A man accused of the murder of PC Sharon Beshenivsky today admitted it had 'crossed his mind' that his alleged robbery conspirators might have been going to Bradford to commit a crime.

Raza Ul-Haq Aslam, under cross examination by prosecutor Robert Smith QC at the Newcastle Crown Court murder trial, said that he went with the others to Bradford because he "had nothing better to do".

Aslam, 25, said he thought 'something was going on' when he saw Muzzaker Shah, Yusuf Jamma and Mustaf Jamma changing into smart suits before they left a house in Harehills Lane, Leeds, to travel to Bradford.

But he said he did not think it was a robbery because ' you don't do a robbery in a suit' and he could not see the logic of them coming from London to Bradford to rob.

He told the court "I knew something was going on, maybe a crime, maybe not."

Mr Smith suggested: "You could have got in your car and driven home to Halifax. There is no sensible explanation for you going to Bradford."

Aslam replied: "I went with Faisal Razzaq because he asked me to go with him for something to eat."

Aslam told the court that when he drove Faisal Razzaq to Birmingham on the evening on November 19 last year, the day after the shooting and robbery at the Universal Express travel agents in Bradford, he knew a police woman had died and another had been injured. He said he had seen a photo of Beshenivsky and knew she was a mother.

Mr Smith said: "You haven't told the court what was said in that car of concern on your part that a police woman, a mother with children, was lying dead."

Aslam replied: "Of course I showed some concern. I said what they did was wrong."

Mr Smith said: "This was a dreadful crime. Why didn't you pick up the phone and, if necessarily anonymously, tell the police what they needed to know if you were so concerned about the death of PC Beshenivsky?"

Aslam replied: "I was confused. I don't why I didn't. I didn't know what to do."

Yusuf Abdillh Jamma, 20, of Small Heath, Birmingham, Raza Ul-Haq Aslam, 25, of Kentish Town, London, and brothers Faisal Razzaq, 25, and Hassan Razzaq, 26, both of Forest Gate, London, plead not guilty to PC Sharon Beshenivsky's murder.

Aslam and the Razzaq brothers deny robbery but Jamma has admitted that charge. Aslam, the Razzaq brothers and Jamma also plead not guilty to firearms offences though Jamma admits two charges of possessing a prohibited weapon.

Muzzaker Imtiaz Shah, 25, of London, admits murder, robbery, two charges of possessing a prohibited weapon and two charges of possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life. He has been acquitted of the attempted murder of PC Teresa Milburn.

The trial continues.