A man accused of gunning down a Bradford taxi driver nearly 20 years ago was “on the run” at the time from the police in America over a fatal shooting in New York, a jury has heard.

Ricardo Linton, 45, denies murdering Mohammed Basharat and attempting to murder Jamshad Khan in the offices of Little Horton Private Hire, off Park Lane in Bradford, on Saturday, October 20, 2001.

Mr Basharat, 33, a driver with the taxi firm, was struck by two bullets, in the head and the mouth, and died where he fell.

Simon Clegg, prosecuting barrister, has told the jury at Bradford Crown Court that Linton was extradited from the United States to this country in September last year.

He was arrested and charged with the murder of Mr Basharat after he arrived at Heathrow Airport.

Mr Clegg said a murder took place in Brooklyn, New York, in January 1993, when a gunman shot a man in the head with a pistol.

Linton was arrested by United States police officers in Jamaica in 2003 and, following a trial in America in October 2005, he was convicted by a jury of the murder.

He denied the offence and told the jury in Bradford that he was innocent of the killing.

Prosecutor Richard Wright QC said to Linton: "There were you on the run in 2001 for gunning down another man."

Linton told the jury he was innocent of the offence.

"You weren't advertising that you were on the run from the Americans," Mr Wright said. "The police didn't know who you were until 2004 so they couldn't know you were wanted by the New York police." 

The trial continues.