Faisal Razzaq given life sentence for selling firearms to criminal gangs
Faisal Razzaq has been given a life sentence for selling firearms and ammunition to criminal gangs, after earlier serving time for his role in the killing of PC Sharon Beshenivsky.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
Faisal Razzaq has been given a life sentence for firearms offences linked to an underworld guns operation. He sold firearms and bullets to criminal gangs after his release from prison.
Razzaq pleaded guilty to conspiracy to sell or transfer banned guns, possession of a firearm and ammunition with intent to endanger life, and two counts of possessing a firearm and ammunition. The convictions follow an earlier manslaughter sentence for his part in the killing of PC Sharon Beshenivsky.
PC Beshenivsky was a West Yorkshire police officer. She was shot at point blank range in 2005 when she and an unarmed colleague responded to an armed robbery at a travel agents. Razzaq was the getaway driver in the incident. He served jail time for manslaughter before his release.
The firearms offences relate to his sale of guns and bullets to criminal gangs. He is now returning to prison.
On screen
Stills are sampled automatically at 60-second intervals. Where shown, the still is the nearest available frame from the relevant broadcast segment and is included to show what was on screen during that part of the broadcast. A still may not correspond to the exact second of a quoted phrase.
Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |
|---|---|
| Only on one channel | |
| Faisal Razzaq pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge over selling or transferring prohibited guns. | |
| Faisal Razzaq was reported to have sold firearms and ammunition to criminal gangs after leaving prison. | |
| PC Beshenivsky was shot at close range while responding to an armed robbery at a travel agency. | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
Sky News led with Faisal Razzaq going back to prison for selling guns to criminal gangs after his release. It linked the case to his earlier manslaughter conviction for the killing of PC Sharon Beshenivsky and set out the firearms charges he admitted. It then moved quickly to unrelated items, including Commonwealth reparations remarks, and gave no sentence length.
- “A man who served jail time for his part in the killing of a police officer in 2005 is going back to prison over an underworld guns operation.”
- “Faisal Razzaq sold firearms and bullets to criminal gangs after his release from prison.”
- “He was the getaway driver.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.