STREET RACERS JAILED FOR 28 YEARS AFTER 𝘬iᩚlling MOTHER AND HER FOUR-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER IN LEEDS

Hardeep Bhachu was sentenced to 12 years in prison and Jasskamal Riyat to 16 years after their high-speed race ended in the deaths of Justyna Hulboj, 27, and her daughter, Lena Czepczor, in January 2023. The pair were walking to nursery when a speeding Audi mounted the pavement and struck them.

Two drivers have been jailed for a combined 28 years after a high-speed race on a busy road in Leeds, England, led to the deaths of a young mother and her four-year-old daughter.

Justyna Hulboj, 27, and little Lena Czepczor were walking to nursery on the morning of January 16, 2023, when they were struck by a white Audi TT RS on Scott Hall Road.

The Audi, driven by Hardeep Bhachu, lost control and mounted the pavement, hitting both victims. They died at the scene.

On October 26, 2026, Leeds Crown Court sentenced Bhachu, 29, to 12 years in prison after he admitted two counts of causing dєatᩚh by dangerous driving. Jasskamal Riyat, 37, who had denied racing, was convicted by a jury of the same offences and sentenced to 16 years.

A HIGH-SPEED RACE ON A BUSY ROAD

The court heard that the two men did not know each other before the incident. Their vehicles came alongside each other at traffic lights during the morning rush hour before accelerating away at excessive speeds.

CCTV, dashcam footage and recordings from the vehicles helped investigators establish what happened in the moments before the collision.

Bhachu was driving a powerful Audi TT RS, while Riyat was behind the wheel of a black BMW 135i. The men were seen accelerating aggressively and weaving through traffic.

At one set of traffic lights, the pair discussed the performance of their cars. Bhachu reportedly boasted that his Audi had 560 horsepower and that he had only been using a fraction of its power.

Shortly before the fatal collision, Bhachu was travelling at approximately 89mph in an area where the speed limit was 40mph before transitioning to 30mph.

He lost control of the Audi, which mounted the pavement and struck Justyna and Lena as they walked along the road.

DRIVER FILMED THE AUDI BEFORE THE 𝔠r𝘢sh

Evidence presented during Riyat’s trial showed that he had been filming Bhachu’s Audi shortly before the collision.

After the 𝔠r𝘢sh, Riyat continued past the scene and did not stop to check on the victims or contact emergency services, according to police and court reports.

Riyat denied that he had been racing Bhachu. However, the jury found him guilty of two counts of causing dєatᩚh by dangerous driving after considering the footage and other evidence.

Bhachu had admitted responsibility for causing the two deaths in June 2024. His sentencing had been delayed until the proceedings against Riyat were concluded.

JUDGE DELIVERS A STRONG MESSAGE

Sentencing the men at Leeds Crown Court, Judge Ray Singh emphasised that public roads were not places for competitive driving.

He said the consequences of racing at extreme speeds could be irreversible, as they had been in this case.

The judge noted that Justyna and Lena had done nothing wrong and were simply walking to school when their lives were taken.

Both men received six-year driving bans and will have to pass extended driving tests before they can drive again.

‘MY WHOLE WORLD COLLAPSED IN ONE SECOND’

For Dominik Czepczor, Justyna’s fiancé and Lena’s father, the sentencing brought the end of a long legal process but could never undo the loss of his family.

In a statement read to the court, he described how his life had once been filled with the things he valued most: a loving partner, a wonderful daughter and dreams for their future.

He said his world had collapsed in a single second and that every day he continued to feel an enormous emptiness following their deaths.

The family had held hopes and dreams together, he explained, but those plans were destroyed on the morning of January 16, 2023.

He described the years since the tᩚraɢedy as a constant struggle to face the next day, with only precious memories remaining.

A tᩚraɢedy THAT COULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED

West Yorkshire Police said the sentencing marked the end of a lengthy criminal justice process for Justyna and Lena’s family.

Detective Inspector Paul Conroy said no sentence could ever compensate for the lives lost, while acknowledging the toll that waiting for justice had taken on their loved ones.

The case has also highlighted the devastating consequences of dangerous driving and the risks created when drivers treat public roads as racetracks.

Justyna and Lena had been making an ordinary journey to nursery. They never arrived.

Two lives were lost, and a family was left with a grief that no prison sentence can erase. May Justyna and Lena rest in peace. 🤍🕊️