Two sisters have been jailed for helping their brother ashe attempted to flee to Pakistan after murdering a man in Bury
Three men including Khayam Ali Kurshid were involved in the shooting of Cole Kershaw on Chesham Road in August 2020.
Kurshid's sistersHusna and Farah Khan spent six days attempting to help him escape to Pakistan.
Manchester Crown Court heard they booked a hotel in Salford where he stayed and bought a burner phone before transporting him to Kent where they boarded the Eurotunnel.
(Image: GMP)
They made efforts to get the killer on board a flight to Pakistan from airports in Belgium and Holland but were unable to do so due to him not having the relevant Covid documentation which was necessary at the time.
Kurshid was detained in Amsterdam by police and the pair came back to Manchester where they were detained.
(Image: Newsquest/Greater Manchester Police)
Husna, 29 and from Redwing Street, Winsford, and Farah, 28 and from Mayport Drive, Timperley, denied that they had assisted an offender.
They were both convicted at trial and returned to court to be sentenced.
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The pair wrote the judge an apology expressing their remorse but he said this was “far too late.”
Marte Alneas, prosecuting, told the court it had been a determined effort to help their brother escape justice.
She said: “The defendants in this case tried everything they possibly could in order to see Mr Kurshid escape.
“He would have succeeded in getting on board the plane but for the Covid restrictions in place.”
Graham Rishton, representing Farah , said she would likely lose her career as a paralegal as a result.
He added: “But for these circ*mstances the chances of Miss Khan ever coming before the court are very remote indeed.
“Much of the hopes she had for her career lie in tatters.
Clare Ashcroft, representing Husna, saidthe pair had been a carer for their mother.
She said: “It is not often that you are annoyed on behalf of your clients, and because of their instructions, but here I am speaking to your honour conveying that.”
Judge John Potter said: “I am prepared to accept that through this case and in your explanations thereafter that you acted out of a sense of misplaced loyalty to your brother.
“This does not diminish the seriousness of your offending.
“What both of you did was to try to spirit away from justice someone who had committed the murder of a man who had been killed in cold blood.”
He jailed both of them for two and a half years.
Previously Kamran Mohammed, 20, Mohammed Izaarh Khan, 22, and Khurshid, 29, all from Bury, were sentenced to life following a five-week trial at Manchester Crown Court.
Mohammed was sentenced to serve a minimum term of 27 years, Khan was handed down 24 years and Khurshid was told to serve 27 years.
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.”
