Crime Immemorial

Thirty-three-year-old Mohammed Basharat had worked as a driver for Little Horton Taxis on Park Lane in Bradford, West Yorkshire for fourteen years. He was an unusually large man, standing six-foot-five, who his workmates affectionately called “Bash.” He was the father of four children, ranging in age from nine to thirteen.

On the afternoon of Friday, October 19th, 2001 Mohammed had been driving his Vauxhall Cavalier along the road when he reportedly clipped the side mirror of another vehicle, a Renault Clio containing two men. After the accidental contact, the driver of the Renault—described by witnesses as a man of African or Caribbean appearance, standing about five-foot-nine with a slim build—got out of the car and confronted Mohammed, after which a scuffle occurred.

Mohammed, being much larger than the instigator of the fight, was soon able to restrain him, but the attacker threatened to kill Mohammed before leaving the scene, saying something along the lines of, “You don’t know who you’re dealing with.”

The following day, it would seem that the man made good on his threat, for at approximately eight-thirty p.m. on October 20th, a man marched into Little Horton Taxis, and without saying a word, shot Mohammed twice in the head with a .38-caliber handgun. He also attempted to shoot the other employees of the company who were present, but the gun failed to discharge. The assailant then left the premises.

Mohammed’s surviving workmates described the shooter as a slim man of average height, possibly of African or Caribbean descent, and clad in a dark coat, black jeans, gloves, and a black ski mask.