A COUNTER-terrorism detective told a court about his secret meeting with a neighbour who was later charged with murdering Pc Sharon Beshenivsky in Bradford.

Supt Chula Rupasinha was a witness for Raza Aslam Ul-Haq, who is alleged to be part of the gang who carried out a robbery where the officer and a colleague were shot.

He told Newcastle Crown Court that Aslam, his neighbour whom he had known for a decade, approached him and offered to help police anonymously.

The experienced officer said Aslam made him believe his information came from someone he knew who was at the scene or 'one step removed'.

The pair spoke for an hour in a car parked in a darkened alley three weeks after the shooting.

The jury was told Aslam was frightened of informing on the gang.

Supt Rupasinha said he eventually advised Aslam to ring the confidential Crimestoppers hotline after failing to convince him to contact West Yorkshire Police directly or to become an official informant.

The trial continues.