Robbery planner jailed for murder of Pc Beshenivsky

The mastermind behind a bungled armed robbery that resulted in a police officer being gunned down in the street was jailed for life yesterday. Pc Sharon Beshenivsky was shot dead on her daughter's fourth birthday after she and a colleague interrupted a raid at Universal Express travel agents in Bradford, West Yorkshire, in November 2005.

- HOLLY EVANS

She and Pc Teresa Milburn, who were both unarmed, were shot at point-blank range after four men had just carried out the robbery.

At the time of her death, she had only been an officer for nine months and "didn't have a chance" to get away from the gunman.

Almost two decades on, the gang's ringleader, Piran Ditta Khan, became the last of the seven men involved in the robbery to be convicted in April this year.

He was arrested in Pakistan after spending 15 years on the run, and was extradited back to the UK to stand trial. The 75-year-old was found guilty of two counts of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life and two counts of possession of a prohibited weapon. He pleaded guilty to robbery.

Yesterday, he was sentenced at Leeds Crown Court to life with a minimum term of 40 years for the murder of Beshenivsky.