STREET RACERS JAILED FOR 28 YEARS AFTER 𝘬iᩚlling MUM, 27, AND HER FOUR-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER ON WAY TO NURSERY

Justyna Hulboj and little Lena Czepczor were walking along a Leeds pavement when a speeding Audi mounted the kerb and struck them. Heartbreaking courtroom testimony has revealed the devastating impact on the father who lost his partner and daughter in a single moment.

LEEDS, ENGLAND — Two drivers who raced through busy streets before causing the deaths of a young mother and her four-year-old daughter have been jailed for a combined 28 years.

Justyna Hulboj, 27, and her little girl, Lena Czepczor, were walking to nursery along Scott Hall Road in Leeds on the morning of January 16, 2023, when a white Audi TT struck them.

The driver, Hardeep Bhachu, had been racing another motorist, Jasskamal Riyat, through the city streets. Their dangerous driving ended in a collision that took the lives of two innocent pedestrians and devastated a family forever.

On October 26, 2026, Leeds Crown Court sentenced Bhachu to 12 years in prison and Riyat to 16 years, marking the conclusion of a lengthy criminal justice process.

But for Justyna and Lena’s loved ones, the verdicts cannot undo the tᩚraɢedy or bring them home.

A diᩚadℓy RACE THROUGH THE STREETS OF LEEDS

The court heard that Bhachu, 29, was driving a white Audi TT while Riyat, 37, drove a black BMW 135i.

The two men did not know each other before the incident. However, evidence presented in court showed that they began driving competitively during the morning rush hour.

Dashcam footage and mobile phone recordings captured the pair travelling alongside each other, revving their engines and discussing the power of their cars.

Prosecutors said the men were encouraging each other as they accelerated through traffic.

Witnesses described seeing the vehicles weaving between other cars at high speeds on a road with a 40mph limit.

Bhachu was recorded travelling at approximately 89mph shortly before the fatal collision.

As the Audi approached the area near the Vertu Jaguar Leeds dealership, Bhachu lost control, struck a kerb and mounted the pavement.

Justyna and Lena, who were simply walking to nursery, were struck by the vehicle. Both died at the scene.

FOOTAGE CAPTURED THE MOMENTS BEFORE THE 𝔠r𝘢sh

Evidence played during the proceedings revealed the extent of the competitive driving that preceded the collision.

The court heard that the drivers had spoken to each other through their open windows while stopped beside one another at traffic lights.

In one recording, Riyat could be heard commenting on Bhachu’s car before filming the Audi as it accelerated away.

He reportedly said, “Watch this guy now,” before laughing as the vehicle sped ahead.

The recordings formed part of the evidence considered during the legal proceedings.

Bhachu later pleaded guilty to two counts of causing dєatᩚh by dangerous driving in June 2024.

Riyat denied racing Bhachu but was found guilty of the same offences by a jury following a trial in August 2026.

The evidence demonstrated how dangerous competition between motorists can have consequences for people who have no involvement in the drivers’ actions.

BOTH DRIVERS SENTENCED TO PRISON

At Leeds Crown Court on October 26, Judge Ray Singh sentenced Bhachu to 12 years in prison and Riyat to 16 years.

Both men were also banned from driving for six years and must pass an extended driving test before they can return to the road.

During sentencing, the judge delivered a stark warning about the dangers of competitive driving.

“A road is not a racetrack,” he told the men, adding that powerful cars do not give drivers permission to test their limits on public roads.

He said the consequences of driving at extreme speeds in competition could be irreversible.

The judge also reflected on the lives Justyna and Lena should have continued to lead, noting that they should have gone to school that morning and returned home safely.

Instead, their lives ended on a pavement because two drivers placed speed and competition above the safety of others.

‘MY WHOLE WORLD COLLAPSED IN ONE SECOND’

Perhaps the most heartbreaking part of the case came from the statement provided by Justyna’s fiancé and Lena’s father.

He described saying goodbye to his family on the morning of January 16, 2023, telling them he loved them without knowing it would be the last time he would see them.

When he learned of their deaths, he said, his whole world collapsed in a single second.

He spoke of the enormous void left by their absence and the dreams and plans that had disappeared with them.

He also described the burden of knowing he would have to live for the rest of his life without the two people who mattered most to him.

His words captured a devastating reality that no prison sentence can change: he has lost his partner and his young daughter, and the future they imagined together will never happen.

A MOTHER AND CHILD WHO SHOULD HAVE HAD YEARS AHEAD

Justyna was only 27 years old. Lena was just four.

Their journey to nursery should have been an ordinary morning in a young family’s life — one of countless small moments that make up childhood and parenthood.

There should have been more birthdays, family outings, school milestones and memories made together.

Instead, their lives were cut short in a collision caused by dangerous driving.

The sentencing has brought a measure of accountability through the courts, but the family must continue living with the consequences of a loss that cannot be reversed.

A WARNING ABOUT THE CONSEQUENCES OF RECKLESS DRIVING

Following the sentencing, West Yorkshire Police emphasised that no sentence could ever fully compensate for the lives lost.

The case serves as a reminder that dangerous driving does not affect only those behind the wheel. Pedestrians, families and entire communities can suffer devastating consequences because of decisions made in seconds.

Justyna and Lena were not part of the race. They were simply walking along the pavement on their way to nursery.

Their deaths have left two families grieving and a father facing a future without his partner and child.

Two drivers will now serve lengthy prison sentences. But Justyna and Lena will never return home, and their family will forever carry the loss of the lives they should have shared.