LEEDS, UNITED KINGDOM — Two Indian-origin men have been sentenced to a combined total of 28 years in prison by the Leeds Crown Court for causing the deaths of a mother and her young daughter while engaging in an illegal high-speed street race on a busy public road.
The drivers—29-year-old Hardeep Bhachu and 37-year-old Jasskamal Riyat—were convicted of two counts each of causing death by dangerous driving. Bhachu was sentenced to 12 years in prison after admitting guilt, while Riyat was handed a 16-year sentence following his trial conviction. Both men were also slapped with six-year driving bans.
The tragic incident occurred on the morning of January 16, 2023, along Scott Hall Road in Leeds. Bhachu, driving a powerful Audi TT RS at speeds of up to 89 mph in a 40 mph zone, lost control of his vehicle while racing Riyat’s black BMW 135i. The Audi mounted the pavement, fatally striking 27-year-old Justyna Hulboj and her four-year-old daughter, Lena, as they walked to school, before crashing into the wall of a nearby car dealership.
Dashcam footage captured the two drivers boasting about their vehicles’ horsepower at traffic lights shortly before the crash. Delivering the verdict, Judge Ray Singh remarked that a public road is not a racetrack, reprimanding the duo for prioritizing speed and competition over human life.