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Good morning and welcome back to our weekly crime and court newsletter.
This week, the mastermind of an armed robbery that ended in PC Sharon Beshenivsky being shot dead in Bradford was jailed.
PC Beshenivsky’s family watched from court as Piran Ditta Khan, the last member of the gang responsible for the armed raid that claimed her life, was sentenced after almost 20 years.
Read our coverage of this case, and others, below.
Man who murdered PC Beshenivsky will 'inevitably spend rest of his life in custody'
PC Sharon Beshenivsky was killed on her daughter’s fourth birthday while interrupting a robbery at family-run Universal Express travel agents in Morley Street, in Bradford's west end, in November 2005.
 PC Sharon Beshenivsky (Image: Police)
She and her colleague PC Teresa Milburn, who were both unarmed, were shot at point-blank range by one of the three men who had just carried out the raid as he emerged from the door of the business.
 The scene on Morley Street (Image: T&A)
In April this year Piran Ditta Khan – the gang’s ringleader – became the last of seven men involved in the robbery to be convicted after spending almost 15 years on the run.
The 75-year-old was found guilty of murdering PC Beshenivsky, as well as two counts of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life and two counts of possession of a prohibited weapon.
On Friday, Mr Justice Hilliard jailed Khan for life with a minimum term of 40 years.
'PC Beshenivsky's courage and commitment cost her her life'
The judge praised PC Beshenivsky’s “courage” in responding to the call “when she and her colleague had no way of knowing what they would be confronted with when they got there”.
“Pc Sharon Beshenivsky’s courage and commitment to duty that day cost her her life,” he said.”
Mr Justice Hilliard said because Khan had fled to Pakistan after the murder at the age of 57 he had “spent the rest of your 50s and all your 60s at liberty when you should have spent those years in custody”.
 The wanted poster issued for Khan (Image: Police)
The judge told Khan: “You will inevitably spend the remainder of your life in custody, but that is a consequence of sentencing a man of your age for a crime of this particular gravity.”
'Our journey seeking justice and closure is now at an end'
A statement from PC Beshenivsky’s family read outside court following the hearing said: “November 2005 was the start of an almost 19-year journey.
"A journey seeking the truth and justice for Sharon, who was not just a police officer, but a loving mum, wife, daughter, sister, and a friend to many.
“Our journey seeking justice and closure of the judicial process is now at an end. This journey has and continues to be difficult for us all.
“Enduring several trials over the years has been hard, each one of them taking us back to the very beginning, which made us feel like we had lost Sharon all over again.
"And now we once again pick up the pieces of our lives and continue forward as Sharon would have wanted us all to do.”
A look at other stories we have covered this week
Spice-smoking prisoner poured boiling water mixed with sugar over cellmate's face
A prisoner who poured boiling water mixed with sugar over the face of his sleeping cellmate during an incident at HMP Leeds two years ago has been jailed as a dangerous offender.
Bradford man Dean Womersley, 44, admitted a charge of causing grievous bodily harm with intent on the day of his trial in February, and was jailed for six years and given an extended licence period of three years.
You can read the full story by following this link.
Man lay in wait for woman then launched horrific knife attack
A mentally ill “fantasist” who lay in wait for a woman and then launched a horrific broad daylight knife attack on her in a Bradford street has been jailed for more than eight years.
 Mohammed Ali, also known as Paul Mennell (Image: West Yorkshire Police)
A court heard on Friday how Mohammed Ali, also known as Paul Mennell, had been fixated with the complainant and after the attack in August 2022, he told police: ”If I can’t have her no one can. I know I’m going away for a long time. I’m sorry.”
Read more on this story by clicking here.
Man who showed 'no remorse' after raping woman is jailed for 11 years
A man who showed “absolutely no remorse” after raping a woman wass jailed for 11 years at Bradford Crown Court.
Mr Recorder Patrick Palmer described Stephen John Bradwell’s behaviour as “reprehensible”.
 Stephen Bradwell (Image: West Yorkshire Police)
Prosecutor Michael Morley read a statement on behalf of the victim in which she said felt constantly sick and afraid, suffered flashbacks and panic attacks, and was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
The full story can be read here.
'Bradford district's speeding epidemic is putting lives at risk on racetrack roads'
Tougher action is needed to crack down on speeding motorists in parts of the Bradford district, it's claimed.
Some drivers have been accused of using roads "like a racetrack".
 A speeding operation (Image: T&A)
The claim comes as newly-released data places this region among the worst nationally for speeding offences.
Read more by following this link.
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