The drivers of a BMW and an Audi are both guilty of murdering a mother and young daughter after meeting by chance and showing off their powerful cars, a court has heard.
Jasskamal Riyat, 37, of Moortown, Leeds, was today found guilty by a jury of two charges of causing death by dangerous driving, despite not being the driver who fatally struck the pair.
Justyna Hulboj, 27, and four-year-old Lena Czepczor were hit by the Audi as they walked to nursery on the sidewalk on Scott Hall Road in Leeds, West Yorkshire, on January 16, 2023.
The footage shown to the court shows a powerful black BMW, driven by Riyat, and an Audi TT, driven by Hardeep Bhachu, 29, from Adel, traveling together that morning in Leeds, West Yorkshire.
Bhachu previously admitted committing the same offenses after losing control of his vehicle, climbing a curb and hitting and killing the mother and daughter around 8:30 am.
Riyat had denied racing against Bhachu, whom he had only met that morning, and insisted he did not cause the fatal collision.
But he was convicted at Leeds Crown Court despite his own car not crashing.
The pair were caught on camera revving their engines side by side and speeding off into the distance.
Dashcam video from Bhachu’s Audi then captures the drivers talking to each other through their windows, as they appeared to congratulate each other on the power of their engines.
The footage shown to the court shows a powerful black BMW driven by Jasskamal Riyat, 37, and an Audi TT driven by Hardeep Bhachu traveling together in Leeds, West Yorkshire
Riyat was driving a black BMW 135i when he chanced upon Bhachu on his way to work
Justyna Hulboj, 27, and four-year-old Lena Czepczor were killed in the collision while on their way to daycare
Hardeep Bhachu, 29, of Adel, Leeds, previously pleaded guilty to two charges of causing death by dangerous driving after he was behind the wheel of the car that fatally struck the couple
Riyat has now also been convicted of two counts of causing death by dangerous driving
Another clip, filmed by Riyat on his mobile phone, shows the Audi in front of him before accelerating.
Riyat is heard saying, “Now look at this man,” before laughing as the Audi disappears into the distance.
The compilation, released by West Yorkshire Police, also includes dashcam footage of Bhachu’s car in the final seconds before the collision, with the Audi appearing to be traveling at high speed with the engine roaring.
A short time later, Bhachu allegedly lost control, punched Ms Hulboj and her daughter and stormed into a car dealership building. He was treated in hospital for his injuries.
Riyat gave evidence in his own defense this week, telling jurors: ‘I didn’t race with Bhachu. At no point was I trying to race.”
He later added, “I really didn’t cause this. “I’m not responsible for the way he drove.”
Riyat said he did not know Bhachu before that morning and described their meeting as a “chance encounter.”
The pair stopped next to each other at traffic lights shortly before the fatal crash, where the court heard Bhachu boasted that his Audi TT had 560bhp.
They appeared to laugh before driving away.
Although Riyat did not crash his car, prosecutors say he is equally responsible for the crash
Police at the scene of the crash that killed two pedestrians on Scott Hall Road, Leeds
Riyat admitted during interrogation that he had driven at a speed of 80 km/h in the 60 km/h zone, used his mobile phone illegally while driving and used other vehicles
Several images showed the two cars side by side in the minutes leading up to the fatal crash
Flowers and teddy bears at the site of the fatal accident in 2023
Riyat told the court he took out his mobile phone to film the Audi because it was a rare and powerful car of the kind you would ‘usually see on Top Gear’.
He had previously told police that he filmed it because he thought the Audi driver was “going to do something stupid.”
Riyat admitted during interrogation that he had been driving at a speed of 80 km/h in the 60 km/h zone, used his mobile phone illegally while driving and used other vehicles.
But he denied his driving was dangerous and claimed he remained in control of his BMW the entire time.
During cross-examination, prosecutor Carmel Pearson played dashcam footage of a vehicle driving behind the two cars.
It showed the BMW and Audi side by side at traffic lights before Riyat’s BMW accelerated away.
The Audi then appeared to accelerate and overtake.
The vehicle with the dashcam was said to be traveling at approximately 75 km/h as the BMW and Audi accelerated and almost disappeared from view.
When asked why he was speeding, the car company’s sales manager said he wanted to go to work for an 8:45 a.m. meeting.
Earlier in the trial, two independent witnesses gave evidence, with one describing the pair as ‘clearly racing’.
Riyat drove past the wrecked Audi and continued filming before returning to work.
Bhachu asked to be taken into custody to “take responsibility” and “serve the inevitable sentence” after his guilty pleas.
Riyat was released on bail after the verdict and is due back in court on October 26.
He was warned that it was ‘inevitable’ that he would face a long prison sentence.
A statement released through police from Ms Hulboj’s fiancée and Lena’s father read: ‘Before January 16, 2023, my life was a fulfillment of my deepest dreams, I had everything that was most important in life. I had a good job, a wonderful fiancé, Justyna, and a wonderful daughter, Lena.
“Sadly, on the morning of January 16, when I said goodbye to my family with the words ‘I love you,’ I didn’t know that this would be the last time I would see them.
‘When I was informed of their deaths, my whole world fell apart in one second.
‘Every day I feel a huge emptiness after their departure, and I imagine what it would be like if they were still alive. We had so many plans and dreams and in one moment it was all over.
“I know I will have to live the rest of my life with the burden of losing the two most important people in my life.
‘I would like to live normally again without all this, but I know that is no longer possible, no one will bring back the lives of my fiancé and my daughter. This nightmare will last the rest of my life.
“My dream was to have a wonderful family, and I must say it came true for a short time, but it was taken away from me on January 16.
“Unfortunately, all that’s left are wonderful memories and a constant struggle for the next day, which isn’t easy.”
Detective Inspector Paul Conroy, of West Yorkshire Police’s Major Collision Inquiry Team, said: ‘This was an absolutely horrific collision that I know left even experienced collision investigators shocked.
“An innocent mother and daughter who were simply on their way to school never got there and tragically never made it home because of the selfish, reckless actions of these two men.
‘Bhachu and Riyat did not know each other. It was two men showing off their fast cars on a busy dual carriageway.
“We have released a video showing the moments leading up to this collision. It’s disturbing to see, but I hope it gets people thinking about their own driving and encourages conversations with friends and family.
‘Eventually, Bhachu thought he could drive his powerful car at these speeds, but he couldn’t, and his loss of control took two lives and destroyed many more.
“Riyat witnessed this collision, but instead of stopping to check if those involved were okay, he left the scene. He denied his involvement but was convicted thanks to extensive footage of his speeding vehicle in the lead-up to the collision.
‘I would like to take this opportunity to thank the many people who came forward to provide dashcam and CCTV footage which helped us demonstrate the dangerous nature of both Bhachu and Riyat’s driving that morning.’
