Sentences handed down in Leeds to drivers who killed a mother and her four-year-old daughter

Sentencing at Leeds Crown Court

Two men have been sentenced to prison over the deaths of a mother and her four-year-old daughter in a crash in Leeds. According to BBC News, 27-year-old Justyna Hulboj and her daughter Lena Czepczor were killed on 16 January 2023 when they were struck by an Audi TT RS as the girl was on her way to nursery. On Monday, 26 October 2026, Leeds Crown Court sentenced 29-year-old Hardeep Bhachu to 12 years and 37-year-old Jasskamal Riyat to 16 years in prison.

Circumstances of the crash

According to the court, the men, who had not known each other before, accelerated as they pulled away from traffic lights on the A61 Scott Hall Road shortly before the crash. The prosecution stated that Riyat's BMW reached speeds of up to 89 mph in a 40 mph zone, after which Bhachu lost control of his Audi, mounted the pavement and struck Hulboj and her daughter. Bhachu, who lives on Grant Row in Adel, had previously pleaded guilty to two counts of causing death by dangerous driving. Riyat, of Buxton Avenue in Moortown, denied racing Bhachu and was convicted by a jury verdict.

The judge's remarks and the defence

Judge Singh, passing sentence, said that the road is 'not a racetrack', that a powerful car is 'not an invitation to test its capabilities on a public road', and that the consequences of competitive driving at extreme speed are 'irreversible'. In his words, the victims 'did nothing wrong' and 'were simply walking to school'. Bhachu's barrister, Suzanne Proctor, described her client as 'an ordinary man who made a huge mistake', noting that he 'did not intend to cause this devastation, but he did'.

Reaction of the family and police

The victim's fiancé, Dominik Czepczor, attended the hearing. His statement, read out in court, said: 'My whole world collapsed in one second', and that the family's hopes and dreams 'were cut short in a single moment' on 16 January. Detective Inspector Paul Conroy of West Yorkshire Police's major collision investigation unit noted that no punishment can compensate for the lost lives, and that the hearing brings to an end a lengthy criminal process for the family: Bhachu admitted his role more than two years ago, and the wait for justice was hard on the family.

Context

The case illustrates how long the path from tragedy to sentence can be: Bhachu's guilty plea came more than two years before sentencing, while Riyat, who denied the charges, was convicted only after a jury trial — the BBC reported the verdict back on 28 August. For the victims' families, as follows from Conroy's words, it was this hearing that marked the end of the process. In practical terms, the sentence confirms that the courts treat competitive driving at high speed as a particularly dangerous offence, punishable by lengthy prison terms on charges of causing death by dangerous driving.

Image source, West Yorkshire Police

Image source, Family handout