Man, 74, extradited from Pakistan and charged with murder over 2005 shooting of Bradford PC Sharon Beshenivsky

12 April 2023, 22:45 | Updated: 13 April 2023, 02:47

Piran Ditta Khan (left) arrived in the UK and was taken into custody at a West Yorkshire police station, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said.
Piran Ditta Khan (left) arrived in the UK and was taken into custody at a West Yorkshire police station, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said. Picture: Alamy / PA

By Chris Samuel

A 74-year-old man has been extradited from Pakistan and charged with the murder of a female West Yorkshire PC who was shot dead during a robbery in 2005.

Piran Ditta Khan arrived in the UK and was taken into custody at a West Yorkshire police station, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said.

PC Sharon Beshenivsky, 38, was fatally shot while responding an alarm at a travel agent in Bradford.

She was a mother to three children and two stepchildren, and had only served nine months on the force when she was killed.

Her shift partner PC Teresa Millburn was also shot in the same incident, but survived.

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Mr Khan has been charged with murder, robbery, two counts of possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life and two counts of possessing a prohibited weapon.

He will appear before Westminster Magistrates' Court on Thursday.

Piran Ditta Khan (centre)
Piran Ditta Khan (centre). Picture: Alamy

A spokesperson for the CPS said the charges against Mr Khan were authorised in 2006, leading to the issuing of the extradition warrant.

Joanne Jakymec, chief crown prosecutor for the CPS, said: A suspect wanted in connection with the murder of PC Sharon Beshenivsky in Bradford in 2005 has been extradited to the UK from Pakistan thanks to the continued hard work of prosecutors in the CPS's extradition and international units.

Sharon Beshenivsky
Sharon Beshenivsky. Picture: PA

"Since Piran Ditta Khan was arrested in Pakistan in 2020, our specialist prosecutors have been working closely with our Pakistani partners to complete the legal process in the country so that he could be extradited back to England to face the allegations from almost 20 years ago."

Khan has been remanded in custody and is due to appear before Westminster Magistrates Court on Thursday, April 13.