A man has appeared in court charged with the murder of Bradford taxi driver Mohammed Basharat 19 years ago.

Ricardo Linton, 45, is accused of the killing in Bradford on October 20, 2001.

Linton appeared before Bradford and Keighley Magistrates Court on Friday when the case was sent to the crown court.

Linton, of no fixed address, was before Bradford Crown Court this morning on a video link to Leeds Prison. He was wearing a bright yellow and green top.

When asked by the clerk: “Are you Ricardo Linton,” he replied: “Yes, sir.”

Rachel Darby, Linton’s barrister, told the court: “It will be a Not Guilty plea.”

A Plea and Trial Preparation hearing, when Linton will formally answer the charge, was set for October 28.

The trial, expected to last four to five weeks, was fixed to begin on June 21 next year. It will be held at Bradford Crown Court, probably before a High Court Judge.

There was no application for bail.

Judge Tom Bayliss QC told Linton: “Now, Mr Linton, there is no application for bail so you will be remanded in custody.

“The trial date is June 21, 2021, and it is important that you understand that you must attend for the trial.”

Mr Basharat, 33, of Leylands Lane, Heaton, was killed at the offices of Little Horton Taxis, in Park Lane, Little Horton.

In December, 2011, the Telegraph & Argus reported that the father of four died when he was shot twice in the head by a lone gunman who burst into the minicab office.

In a new appeal to catch Mr Basharat’s killer, Detective Inspector Steve Snow, of the West Yorkshire Police Homicide and Major Enquiry Team, said at the time: “We still want people to come forward. They may hold vital clues, which may help bring some conclusion to the family of Mr Basharat.

“We are as committed as we were in October 2001 to see this inquiry through to a conclusion.”