Mother and four-year-old daughter killed by racing drivers in Leeds

Justyna Hulboj, 27, and her daughter Lena, 4, were struck at nearly 90mph on Scott Hall Road. Two men face jail after being convicted of causing death by dangerous driving.

Two men convicted after fatal street race kills mother and child in Leeds

Two men who were racing at close to 90mph through a 40mph zone face lengthy prison sentences after a mother and her four-year-old daughter were killed on their way to school, the Daily Express reports.

Justyna Hulboj, 27, and her daughter Lena Czepczor, four, were walking along Scott Hall Road in Leeds, West Yorkshire, on the morning of 16 January 2023 when Hardeep Bhachu, 29, lost control of his Audi TT RS. The car mounted the pavement near a Jaguar dealership and struck both of them. Neither survived.

Bhachu, of Grant Row, Adel, Leeds, had already pleaded guilty to two counts of causing death by dangerous driving. His fellow driver, Jasskamal Riyat, 37, of Buckstone Avenue, Moortown, Leeds, was unanimously convicted of the same offences at Leeds Crown Court on Friday 28 August, after a five-day trial.

"Egging him on" at the traffic lights

Dashcam and mobile phone footage played during the trial showed the two men pulling up side-by-side at traffic lights shortly before the collision. They spoke through their open windows about the power of their respective vehicles — Bhachu's Audi TT RS and Riyat's BMW M135i. Prosecutors said Riyat was "egging him on."

Both cars then accelerated away, with Riyat pulling off first. Independent witnesses told the jury the pair were "obviously racing." Bhachu eventually pulled ahead. Riyat could be heard laughing on his own phone recording and saying: "Watch this guy let it off. He is gone." Seconds later, Bhachu lost control.

Although Riyat was not the driver who struck Justyna and Lena, prosecutors successfully argued he bore joint responsibility for their deaths because the two men had been competing against each other at high speed in the moments before the crash.

Driver filmed wreckage and drove on to work

After the collision, Riyat continued filming the wreckage of Bhachu's Audi as he drove past the scene. He did not call the emergency services and continued on to work. He was later arrested.

At trial, Riyat accepted he had been speeding but maintained he was not racing, was not driving dangerously, and bore no responsibility for Bhachu's actions. The jury rejected that account.

Bhachu had previously asked to be remanded into custody in order to "take responsibility" and "begin serving the inevitable sentence."

Police: "Selfish and reckless actions"

Detective Inspector Paul Conroy of West Yorkshire Police said the collision had shocked even experienced investigators. "An innocent mother and daughter who were simply making their way to school never made it there and tragically never made it home because of the selfish, reckless actions of these two men," Conroy said.

Riyat was released on bail following the verdict and is due back at court on 26 October. The judge warned him that a lengthy custodial sentence was "inevitable." Both men are scheduled to be sentenced together.

Source: Daily Express