PC shot useless when interrupting an armed theft ‘did not have an opportunity’

A police officer who was shot useless when she interrupted an armed theft ‘did not have an opportunity,’ her wounded colleague stated in court docket. 

Unarmed police constables Sharon Beshenivsky and Teresa Milburn have been shot at point-blank vary as they responded to a raid at Universal Express journey brokers in Bradford, West Yorkshire, in November 2005.

PC Beshenivsky, 38, who had solely been an officer for 9 months, died from her accidents whereas Pc Milburn was shot within the chest and survived.

Leeds Crown Court has heard a complete of seven males have been concerned in finishing up the raid, with alleged ringleader Piran Ditta Khan the final to face trial nearly twenty years on.

Khan, 75, travelled to Pakistan two months after the theft and evaded arrest till he was detained by Pakistani authorities in 2020 and extradited to the UK final yr.

Prosecutors say that though Khan was not one of many three males who carried out the theft, and didn’t depart the security of a Mercedes SLK that was allegedly getting used as a lookout automobile, he’s responsible of Pc Beshenivsky’s homicide as a result of his ‘pivotal’ position in planning the raid realizing that loaded weapons have been for use.

Prosecutor Robert Smith KC has informed jurors the 2 officers have been shot by one among three males who had simply dedicated the theft, with the gunman ‘firing indiscriminately’ as he ran away from the scene.

On Wednesday, jurors heard a witness assertion from Pc Milburn, who described Pc Beshenivsky stopping ‘in terror’ as she approached the door of Universal Express and noticed the gunman.

PC Milburn stated she had ‘instinctively adopted Sharon’ and was a number of steps behind her when the robber fired his first shot.

She described seeing Pc Beshenivsky collapse and an Asian man emerge from the doorway pointing the gun in the direction of her.

PC Milburn stated she noticed ‘a spherical gap on the finish of the gun’.

‘I felt immense ache and knew immediately I had been shot,’ the assertion learn.

‘The pressure of the second shot spun me spherical. The pressure was unbelievable.’

PC Milburn managed to radio for assist and gave an outline of the person to her colleagues as she was on the pavement coughing up blood.

She stated: ‘I used to be in excessive ache, I used to be nonetheless spitting blood. I assumed ‘keep awake’.

‘My radio was coated in blood and so was the ground the place I had been coughing consistently.

‘My physique was shaking, I felt like going to sleep and giving in.’

PC Milburn stated a colleague informed her the primary ambulance was going straight to Pc Beshenivsky, and ‘knew then she was in a nasty approach’.

The officer stated she was ‘terrified’ when she was shot, and that she and PC Beshenivsky ‘did not have an opportunity’.

‘If he had waved the gun, if he had given us some warning we’d have simply gone, however there was no warning. No indication he had a gun, it was simply: bang bang.

‘Sharon stopped in terror. The man had no have to shoot us, none in anyway.

‘If he had waved that gun I’d have run off up that highway and so would Sharon, however we weren’t given an opportunity.’

Jurors have heard that of the seven males, Khan was the one one who was aware of Universal Express after utilizing the enterprise to ship cash to household in Pakistan.

Khan denies homicide, two counts of possession of a firearm with intent to hazard life and two counts of possession of a prohibited weapon.

The trial continues.