Daughter of murdered PC Sharon Beshenivsky says she will finally get a headstone for her mother when armed robbery mastermind is sentenced - as she speaks of 'finding peace'

The daughter of murdered PC Sharon Beshenivsky says she will finally get a headstone for her mother when the the mastermind behind the fatal armed robbery is sentenced.

Ringleader Piran Ditta Khan, 75, was the seventh and final man to be convicted over the fatal shooting of PC Beshenivsky — almost 20 years after the incident took place. 

The unarmed PC, 38, and her colleague Teresa Milburn were shot at point-blank range as they responded to a raid at Universal Express travel agents in Bradford, West Yorkshire in 2005. 

PC Beshenivsky, who had only been an officer for nine months, died from her injuries while PC Milburn was shot in the chest and survived. 

Now, her daughter Lydia has revealed how she hopes to 'find peace' after Khan's sentencing in May and how she might finally be able to get a headstone for her mother.  

Speaking to ITV, Lydia said: There's relief that he's actually going to be behind bars, but that doesn't really change my heart and fix the hole in my heart is forever going to be like that.

'But on the day of the sentencing, I will be glad to see the back of them.

'With everything that was going on, I couldn't find the words to put on the headstone. I don't think any of us could, but hopefully, after all this is finished, we will get a headstone and really find some peace.' 

Ms Beshenivsky's mother died on her fourth birthday, and she said she usually spends her birthday in Bradford at her mother's memorial.

'My dad was waiting for her to come like everybody else. Then a car pulled up at the top of the drive, and I actually thought that it was my mum coming home.'

'The party went on; they just wanted to keep me busy, I think. Keep it going. To be honest with you, every other birthday, it's been about my birthday. Not about the death.'

'I find it hard to this day to celebrate my birthday,' Ms Beshenivsky added.

'I do normally go down to Bradford with the police at the memorial and spend my time there.'

Ms Beshenivsky said she has found relief through her hobby of working with horses to help her through the loss of her mother.

'I found myself a hobby that I enjoyed, which is working with the horses and that pulled me away from being pulled down and drained by everything and, I mean, I was in this tunnel of darkness for 19 years.

'I had every obstacle thrown at me that I had to jump over basically by myself.'

Khan was convicted of murder and was found guilty of two counts of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life.

He was unanimously convicted of two counts of possession of a prohibited weapon, and he pleaded guilty to robbery.

His sentencing is due in May.

The father-of-six, a takeaway restaurant boss, was not one of the three armed men who went into the Universal Express agency in 2005, but he was the man who planned and organised the ill-fated raid.

The court heard Khan, who had picked the business as a suitable cash-rich target, was parked nearby and gave the go ahead.

With the net closing in Khan fled the country two months later and moved back to his native Pakistan where there was no extradition treaty with the UK.

But years of diplomacy and discussions at a ministerial level eventually led to Khan's arrest in 2020 and he was found guilty by a jury at Leeds Crown Court on April 4, after a seven-week trial.

It means that all seven men involved in the raid have now been convicted over their roles in the robbery.

The three gunmen who went into the agency, armed with a sub-machine gun, pistol and knife, were jailed for murder.

Khan had admitted robbery but told the jury he did not plan or organise it and had no idea the trio of robbers were armed.

PC Beshenivisky was shot through the heart and died on the pavement on her daughter's fourth birthday.

CCTV footage released by police after today's verdict shows the moment both officers are shot.

The harrowing clip shows the two police officers leaving their vehicle and walking towards the shop before they are gunned down.

Three robbers can then be seen running across the road and away from the scene.

PC Beshenivisky's brave colleague was coughing up blood but managed to report the shooting by activating her personal police radio.

Mr Justice Hilliard told the jury to convict of murder they must be sure Khan intentionally encouraged and assisted the robbers and intended at least really serious harm would be caused if necessary in the course of the raid.

Robert Smith, KC, said Khan's part in the operation was so 'pivotal' that he is guilty of murder.

Universal Express was used by local people to transfer funds to relatives in Pakistan by paying in cash.

As a customer who had used it for this purpose, Khan was aware that 'substantial quantities' of cash were held there, the court heard.

He knew about the security within the building and that firearms would be needed to threaten staff, said Mr Smith.

Khan was also aware that customers could only enter inside through a lobby that was locked. Staff checked out people in the lobby before unlocking the door, the court heard.

On the day of the raid two of them robbers were dressed in suits and the third in a white shirt and jacket.

Their loaded guns were inside a computer bag along with a large knife and cable ties to tie up staff.

They were dressed to look respectable so that they would be allowed inside.

Khan also planned the raid, making a scouting trip five days earlier on a quiet Sunday when the business was closed.

The group had a safehouse in Leeds where they gathered before the raid.

It was at this safehouse that a witness heard Khan being asked about the amount of cash they could expect to get in the planned robbery.

The court heard he told the group a 'minimum of £50,000 and a maximum of £100,000.'

The two police officers were sent there after a member of staff triggered a 'silent alarm' during the raid.

The others convicted in connection with the murder of PC Beshenivsky were:

Muzzaker Shah was jailed for life in 2006 with a minimum 35-year term after admitting PC Beshenivsky's murder, robbery and firearms offences.

He led the trio of armed robbers but denied firing the fatal shot. Police have always believed he was the 'Asian man' described by PC Teresa Milburn as the one who shot both officers.

Shah, 25, a married father from London, was on police bail on suspicion of firearms offences at the time of the raid.

He was described as 'extremely dangerous' and part of a notorious London gang called Thug Fam. Shah had previous convictions for robbery and for having a handgun containing live rounds in a public place.

Yusuf Jama was sentenced at the same time and also given a 35-year minimum term for murdering PC Beshenivsky. He also had connections with Thug Fam and had the same distinctive five-star tattoo as Shah and other members.

He claimed in court to have shot PC Beshenivsky, but insisted it was an accident.

Jama, 20, who had previous convictions for violence and dishonesty, was caught a week after the murder when he and nine other Somalis were held for alleged involvement in a gang rape in Birmingham, for which he was later convicted.

Mustaf Jama was Yusuf's brother and the third armed robber on the raid. In 2009 he was given the same sentence as the other two for the police officer's murder.

Jama, 26, who had come to Britain as a refugee, could have been deported six months before PC Beshenivsky's murder after serving a prison sentence for burglary. He had 21 convictions to his name, including three robberies, burglary, affray and carrying a machete.

The Home Office deemed it unfair to send him back to Somalia because it is considered one of the world's most unsafe places. He fled there after the killing, slipping out of Heathrow on a false passport while in disguise.

But an international operation led to his arrest in Somalia and he was brought home to face justice.

Faisal Razzaq was one of the lookouts and was living at the gang's safehouse in Leeds. He was convicted in 2006 of PC Beshenivsky's manslaughter, robbery and firearms offences.

The 25-year-old was on police bail on suspicion of firearms offences at the time of the raid and had previous convictions for dishonesty, deception and robbery.

In 2006 Razzaq was given a life sentence and told he must serve at least 11 years before being considered for parole. He has since been released from jail.

Hassan Razzaq, the older brother of Faisal, helped Piran Ditta Khan plan the robbery and also acted as a lookout in the operation. The 26-year-old was convicted of PC Beshenivsky's manslaughter, robbery and firearms offences and was given a 20-year jail sentence in 2007. He has since been released.

Razzaq had a previous conviction for a 1999 street robbery when he was 17. He was sentenced to 12 months in a young offender's institution.

Raza Ul Haq Aslam was another lookout. The 26-year-old Londoner was jailed for eight years in 2007 after being convicted of robbery. He was cleared of murder, manslaughter and firearms offences relating to the Bradford raid.

The judge said the length of his sentence reflected that he didn't know the gang were carrying guns.

He has since been released from prison.