Two Indian-origin men jailed for 28 years between them after a street race in Leeds killed a mother and her four-year-old

Two men from Leeds who turned a morning commute into a race have been sent to prison for a combined 28 years for killing a mother and her four-year-old daughter on their way to school. Jasskamal Riyat, 37, of Moortown, was jailed for 16 years and Hardeep Bhachu, 29, of Adel, for 12 at Leeds Crown Court.

Justyna Hulboj, 27, and Lena Czepczor, 4, died instantly on Scott Hall Road shortly after 8.30 am on 16 January 2023. Justyna had stopped to adjust Lena’s coat moments earlier. Bhachu’s Audi TT RS, travelling at almost 90 mph on a 40 mph road, struck a kerb, mounted the pavement and hit them both.

How the race began

The two drivers did not know each other. They met at traffic lights after a roundabout, chatted through their open windows about the power of their cars, and pulled away hard. Dashcam footage captured Riyat’s three-litre BMW M135i revving as he went, with Bhachu accelerating behind him. Riyat filmed the Audi on his phone as he drove. After the crash he drove past the wreckage, still filming, and went on to work without calling the emergency services.

Bhachu, an insurance broker, was badly hurt himself, with a broken eye socket, a broken nose and a collapsed lung, and was unconscious for three days. He admitted two counts of causing death by dangerous driving. Riyat admitted speeding, using his phone and overtaking but denied that he had been racing or that he caused the deaths; the prosecution, led by Carmel Pearson, argued that he was equally responsible even though his car never touched the victims, and a jury convicted him unanimously in August.

The sentence

“They were mother and daughter doing something entirely ordinary and entirely innocent, making their way to school,” Judge Ray Singh told the court. “A powerful car is not an invitation to test its limits on a public road. The consequences can be irreversible.” Riyat was banned from driving for 14 years and Bhachu for 12; both must pass an extended test before driving again and must serve two-thirds of their terms in custody.

Dominik Czepczor, Justyna’s fiancé and Lena’s father, told the court that when he was informed of their deaths “my whole world collapsed in one second.” He has been unable to return to work and has had to move home.