Husband of murdered PC Sharon Beshenivsky hopes arrest will finally bring closure 15 years after she was shot dead
THE husband of a murdered cop hopes the arrest of an ex-bouncer 15 years on will finally bring closure.
PC Sharon Beshenivsky, 38, was gunned down and killed during a bungled armed robbery at a travel agent in Bradford on November 18, 2005.
Piran Ditta Khan, 71, was arrested yesterday in Pakistan over the murder and appeared at court in Islamabad today.
He was remanded in custody to next appear at court on January 29.
Widower Paul Beshenivsky said he welcomed the arrest after waiting for justice for more than a decade.
He said: "At last they've got him. It's 2005 to now to get him. From my view, it will give me a bit of closure.
"When something is still happening in your mind and periodically you get told from police that they're still looking for him, which is great, but you've not forgotten about it.
"I heard about it yesterday and I was told it was 90 per cent that it was him.
"This morning they confirmed that it is him and he's being held in custody in Pakistan."
Mr Beshenivsky said an upcoming court case will cause him and his family to re-live the pain all over again.
He added: "There will be a court case and it will all be coming to light again. That brings it all back to light, especially with the kids.
"My daughter just rang me about it and she told me about it. Obviously it's not very nice, you try to get on with your life.
Killed in the line of duty - some of the officers slaughtered while doing their job
PC Yvonne Fletcher - On April 17, 1984, the 25-year-old was shot outside the Libyan Embassy in London. She was controlling a crowd of protesters when the gunman opened fire. Her killer has never been brought to justice.
PC Keith Blakelock - The 40-year-old dad-of-three was hacked to death during the Broadwater Farm riots in October 1985. A bloodthirsty mob of up to 50 people attacked him in a stairwell with machetes causing more than 40 injuries. Winston Silcott, along with two other men, was found guilty of his murder but in 1991 their convictions were overturned on appeal.
PC Ian Broadhurst - On Boxing Day 2003, the 34-year-old was shot dead by David Bieber, who was wanted by the FBI for ordering two hits in America. It was the first fatal shooting of an English police officer for over eight years.
PC Sharon Beshenivsky - The mum-of-three was gunned down and killed while responding to an armed robbery in Bradford in 2005. The 38-year-old was the seventh female officer in Britain to be killed on duty. Six people in total have been jaild in connection with the killing.
PC Nicola Hughes and PC Fiona Bone - The two officers were shot dead on September 18, 2012, by Dale Cregan in a gun and grenade attack in Manchester. The one-eyed killer had lured the officers, aged 23 and 32, to their deaths.
PC Phillipa Reynolds - The 27-year-old and two colleagues were on patrol in an unmarked car in Northern Ireland in 2013 when they were hit by a stolen motor as it ran a red light. PC Reynolds was sitting in the back when the car ploughed into the officers at 80mph.
PC David Phillips - On October 5, 2015, married dad-of-two PC Phillips was mown down and killed by a stolen pick-up truck in Wallasey, Merseyside. The 34-year-old had been on the central reservation when he was hit.
PC Keith Palmer - PC Palmer was killed after stopping a crazed terrorist from storming Parliament during the 2017 Westminster attack. The 48-year-old, who had been with the Met Police for 16 years, died at the scene. He was posthumously awarded the George Medal - the second highest award for gallantry "not in the face of the enemy".
PC Andrew Harper - PC Andrew Harper, 28, was killed on August 15, 2019, after being hit by a suspected getaway vehicle while responding to a burglary in Berkshire. He was due to go on honeymoon with his new wife, Lissie, 28, who he had been married to for just four weeks.
"It doesn't give you total closure, like now it just goes through your mind and the kids are going to be suffering.
"I'm having to deal with it. I've remarried, but you're never going to forget. It's a bit like Groundhog Day."
PC Beshenivsky had only been a police officer for nine months when she was blasted in the chest on what was her youngest daughter Lydia's fourth birthday.
The bullet tore through her stab-proof vest, hit a rib, punctured her aorta artery and damaged her spine - causing her chest to fill with blood.
She was only the second policewoman to be killed on duty in the UK.
Her partner, PC Teresa Milburn, was also shot but survived.
Six men have been jailed in connection with her murder but alleged ringleader Khan fled and went on-the-run in Pakistan.
A £20,000 reward for information leading to his capture was issued by West Yorkshire Police.
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Three of the men, Muzzaker Imtiaz Shah, Mustaf Jama and his younger brother Yusuf Jama, were all caged for life with a minimum of 35 years in 2007.
West Yorkshire Police Detective Superintendent Mark Swift said: "I would like to thank the National Crime Agency officers in Pakistan and partners who have made this arrest possible."
He described the arrest as a "major development in this long-running investigation", and said he hopes Khan will be extradited to face court proceedings in the UK.
