TikTok influencer Mahek Bukhari and mum jailed for double murder after high-speed car chase
Bodycam footage shows the moment police attended the Bukhari family home hours after the crash that killed two men
A TikTok influencer has been jailed for life after her married mother's younger lover and his friend were murdered in a deliberate high-speed crash.
Mahek Bukhari, 24, wiped away tears in the dock at Leicester Crown Court as she and her mother Ansreen Bukhari, 46, were sentenced for their involvement in the killing of Saqib Hussain and Mohammed Hashim Ijazuddin in February last year.
The pair were found guilty of murder earlier this month following a three-month trial and 28 hours of jury deliberations.
The judge described the TikTok influencer as "self-obsessed" with an exaggerated sense of entitlement. He said: "You are oblivious to the damage you do."
Judge Timothy Spencer KC also described the case as "one of cold-blooded murder".
During sentencing, he said: "The prosecution categorised this as a story of love, obsession and extortion and in that they were right."
At Leicester Crown Court on Friday, Mahek Bukhari was handed a sentence of 31 years and eight months.
Her mother has also been jailed for life with a minimum term of 26 years and nine months.
The court heard how the pair, from Stoke-on-Trent, arranged for Mr Hussain to be killed after he refused to end an affair with the former TikTok star's mother.
Mr Hussain died in the crash on the A46 in Leicestershire, along with his friend Mohammed Hashim Ijazuddin, on 11 February 2022.
The pair, both 21 and from Oxfordshire, died when their Skoda "split in two" and caught fire after leaving the dual carriageway before hitting a tree in the early hours of the morning.
Just before he died, front-seat passenger Mr Hussain made a 999 call to police claiming Mr Ijazuddin's silver Skoda Fabia was being "blocked in" and rammed by attackers wearing balaclavas who had been following them in two cars.
In a recording of the call played to Leicester Crown Court during the trial, he said: "They're trying to ram us off the road. Please, I'm begging you, I'm going to die."
He also said "Oh my God", before there was a scream and the call cut off at the sound of an impact.
The court heard they were deliberately rammed off the road in an "ambush" after Mr Hussain threatened to use a sex tape to expose his long-running affair with the influencer's 46-year-old mother.
Murder 'executed for entirely selfish motives'
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has said Mahek Bukhari and her mum showed no remorse for their actions and continuously lied to avoid any accountability for the murders.
Arinder Ahmed, from the CPS, said: "This was a planned, cold-blooded killing, conceived and executed for entirely selfish motives. Rather than face up to the consequences of her affair, Ansreen Bukhari turned to her daughter and put together this conceited plan to silence Mr Hussain.
"Throughout the investigation and trial both mother and daughter have continuously used lies and deceit to try and evade responsibility for these killings. They and the other defendants the two of them recruited have now been held accountable for their criminal actions.
"These defendants showed complete disdain for the lives of Hashim Ijazuddin and Saqib Hussain and have shown little or no remorse for their actions.
"Words cannot describe how the events surrounding the death of Saqib and Hussain have impacted on their families’ lives. One can only imagine how difficult the tragic loss of life for their families and loved ones must be to come to terms with. I hope the end to the court case can now help them with this process."
What happened?
Saqib Hussain, from Banbury in Oxfordshire, had been in a three-year relationship with Ansreen Bukhari who was married.
But when Mrs Bukhari ended the relationship and refused to answer his calls, he became obsessive. He threatened to send explicit images and videos of her to her husband and son, in the hope she would speak to him. The blackmail included demands for cash.
During the trial, prosecutor Collingwood Thompson KC said Mahek Bhukari told her mother not to worry - that she would get some "guys to jump" Saqib Hussain and he "wouldn't know what's hit him".
Leicester Crown Court was told a meeting with Mr Hussain was arranged at the Tesco car park in Hamilton, Leicester on 11 February 2022. It was, the prosecution said, a plan to cause serious harm, if not to kill him.
He arrived in a silver Skoda Fabia driven by Mohammed Hashim Ijazuddin, also from Banbury. The prosecution claimed they were unaware this was a trap.
Two other cars were also there, waiting for them. An ambush with the aim of seizing the phone containing the naked photos of Mrs Bukhari.
Inside the Seat Leon and Audi TT were Mahek Bukhari, her mother Ansreen and six others, including Mr Jamal and Mr Karwan.
The Skoda paused briefly. The court was told Mr Hussain and his friend panicked and sped off when they saw the cars and the number of people inside - some of whom were wearing balaclavas.
The Seat and Audi followed.
They chased the Skoda, at high speed, and eventually, all three cars were heading towards the A46 dual carriageway.
By now, it was just after midnight. Saqib Hussain was in the passenger seat of the Skoda. He made a desperate call to 999.
He told the operator, "I'm being followed by two cars, they're trying to block me in. I need help now. They're trying to kill me, I'm getting rammed off the road. Please I'm begging you."
He was then heard to say "Oh my God". There was a scream and the call cut off abruptly before the crash.
The car then hit the central reservation, flew into the air, hit a tree, and then burst into flames.
What are the jail terms in the TikTok double murder trial?
Mahek Bukhari: Life imprisonment with a minimum term of 31 years, 8 months
Ansreen Bukhari: Life imprisonment with a minimum term of 26 years, 9 months
Raees Jamal: Life imprisonment with a minimum term of 36 years
Rekan Karwan: Life imprisonment with a minimum term of 26 years 10 months
Natasha Akhtar: 11 years 8 months
Ameer Jamal: 14 years 9 months
Sanaf Gulemmustapha: 14 years 10 months
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