Cole Kershaw: Sisters on trial accused of helping brother flee justice

In May 2021, three men were jailed for life after being found guilty of the murder of 18-year-old Cole Kershaw who was shot in the chest after he and his friends were pursued by a silver BMW.

Cole died after he was shot on Chesham Road in Bury at around 9.40pm on August 12, 2020.

Cole Kershaw (Image: Greater Manchester Police)

At sentencing, Kamran Mohammed, 20, Mohammed Izaarh Khan, 22, and Khayam Ali 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.

Mohammed Izaarh Khan, Khayam Ali Khurshid and Kamran Mohammed (Image: Greater Manchester Police)

Farah Khan, 27, of Maryport Drive, Timperley, and Husna Khan, 28, of Redwing Street, Winsford, have been accused of assisting an offender, their brother, Khurshid, of Eton Hill Road, Radcliffe, and are on trial at Manchester Crown Court.

Opening the case on Monday, prosecuting barrister Marte Alnaes, said that both sisters are thought to have tried to get their brother to Pakistan to evade justice for his role in the murder.

The court heard that at 11.22pm on August 12, 2020, Khurshid called Farah and an hour later sent texts to both sisters, although the content of these calls and texts are unknown.

But the court was told there is evidence that Husna knew that something had happened as activity from her phone found that she had been searching on Twitter for “GMP Bury” and “Cole Kershaw”.

At 4am on August 14, it was said that Farah booked a hotel in Salford Quays for three people for two nights.

And on August 16, Husna hired a car and transported them to the south of England, through the Euro tunnel and into Europe, the court heard.

They arrived in the Netherlands at 6.30am on August 17 and a flight was booked and paid for by Farah for Khurshid from Brussels to Dubai and then onto Islamabad, Ms Alnaes said.

But the court was told he did not board this plane and was booked onto a second flight this time from Amsterdam to Dubai to Islamabad, which was again paid for by Farah. However, he did not board this flight, possibly due to not having a valid Covid test.

It was said Husna looked up how to get Covid tests in Amsterdam but got no results.

Khurshid never made it to Pakistan and was arrested in Amsterdam though, and extradited back to the UK, Ms Alnaes said.

Both sisters returned on their own and were arrested at the Euro tunnel entrance on August 19.

The court heard that in police interviews they both claimed the trip was pre-planned and said they both had no knowledge of the crime.

Ms Alnaes said that before this case, they were both law-abiding citizens and got caught up in the case by trying to help out their brother.

The trial continues and is due to go into next week.