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UK court jails 2 Indian-origin men over crash that killed woman, 4-year-old daughter in 2023
Hardeep Bhachu was sentenced to 12 years in prison and Jasskamal Riyat, who was caught on CCTV racing Bhachu before the collision, received a 16-years in jail.
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Two Indian-origin men have reportedly been handed prison sentences totalling 28 years in the United Kingdom over a 2023 road crash in Leeds, northern England, that killed a 27-year-old woman and her four-year-old daughter.
Hardeep Bhachu, 29, was sentenced to 12 years in prison at Leeds Crown Court on Monday after admitting to causing the deaths of Justyna Hulboj and her daughter, Lena Czepczor, through dangerous driving, as per news agency PTI.
Jasskamal Riyat, 37, who was caught on CCTV racing Bhachu immediately before the road collision, received a 16-year jail term after being convicted on two counts of causing death by dangerous driving. CCTV footage showed Riyat racing Bhachu shortly before the fatal collision.
"A road is not a race track. A powerful car is not an invitation to test its limits on a public road," Judge Ray Singh said, addressing the duo in court, as quoted by PTI.
"The consequences of competitive driving at extreme speed can be, and in this case were, irreversible," he said.
Crash happened in 2023
The fatal incident took place in January 2023, when Bhachu allegedly lost control of his car and struck Justyna and Lena. The vehicle then crashed into a wall at the Vertu Jaguar Leeds car dealership on Scott Hall Road in Leeds.
The daughter and mother were walking to school when the crash occurred. Both were pronounced dead at the scene.
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"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," said detective inspector (DI) Paul Conroy, of West Yorkshire police's major collision enquiry team.
"It is over two years since Bhachu admitted his part in this tragic incident and I know that the wait for justice has taken its toll. My thoughts are firmly with them today," he added.
While Bhachu pleaded guilty soon after the crash over three years ago, Riyat was convicted following a trial at Leeds Crown Court in August. The court heard that Bhachu was taken to hospital due to the injuries he suffered in the collision and was later arrested.
