed ignorance of the armed robbers’ identities. Officer Beshenivisky, who was unarmed, was shot in the chest and killed on the spot.
He was cognizant of the building’s security measures and knew full well that weapons would be required to intimidate employees. In the days leading up to the raid, the gang met in a Leeds safehouse.
The Razzaq brothers, Hassan and Faisal, were subsequently convicted of homicide, robbery, and weapons offenses. A robbery conviction was handed down to Raza Ul-Haq Aslam. The three armed men who entered Universal Express—Muzzaker Shah, brothers Yusuf and Mustaf Jama—were found guilty of murder, robbery, and weapons offenses.
