Britainupdated 57m ago2 min read
Archive photo · 12 April 2018Hardeep Bhachu And Jasskamal Riyat Jailed For Killing Justyna Hulboj And Lena Czepczor
2 Asian2 Local Western2 Other2 Western MainstreamPhoto: Mtaylor848, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Cropped for layout
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Bhachu and Riyat jailed for 28 years for causing deaths in Leeds street race. Justyna Hulboj and daughter Lena Czepczor killed on A61 Scott Hall Road.
Leeds sentencing for race
Hardeep Bhachu and Jasskamal Riyat were jailed at Leeds Crown Court after they killed Justyna Hulboj, 27, and her four-year-old daughter Lena Czepczor in a high-speed crash on the A61 Scott Hall Road in Leeds on 16 January 2023. Judge Singh sentenced Bhachu to 12 years and Riyat to 16 years, telling them the road was "not a race track" and that the deaths had consequences that were "immeasurable". Prosecutors said Riyat's BMW reached speeds of up to 89mph in a 40mph zone before Bhachu lost control of his Audi, mounted the pavement and struck Hulboj and her daughter.
Det Insp Paul Conroy of West Yorkshire Police's Major Collision Enquiry Team said: "A woman and her young daughter have died because of the actions of these men". Dominik Czepczor watched the sentencing hearing, and a statement read in court said: "My whole world collapsed in one second."
Judge Singh’s warnings
Judge Singh told the court that a "powerful car is not an invitation to test its limits on a public road" as he sentenced the two men for causing death by dangerous driving. The court heard that Bhachu admitted two counts of causing death by dangerous driving, while Riyat was convicted by a jury after denying he had been racing him. Riyat used his mobile telephone to film Bhachu before both vehicles accelerated away.
The judge described the Audi as travelling at about 89mph in an area where the 40mph speed limit was transitioning to 30mph. Susannah Proctor told the court that Bhachu was a "normal person who's made a massive mistake" and said he "must live with himself in the knowledge of the devastation he has caused."
Aftermath and driving bans
West Yorkshire Police identified Riyat as the driver of a black BMW 135i, and the court heard the case involved dashcam and CCTV footage provided by members of the public. The two men were handed six-year driving bans and would have to take an extended driving test before they could drive again. Bhachu lost control of his Audi and struck Justyna and Lena as they walked to school in Leeds, and the car then crashed into the wall of the Vertu Jaguar Leeds car dealership on Scott Hall Road.
The BBC said the sentencing hearing marked "the end of a long criminal justice process for Justyna and Lena's family" and noted it was over two years since Bhachu admitted his part in the incident. Det Insp Paul Conroy said: "I know that the wait for justice has taken its toll" and his thoughts were "firmly with them today."
