Full Breakdown
Leeds Drivers Sentenced for Fatal Road-Race Collision
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event
On January 16, 2023, Justyna Hulboj, 27, and her four-year-old daughter Lena Czepczor were walking to the girl’s nursery on the A61 Scott Hall Road in Leeds when they were struck by a white Audi TT driven by Hardeep Bhachu. A black BMW 135i driven by Jasskamal Riyat followed closely and was also involved. Both drivers were found to have been racing, accelerating aggressively after a red light and weaving through traffic. The collision killed Hulboj and her daughter.
At Leeds Crown Court, Judge Ray Singh sentenced Bhachu to 12 years’ imprisonment and Riyat to 16 years for causing death by dangerous driving.
Background & Context
Bhachu had pleaded guilty to two counts of causing death by dangerous driving, while Riyat denied that a race had taken place but was later convicted of the same offences. Court evidence included a dash-cam recording of the two drivers discussing the performance and horsepower of their cars while stopped at a traffic light. Shortly before the fatal impact, Riyat filmed Bhachu on his mobile phone and the pair accelerated away.
The judge described the incident as a “convoy” that turned a public road into a de facto racetrack, noting that the drivers’ conduct placed speed and competition above public safety.
Data & Statistics
- Sentences: Bhachu – 12 years; Riyat – 16 years.
- Speed: Judge Singh said the Audi was travelling at about 89 mph about 65 m before the collision, well above the urban speed limit that was transitioning from 40 mph to 30 mph.
- Distance: The fatal impact occurred roughly 65 m after the drivers accelerated from a red light.
Official Statements & Responses
Judge Singh emphasized that the victims “had done nothing wrong” and that a road is not a racetrack.
In a statement read in court, Dominik Czepczor, the fiancé of the deceased mother, expressed the profound personal loss, saying his world collapsed in an instant and that he now lives with a constant void.
Insp Paul Conroy of West Yorkshire Police’s Major Collision Enquiry Team remarked that no sentence could ever compensate for the loss of a woman and her young daughter.
Verbatim Quotes
- “My whole world collapsed in one second.” — Mr Czepczor
- “We had so many hopes and dreams and in one moment it all ended.” — Mr Czepczor
- “They had done nothing wrong; they were simply walking to school.” — Judge Singh
- “A woman and her young daughter have died because of the actions of these men, and I know no sentence will ever feel enough to compensate for the lives that have been lost.” — Insp Paul Conroy, of West Yorkshire Police's Major Collision Enquiry Team