Five in court over policewoman's murder

LONDON, June 12 (Reuters) Five men charged with the murder of policewoman Sharon Beshenivsky will appear in court today for a pre-trial hearing.

The men, charged with murder, robbery and firearms offences, are due at Leeds Crown Court to enter pleas before a trial later this year, police and court officials said.

They are accused of killing the 38-year-old last November when she and a colleague responded to an emergency alarm at a travel agency in Bradford, West Yorkshire.

The defendants are: Yusuf Jama, Muzzaker Imtiaz Shah, Raza Haq Aslam, Faisal Razzaq and Hassan Razzaq.

Shah is also charged with the attempted murder of Beshenivsky's colleague, PC Teresa Milburn, who was shot and injured.

Beshenivsky, a mother of three children and two step-children, was killed on her daughter's fourth birthday.

Her death shocked the nation and reopened the debate on protection for Britain's mostly unarmed police.

Police chiefs paid tribute to an ''enthusiastic and very positive'' colleague who was proud of her family. Her husband, Paul, said her loss was felt by many people.

''Sharon was my rock,'' he said in a statement released by police. ''It breaks my heart to think that I will never hear her infectious laugh again.'' Reuters AD GC0705