STREET RACERS JAILED FOR 28 YEARS AFTER 𝘬iᩚlling MUM AND HER FOUR-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER IN HORRIFIC 𝔠r𝘢sh

LEEDS, ENGLAND — Two drivers who raced their high-powered cars along a busy road before 𝘬iᩚlling a mother and her four-year-old daughter have been jailed for a total of 28 years.

Justyna Hulboj, 27, and her little girl, Lena Czepczor, were walking to nursery on the morning of January 16, 2023, when a white Audi TT mounted the pavement and struck them.

The devastating collision took both their lives at the scene, leaving Justyna’s fiancé and Lena’s father facing the unimaginable loss of the two people he loved most.

More than three years after the tᩚraɢedy, the two drivers responsible have finally been sentenced at Leeds Crown Court.

A ROUTINE MORNING ENDED IN UNIMAGINABLE HEARTBREAK

Justyna and Lena had been making their way along Scott Hall Road when the fatal 𝔠r𝘢sh happened shortly after 8:30 a.m.

The Audi TT, driven by Hardeep Bhachu, lost control and struck the mother and daughter before crashing into a wall outside a Jaguar dealership.

The court heard that Bhachu had been travelling at approximately 89mph shortly before the collision, on a road with a 40mph speed limit that was transitioning to 30mph.

Justyna and her daughter had been doing nothing more than walking to nursery. In a matter of seconds, their family’s future was changed forever.

 TWO STRANGERS, ONE diᩚadℓy RACE

Investigators discovered that Bhachu, 29, had been racing alongside Jasskamal Riyat, 37, who was driving a black BMW 135i.

The two men did not know each other before the incident. Evidence from dashcams, CCTV and mobile-phone footage helped investigators reconstruct their driving in the moments leading up to the 𝔠r𝘢sh.

The court heard that the drivers had discussed the power of their vehicles at traffic lights before accelerating aggressively through busy streets.

Riyat filmed Bhachu shortly before the collision. After the Audi crashed, Riyat continued past the scene and left without stopping to check on the victims or contacting emergency services.

Bhachu pleaded guilty to two counts of causing dєatᩚh by dangerous driving in June 2024. Riyat denied racing and stood trial, but a jury found him guilty of the same offences in August 2026.

JAIL SENTENCES FINALLY HANDED DOWN

On October 26, 2026, the court imposed the following sentences:

• Hardeep Bhachu: 12 years in prison after admitting responsibility for the two deaths.
• Jasskamal Riyat: 16 years in prison after being convicted following trial.

Both men were also disqualified from driving for six years and must pass an extended driving test before they can drive again.

During sentencing, Judge Ray Singh emphasised that public roads are not racetracks and that the pursuit of speed and competition had led to irreversible consequences.

No prison sentence can restore the lives of Justyna and Lena, but the outcome marks a significant milestone in the long legal process faced by their grieving family.

 A FATHER’S WORDS REVEAL THE DEPTH OF HIS LOSS

In a victim impact statement, Justyna’s fiancé and Lena’s father described how his world collapsed when he learned that both had died.

He recalled saying goodbye to his family that morning and telling them he loved them, unaware that it would be the last time he would see them.

He spoke of the dreams they had shared and the future they had imagined together — a future that disappeared in a single devastating moment.

His words conveyed the lasting emptiness left by losing his partner and young daughter, and the struggle of facing each new day without them.

 TWO LIVES THAT SHOULD HAVE HAD SO MUCH MORE TIME

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

They should have reached nursery that morning. They should have returned home. They should have had countless more ordinary days together — the small moments that make up a family’s life.

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

Their deaths are a devastating reminder that dangerous driving is never just a personal risk. The consequences can destroy the lives of innocent people and leave families carrying grief for the rest of their lives.

Rest in peace, Justyna and little Lena. May they always be remembered, and may their loved ones find strength as they continue to live with an unimaginable loss.