A double murderer who shot dead a taxi driver in Bradford in 2001 before fleeing the country has been jailed for life.
Ricardo Linton, aged 48, was found guilty of the murder of Mohammed Basharat, following a five-week trial at Bradford Crown Court.
Today (Monday), he was sentenced to a minimum of 31 years and 312 days for the murder of Mr Basharat, and 30 years for the attempted murder of his colleague Jamshad Khan. The sentences will be served concurrently.
Mr Basharat, who was 33, was involved in a road rage incident in the city on the day before he was shot dead by Linton at the taxi offices in Park Lane, Bradford.
Police believed that the shooting was in retaliation to the previous day’s events.
The trial heard how Linton, who was living in Bradford under the name of Wayne Alfonso McDonald at the time of the murder, vanished from the city soon after – leaving possessions, including his clothing at a rented flat in Greaves Street.
Extensive enquiries by the Homicide and Major Enquiry Team to trace Linton established that he was in a New York prison serving time for a murder committed in 1993.
It was also established that he had fled to Jamaica and was extradited back to the United States in 2004, where he was later convicted of the 1993 murder and given a minimum sentence of 25 years.
In September 2020 Linton was returned to the UK and arrested and charged with the murder of Mr Basharat and the attempted murder of his colleague Mr Khan on 20 October 2001.
Speaking after sentencing Detective Chief Inspector Vanessa Rolfe, said:
“I hope this outcome will bring some closure for the family and friends of Mr Basharat, knowing his killer has finally been brought to justice.
“The investigation team have worked tirelessly for years tracing witnesses from all over the world, to piece together this challenging case and make every effort to ensure the extradition and conviction of Linton.
“Linton tried twice to escape justice for his crimes, but his past has now caught up with him and he is likely to spend the rest of his life behind bars.
“I also hope this demonstrates that West Yorkshire Police never closes a murder case until it is solved and that violent criminals like Linton will be pursued until they are brought to justice for their horrific crimes, no matter where in the world they are.”
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