Leeds Street Race That Killed a Mother and Her 4-Year-Old: Two Men Jailed for a Total of 28 Yearsਲੀਡਜ਼ ਵਿੱਚ ਮਾਂ ਅਤੇ 4 ਸਾਲ ਦੀ ਧੀ ਦੀ ਮੌਤ ਵਾਲੀ ਘਾਤਕ ਦੌੜ ਲਈ ਦੋ ਵਿਅਕਤੀਆਂ ਨੂੰ ਕੁੱਲ 28 ਸਾਲ ਦੀ ਸਜ਼ਾ

Two Indian-origin men were jailed for a total of 28 years at Leeds Crown Court on Monday, 26 October 2026, over a street race in Leeds that killed a mother and her four-year-old daughter as they walked to school. Hardeep Bhachu, 29, was sentenced to 12 years and Jasskamal Riyat, 37, to 16 years, after both were convicted of causing the deaths of Justyna Hulboj, 27, and her daughter Lena Czepczor by dangerous driving, West Yorkshire Police said.

What happened on Scott Hall Road in January 2023?

Shortly after 8.30am on 16 January 2023, Bhachu lost control of the Audi he was driving on Scott Hall Road in Leeds and hit Justyna and Lena before colliding with the wall of a car dealership, police said. The mother and daughter, who had been walking to school, both died at the scene. Court coverage reported that the cars were travelling at almost 90mph on a 40mph road, and that CCTV and dashcam footage showed the two drivers racing immediately before the collision.

How were the two men convicted?

Bhachu, of Grant Row in Adel, Leeds, pleaded guilty in June 2024 to two counts of causing death by dangerous driving. Riyat, of Buckstone Avenue in Moortown, Leeds, denied the same offences and denied that he had been racing, although he admitted speeding. A jury convicted him unanimously in August after prosecutors argued he was equally responsible because the two men had been competing against each other, even though Riyat's BMW never hit the victims. Police said footage showed Riyat driving past the wreckage and continuing to work without contacting the emergency services.

What did the judge and police say at sentencing?

Sentencing the two men, Judge Ray Singh told them a powerful car is not an invitation to test its limits on a public road, and that the consequences of competitive driving at extreme speed were irreversible. Detective Inspector Paul Conroy of West Yorkshire Police's Major Collision Enquiry Team said no sentence would ever feel enough to compensate for the lives lost, and that the hearing marked the end of a long criminal justice process for the family. Police said both men will have to pass an extended driving test before they can drive again.

Why does this case matter beyond Leeds?

The case has been widely followed because the victims were doing something entirely ordinary: walking to school on a winter morning. Investigators said Bhachu and Riyat did not know each other before that morning and were two strangers showing off high-performance cars on a busy dual carriageway. For Punjabi and wider South Asian families in Leeds and across the UK, where both men's names are familiar ones in the local community, the sentences close a case that has hung over the city since 2023, while changing nothing for the family who lost Justyna and Lena.

What sentences did Bhachu and Riyat receive?

Bhachu received 12 years and Riyat received 16 years, a combined total of 28 years, at Leeds Crown Court on 26 October 2026. Bhachu had pleaded guilty; Riyat was convicted by a jury.

Who were the victims?

Justyna Hulboj, aged 27, and her four-year-old daughter Lena Czepczor. They were hit on Scott Hall Road in Leeds on 16 January 2023 while walking to school, and both died at the scene.

Did both cars hit the victims?

No. Only Bhachu's Audi hit them. Riyat was convicted because the jury accepted that the two men were racing and that he was jointly responsible for the deaths.