Somali Jailed for Policewoman's Murder

A violent Somali criminal who should have been deported was jailed for 35 years yesterday for gunning down two unarmed policewomen in cold blood, killing WPC Sharon Beshenivsky (above).

From the Mail:

A prolific criminal who should not even have been in the country has finally been brought to justice for his part in the murder of WPC Sharon Beshenivsky.

Mustaf Jama evaded capture for nearly four years by fleeing to East Africa after the police officer was gunned down in an armed raid on a travel agency.

And as he was jailed yesterday for at least 35 years, WPC Beshenivsky's widower Paul spoke bitterly of a shambolic criminal justice system which 'let us down'.

Released from prison shortly before the November 2005 shooting, Jama had been considered for deportation to Somalia but Home Office officials ruled it was 'too dangerous'.

As a result the 29-year-old was free to join the gang for the 'Wild West'-style shoot-out at the Bradford travel agency.

He then fled to Somalia - the very country his lawyers had previously claimed was too dangerous for him to return to - but was extradited back to Britain in 2007 after an undercover Home Office operation.

Yesterday, following a retrial, Jama - who had previous convictions for robbery, affray and burglary - was convicted of murder at Newcastle Crown Court and jailed for life.

He did not fire the fatal shot that killed WPC Beshenivsky but the prosecution said he was 'as much guilty of murder' as the gunman.

For Mr Beshenivsky, 46, it was a 'good day', but he told the Mail: 'Of course, this animal should never have been free in the first place to murder my wife.'

He added: 'The system let us down because it's run by do-gooders.

'Mistakes probably happen all the time but it is only when catastrophe strikes, like Sharon getting shot dead, that they get noticed.

'The police refused to let Jama get away with murder and he was hauled back to the UK to face justice.

'It has taken nearly four years, but we've got him.

'Nothing can bring back Sharon, but he got what he deserved. He got the right sentence. It is a good day.'

The scale of the Jama fiasco first emerged in 2006 as part of the foreign prisoner scandal - which erupted when it emerged that 1,000 overseas inmates were freed without even being considered for deportation.

Home Secretary Charles Clarke was forced from office weeks after the affair.

WPC Beshenivsky was the first woman police officer to be shot and killed on duty since Yvonne Fletcher was gunned down outside the Libyan embassy in London in 1984.

She had arrived at the travel agency with WPC Teresa Milburn as the robbers fled, brandishing a pistol and submachine gun. Both officers were unarmed.

In the huge manhunt that followed most of the gang, who had escaped with little more than £5,000, were caught.

But Jama became Britain's most wanted man when he escaped using a friend's passport. Piran Ditta Khan, the 60-year-old architect of the robbery, disappeared afterwards and remains at large. He is believed to be in Pakistan.

Jama's conviction follows that of his younger brother Yusuf and ringleader Muzzaker Shah.

Both were caught soon after the raid and jailed for life, to serve at least 35 years.

Three other gang members who did not enter the travel agency have also been jailed for a range of offences.

Detective Superintendent Andy Brennan has appealed for information about Khan's whereabouts. He said: 'My main focus now is on the seventh and last remaining suspect.'

Last night shadow home secretary Chris Grayling said: 'The Government's failure to deport foreign prisoners is nothing short of a scandal.

'There are still serious former offenders out in our community and not only has the Government not deported them, but they don't even know where they are.'

Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman, Chris Huhne, said the case underlined the 'importance of effective deportation'.

'The murderer should not have been in this country,' he said.

'The shambles of Home Office arrangements to deport convicts has been revealed again. Ministers must get a grip on this problem urgently.'

In May Gordon Brown unveiled a memorial to WPC Beshenivsky, declaring that the nation owes her a debt of gratitude.

It certainly does. For helping to protect us from the kind of society he has created, where imported scum like Jama are more important than the wider public.