Two Indian-origin men sentenced to 28-years in jail after deadly car race in UK
Riyat denied the charges but was found guilty of two counts of causing death by dangerous driving after footage showed him racing Bhachu.
PTC News Desk: Two Indian-origin men have been sentenced to a combined 28 years in prison for causing the deaths of a 27-year-old mother and her four-year-old daughter while they were walking to school in northern England.
A jury found that car salesman Jasskamal Riyat, 37, was racing against Hardeep Bhachu, 29, when Bhachu lost control of his car and struck the mother and daughter on Scott Hall Road in January 2023.
The victims, Justyna Hulboj and her daughter Lena Czepczor, died at the scene after being hit by Bhachu’s Audi TT RS. CCTV footage showed Riyat racing alongside Bhachu in a BMW M135i shortly before the crash. According to the media reports, Bhachu pleaded guilty in June 2024 to causing their deaths by dangerous driving and was sentenced to 12 years in prison.
Riyat denied the charges but was found guilty of two counts of causing death by dangerous driving after footage showed him racing Bhachu. He was sentenced to 16 years in prison. Both men were also banned from driving for six years and must pass extended driving tests before they can drive again.
While sentencing the men, Judge Ray Singh said public roads were not racing tracks and warned that powerful cars should not be used to test driving limits on ordinary roads. He said that racing at extreme speeds could have irreversible consequences, as demonstrated by the deaths of the mother and daughter.
How fatal race began ?
During the trial, the court heard that the two men did not know each other before the incident. Minutes before the crash, they had spoken to each other through the windows of their sports cars while stopped side by side at a traffic signal.
Dashcam footage from Bhachu’s car and a recording from Riyat’s phone reportedly showed the men discussing their cars’ power. Riyat allegedly encouraged Bhachu before they began racing.
Riyat accelerated first, followed by Bhachu. The latter was reportedly driving at nearly 90 mph on a road with a 40 mph speed limit when he hit a kerb and lost control of his vehicle.
The Audi mounted the pavement near a Jaguar dealership and struck Hulboj and her daughter as they were walking to school. Both died at the scene. The case has highlighted the potentially fatal consequences of dangerous driving and street racing on public roads.