| PC Sharon Beshenivsky | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 14, 1967 Yorkshire, England |
| Died | November 18, 2005 (aged 38) Bradford, West Yorkshire, England |
| Occupation | Police Officer |
Police Constable Sharon Beshenivsky (14 January 1967[1]–18 November 2005) was a West Yorkshire Police constable shot dead by a criminal gang during a robbery in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England.
Another police officer, PC Teresa Millburn, was also shot in the incident, receiving serious wounds to the chest. PC Millburn had joined the force less than two years earlier.
Closed-circuit television cameras in Bradford tracked a car rushing from the scene and used an automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) system to trace its owners. This led to six suspects being arrested, but all were later released.
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She was the 89th police officer and the sixth female officer to die in the line of duty in England and Wales, the second female officer to be fatally shot (the first was Yvonne Fletcher in an incident involving the Libyan Embassy in 1984), and the first female officer to die in an ordinary gun crime.
Sharon had only been serving as a police officer for nine months and was therefore classed as a probationer under the supervision of an experienced colleague.[2]
She had three children and two stepchildren, and died on her daughter's birthday.
Sharon's funeral took place on 6 January 2006 in Bradford Cathedral.[3]
On 18 August 2006 Bradford Bulls rugby league club made a presentation on the pitch at their home ground, Grattan Stadium, during the half-time interval of the match with Castleford Tigers, in Sharon's honour. Sharon's widower Paul, along with Chief Constable of West Yorkshire Police Colin Cramphorn, were guests as Bradford Bulls chairman Peter Hood unveiled a memorial bench in her honour, which is to be placed in the club's reception area. On 8 May 2009 a memorial to Sharon was unveiled by the Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, outside the travel agents on Morley Street where she fell.[4]
On 25 November 2005, police named Somali brothers Mustaf Jama (25), Yusaf Jama (19) and Muzzaker Shah (24) as prime suspects.[5] Yusaf Jama was arrested in Birmingham on 26 November 2005 and was subsequently charged with murder and robbery. On 12 December 2005 Muzzaker Shah was arrested in Newport, South Wales; he was later charged with PC Beshenivsky's murder. Mustaf Jama was extradicted from Somalia on 1 November 2007.
On 18 December, Yusuf Jama was found guilty of all charges against him, including the murder of PC Beshenivsky. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a recommendation that he should serve at least 35 years before being considered for parole; more than double the recommended minimum term imposed on most killers guilty of a single murder. This is expected to keep him in prison until at least 2040 and the age of 60.
Muzzaker Imtiaz Shah, 25, of Birmingham, was also sentenced to life with a recommended minimum of 35 years, which is expected to keep him behind bars until at least 2040 and alsothe age of 60.
The High Court has since agreed with the trial judge's recommendation for both murderers, despite an appeal by both of them to get their sentences reduced.
Faisal Razzaq, 25, of London, was cleared of murder but found guilty of manslaughter. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a recommendation that he should serve at least 11 years before being considered for parole. This is expected to keep him behind bars until at least 2017 and the age of 36.
On March 2, 2007, Hassan Razzaq, 26 and the brother of Faisal, was also convicted of manslaughter and was sentenced to 20 years in prison.[6]
All three of the killers were also found guilty of robbery and a series of firearms offences.[7]
On 1 November 2007, another suspect, Mustaf Jama, was extradited from Somalia and taken into police custody in Bridewell Police station in Leeds.[8] On 2 November, 2007, he was charged with the murder of Sharon Beshenivsky, appeared before Leeds Magistrates and remanded into custody.[9][10] On 22 July 2009, Mustaf Jama was found guilty of murder and was also told that he would serve at least 35 years in prison.[11]
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