They weaved past traffic like Fast and Furious - then killed mum and daughter doing nursery run

'Selfish and reckless' Jasskamal Riyat and Hardeep Bhachu raced and laughed on busy Leeds road before killing mum and daughter

Two men who laughed as they raced on a Leeds road before causing the deaths of a mum and her young daughter have been jailed.

Jasskamal Riyat, 37, of Buckstone Avenue, Moortown was previously found guilty of two counts of causing death by dangerous driving while his co-defendant Hardeep Bhachu, 29, of Grant Road, Leeds, admitted the same charges after Justyna Hulboj, 27, and her daughter Lena Czepczor, four, were hit as they walked along Scott Hall Road on the way to nursery.

A jury at Leeds Crown Court previously heard how Riyat and Bhachu were both driving on the busy Leeds road at around 8.30am on January 16, 2023, when they began to race.

Bhachu then lost control of his white Audi TT and hit Justyna and Lena before colliding with the wall of the Vertu Jaguar Leeds dealership. They both died at the scene. It was later revealed that Bhachu had been racing Riyat in his black BMW 135i and it had been captured on his dashcam footage.

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The footage captured the pair having a conversation about the speed of their vehicles, with Bhachu telling Riyat: "I was at a quarter throttle. 560 horsepower."

Riyat could be heard saying: "Enjoy that, enjoy that" as both laughed. Later on his dashcam footage, which filmed Bhachu speeding off into the distance, Riyat could be heard to say: "Watch this guy lay... He's gone blud."

Justyna's fiancé and Lena's father previously paid tribute to them both, telling the court: "Before 16 January 2023, my life was a fulfilment of my deepest dreams, I had everything that was most important in life. I had a good job, a wonderful fiancée, Justyna and a wonderful daughter, Lena.

"Unfortunately, on the morning of January 16, when I said goodbye to my family with the words 'I love you', I didn't know that it would be the last time I saw them. When I was informed about their deaths, my whole world collapsed in one second. Every day I feel a huge void 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 all ended.

"I know that I will have to live with the burden of losing the two most important people in my life for the rest of my life. I would like to live normally again without all this, but I know that it is no longer possible, no one will bring back the lives of my fiancée and my daughter. This nightmare will last for the rest of my life.

"My dream was to have a wonderful family, and I must say that it came true for a short while, but that was taken away from me on the 16th of January. Unfortunately, all that remains are wonderful memories and a constant fight for the next day, which is not easy."

On Monday, October 26, both Bhachu and Riyat appeared again at the court to be sentenced for their crimes. Bhachu was jailed for 12 years, while Riyat was jailed for 16 years.

Following the sentencing, Ryan Gill, acting deputy chief crown prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service Yorkshire and Humberside said: "My thoughts today remain with the family and loved ones of Justyne Hulboj and Lena Czepczor. They lost their lives because two men made the selfish and reckless decision to race through busy morning traffic, showing a complete disregard for the safety of those around them.

“Recognising the strength of the evidence against him, Hardeep Bhachu pleaded guilty to his crimes. Jasskamal Riyat attempted to maintain that he was not driving dangerously. However, the evidence clearly showed him to be an active participant in dangerous and competitive driving that led to the tragic loss of life that took place.

"I am pleased that we have been able to hold him accountable for the role he played in this entirely avoidable tragedy. I hope today's outcome provides some measure of justice for Justyne and Lena's family."