A man accused of murdering police constable Sharon Beshenivsky in a botched robbery in Britain faces a retrial after the jury in the case was discharged today.
Mustaf Jama (28), had pleaded guilty to being involved in the robbery at a travel agency in Bradford which Beshenivsky and a colleague were sent to investigate.
But he had denied murder and firearms charges and it is over these accusations that a jury at Newcastle Crown Court was unable to find a verdict.
Judge Peter Oppenshaw discharged the jury, which had begun its deliberations on Monday, and said there would be a retrial at a date yet to be fixed.
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 18th, 2005, Ms Beshenivsky's youngest daughter's birthday.
During the trial, the prosecution said Jama was as guilty as his brother Yusuf and their friend Muzzaker Shah, the gunman, who have already been convicted of murder.
In his defence, Jama admitted joining them to rob the travel agency, but said he did not know that Shah was armed with a machine gun and pistol.
Reuters