Man found guilty of police officer's murder

A man was found guilty yesterday of murdering police constable Sharon Beshenivsky in a botched robbery in 2005 following a retrial.

Mustaf Jama, 29, was a member of a gang that carried out a raid at a travel agency in Bradford which Ms Beshenivsky and a colleague were sent to investigate.

Ms Beshenivsky, a 38-year-old mother of three children and two stepchildren, was gunned down and her colleague Teresa Milburn was shot in the chest but survived.

The incident took place on November 18, 2005, Ms Beshenivsky's youngest daughter's birthday. Mr Jama had pleaded guilty to being involved in the robbery but he had denied murder and firearms charges.

However, he was convicted following a trial at Newcastle Crown Court, the Press Association reported. A previous jury had been unable to reach a verdict earlier this year.

During the trial, the prosecution said Mr Jama was as guilty as his brother Yusuf and their friend Muzzaker Shah, the gunman, who have already been convicted of murder.

The court was told that even if Mr Jama did not fire the fatal shot he was as guilty of murder as the gunman.

In his defence, Mr Jama admitted joining them to rob the travel agency, but said he did not know that Mr Shah was armed with a machine gun and pistol.