Not guilty plea in taxi driver shooting case

4 hours ago

News image — Harun Khan was shot more than 17 years ago

Family A man with short, brushed black hair sitting on a floral sofa and looking at the camera. — Harun Khan was shot more than 17 years ago

Not guilty pleas have been entered on behalf of a 76-year-old man charged with murder after he refused to attend his court hearing.

David Harrison has been accused of shooting taxi driver Harun Khan outside his home on Tudor Street, Tipton, during the evening of 3 March 2008. He died in hospital a short while later.

Harrison, in custody at HMP Frankland in County Durham, was due to appear at Wolverhampton Crown Court via video link on Friday.

The hearing was held in his absence and a judge ordered that not guilty pleas were to be recorded in respect to four charges in total.

As well as the murder charge relating to the shooting of 39-year-old Khan, a father of four, Harrison is also accused of wounding following a shooting of a 27-year-old man on 14 December 2007 on Farthings Lane, Dudley, and two counts of possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life.

A trial for the defendant, from Bilston in Wolverhampton, has been set before a High Court Judge in November.

Google Houses are on either side of the road with cars parked outside a few of them and on the pavement. The sun is shining. — Harun Khan was shot outside his home on Tudor Street in Tipton

Before adjourning the case after submissions from prosecutor Michael Burrows KC and defence barristers Michael Duck KC and Martin Liddiard, Judge Michael Chambers KC said: "The defendant has clearly not attended voluntarily on 6 March [a previous hearing date] and, I am satisfied, not attended voluntarily today."

After directing that not guilty pleas be formally entered on all four charges, the judge added: "I also propose that the defendant is written to by the court office, giving him the warnings that would ordinarily follow."

The letter, the judge said, would include notice of a right to give evidence, and that a trial may proceed in the defendant's absence.

A pre-trial review was also fixed to take place on 1 June with a direction from the judge for Harrison to attend court in person.

A trial expected to last three weeks is set to begin on 16 November.

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