Robber denies killing hero WPC in gun raid

A GANG member yesterday denied murdering policewoman Sharon Beshenivsky in a bungled raid but admitted taking part in the robbery.

PC Sharon Beshenivsky was shot dead during a raid at a travel agency PC Sharon Beshenivsky was shot dead during a raid at a travel agency

Mustafa Jama pleaded guilty to the hold-up in which the mother-of-three, 38, was gunned down and her colleague PC Teresa Milburn was seriously injured after being shot.

But Jama, 28, of Somalian descent, denies any responsibility for the killing.

Prosecutors told the jury yesterday that even if he did not pull the trigger, he was as much guilty of murder as the man who did.

As soon as the gang went armed with a 9mm self-loading pistol and a MAC-10 semi-automatic machine gun, said Robert Smith QC, Jama must have known they could be used to “kill or injure anyone who hinder them or might stand in their way”.

The two WPCs were –nearing the end of their shift when they answered what was assumed to be a routine alarm call from the Universal Express travel agency in Bradford, West Yorkshire in November 2005.

Mustafa Jama has admitted being part of the robbery but denies her murder Mustafa Jama has admitted being part of the robbery but denies her murder

Within minutes, both women had been gunned down because they arrived just as the seven-man gang burst on to the street, trying to escape, Newcastle Crown Court heard.

“It was deliberate, callous and unnecessary and done with the intention of killing both officers,” said Mr Smith. “They were both shot in the chest at close range.”

He said the gang – which included Jama’s brother Yusuf – were “dangerous men who had used violence to the owner of the premises they had just attacked and were prepared to stop at nothing to avoid arrest”.

Yusuf Jama, 21, and another man, Muzzaker Shah, 26, have already been convicted of murder, robbery and firearms offences over the raid.

Mr Smith named Mustafa Jama, who denies murder and firearms offences but admits robbery, as the third man responsible for the killing of PC Beshenivsky.

Four others were also involved in the plot. Faisal Razzaq, 27, and his brother Hassan, 28, already convicted of possessing firearms, were waiting outside the travel agents with Raza Ul-Haq Aslam, 27, who was convicted of robbery, and Piran Ditta Khan, 60, who remains on the run.

Mr Smith added: “The prosecution case against the accused man [Mustafa Jama] is straightforward.

“He was party to an attempt to rob the premises of such quantities of cash that were held there.

“In order to do so he, with others in the gang, went armed with a 9mm self-loading pistol and a loaded machine gun MAC-10, and a knife. The carrying of loaded guns for the purpose of robbery involves, you would think, the intention to fire them if necessary.

“You may think that people who carry firearms in order to commit such crimes know the consequences – someone may be shot.”

The jury heard PC Beshenivsky was “killed by a single bullet which pierced her heart” and that she had “no chance of survival”.

Her colleague, PC Milburn, now 39, named Muzzaker Shah as the man who actually shot her colleague in the chest. One of the travel agent staff managed to trigger an automatic alarm. The two officers arrived as the gang was attempting to escape.

Jama sat silently in the dock as the case against him was read out.

The judge, Mr Justice Openshaw, excluded anybody with a connection to a friend or family member serving in the police from serving on the jury.

The trial, which is expected to last three weeks, continues today.

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