Sisters jailed for role in murder cover up plot after smuggling brother out of UK following fatal shooting of teenager
20 August 2024, 14:28 | Updated: 20 August 2024, 14:44
Two sisters have been jailed for their role in covering up a murder plot.
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Husna and Farah Khan, both of Hyde Road, Manchester, have been sentenced to two years and six months for their role to help their brother evade capture.
In August 2020, Cole Kershaw, 18, was fatally shot after being pursued by Kamran Mohammed, Mohammed Izaarh Khan, and Khayam Ali Khurshid in a silver BMW.
After Cole and his friends fled the car in an attempt to escape, Mohammed fired the fatal shot from a .22 calibre pistol that struck him in the chest.
Despite efforts of emergency services, Cole passed away as a result of his injuries just hours later.
On 21 May 2021, the three, all from Bury, were found guilty of the murder and sentenced to life imprisonment.
Raheem Hall, of Hardfield Street, Heywood, pleaded guilty to assisting an offender prior to the trial. He was sentenced to four years in a young offender's institution.
As the investigation developed, information came to light that Khurshid had fled the country with his two sisters, Farah and Husna Khan, in an attempt to evade police.
The sisters had a pivotal role in planning his escape by booking hotels, hiring a car, and travelling on the Eurotunnel.
They then travelled from Calais to Belgium, where Khurshid was booked on a one-way flight to Pakistan.
However, Khurshid had forgotten to get a COVID test and was unable to board the flight.
A short time later, he was arrested by Dutch police in Amsterdam.
The sisters were arrested and interviewed by police, but they denied their involvement and their knowledge of their brother’s involvement in the murder of Cole Kershaw.
Their excuse was that they were simply going on a family holiday.
They were subsequently charged with assisting an offender in a murder and following a one-week trial at Manchester Crown Court in July 2024, they were both found guilty.
On Monday 19 August 2024, they were sentenced to two years and six months in jail each.
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Detective Inspector Marc Barker from our Serious Crime Division said: “It has been just over four years since the fatal attack, and our goal has always been to provide answers and some sense of justice for Cole’s family and friends.
“This was an extensive investigation, but I am pleased that all those involved in this cowardly attack are now behind bars.
“Khurshid’s arrest in Amsterdam shows that law enforcement’s collective capability is far reaching, and regardless of the steps you take to evade us, there is no place to hide.
“Proactive investigations into firearms enabled criminality in Greater Manchester and across the region have resulted in record breaking hauls and some of the UKs most harmful offenders being put behind bars for decades.
"Over the last twelve months alone, we’ve dismantled several criminal networks and secured convictions and jail sentences which have put criminals behind bars for over 300 years collectively.
“Whilst most firearms incidents are targeted and do not pose a threat to the wider public, we know the fear and anxiety these incidents cause amongst our communities.
"Our focus therefore remains on intensifying action, and we will continue to make crucial arrests, execute warrants, recover firearms, and hold those involved in the use, supply, and conversion of firearms in Greater Manchester to account.”
