Police would look at reopening the case of a woman shot dead outside a police station nearly 21 years ago if “further information was to come to light”, an inquest has heard.
Sabina Rizvi, 25, was killed in the early hours of March 20 2003 as she drove away from Bexleyheath police station in south-east London.
In 2004, Paul Asbury, then aged 22, was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 20 years after being convicted of her murder and the attempted murder of Mark Williams, who was a passenger in the car.
Giving evidence at the Old Bailey on Tuesday, Detective Superintendent Francis De Juan, from the Metropolitan Police’s inquiry and review support command, said: “Mr Asbury’s defence was that he played no part in the events of March 20 2003 and named his associates Lee Bishop, Tommy Brown and Moushy Sargent as being responsible.”
Counsel to the inquest Cathryn McGahey KC asked Mr De Juan: “Did the police investigate those individuals?”
He replied: “They did. Aside from Mr Asbury, the police investigation made a number of arrests. As of this time, none have been charged.”
Ms McGahey said: “If further information was to come to light now, would the police reopen the case?”
Mr De Juan said: “Then the case would progress, yes.”
He added that a report produced for the Metropolitan Police’s anti-corruption command shortly after the death found any indication of impropriety on the part of police officers was “highly speculative”.
Giving evidence, Mr De Juan said Ms Rizvi’s death was not considered to be a “death in custody” at the time.
The original police investigation established that on the evening of March 19 2003 phone numbers linked with Asbury were in frequent contact with his associates.
It also found that from about 10.20pm on March 19, one of those phones was close to Bexleyheath police station.
By 1.45am on March 20, a phone linked with Asbury was also in the area of the police station – remaining in the area until 2.20am, around the time that Ms Rizvi and Mr Williams were shot.
The inquest heard that the Nissan Bluebird driven by Ms Rizvi was followed by a red Vauxhall Astra and a Ford Mondeo as it left the police station.
Ms McGahey said police were able to trace the Vauxhall Astra, which was later found burnt out, and CCTV “showed someone who looked like Paul Asbury driving the Astra on the night of March 19-20”.
The Ford Mondeo was also later found burnt out and Ms McGahey said “we believe that whoever shot Sabina and Mark Williams was in that car”.
Opening the full inquest at the Old Bailey on Monday, Ms McGahey said Ms Rizvi’s family believed there was “more that should be investigated”.
Ms McGahey said: “The criminal trial had looked only at the role of Paul Asbury and of accomplices who had been directly involved in the shooting or in destroying evidence afterwards.
“The criminal trial had not looked at whether the police at Bexleyheath police station were in any way implicated in what had happened.”
She told the jury at the Old Bailey that they would be asked to look at “whether any action or inaction on the part of the police caused or contributed to Sabina’s death”.
The inquest, which was originally opened and adjourned in 2003, was reopened in February 2019 by the senior coroner for south London.
It was delayed by the Coronavirus pandemic and is now being heard by assistant coroner Angela Rafferty KC.
The evidence is expected to be heard for two weeks, with the jury’s conclusion expected during the week beginning March 25.
The inquest continues.