Man accused of murdering PC Sharon Beshenivsky appears at the Old Bailey
Piran Ditta Khan, 74, appeared by videolink and has been remanded into custody
A man accused of the murder of PC Sharon Beshenivsky almost 18 years ago in Bradford has been remanded into custody.
Piran Ditta Khan, 74, appeared at the Old Bailey by videolink from Belmarsh top security jail on Monday for the preliminary hearing before Judge Mark Lucraft KC.
The judge, who is the Recorder of London, set a timetable for the preparation of the case with a plea hearing on July 14 provisionally at the Old Bailey before him.
A trial fixture of up to six weeks could not be accommodated at the Old Bailey before January 2024, the court heard.
The question of whether the case should be moved to a crown court in the region where Pc Beshenivsky died will be settled at a future date.
The 38-year-old died on November 18 2005 after she and a colleague responded to a report of a robbery at Universal Travel in Morley Street, Bradford.
The married mother-of-three, who had two stepchildren, was a probationer with only nine months' service when she was killed.
Khan is also charged with robbery, two counts of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life and two counts of possession of a prohibited weapon.
During the Old Bailey hearing, white-bearded Khan wore a grey tracksuit and spoke only to confirm his name and date of birth.
Judge Lucraft remanded British citizen Khan into custody.