TikTok star Mahek Bukhari to appeal against murder conviction after she killed mum's lover in crash

TikTok influencer Mahek Bukhari will try to have her conviction for double murder overturned at the Court of Appeal, after she killed her mum's lover and his friend in a crash.

The 24-year-old former social media star, who is beginning a life sentence behind bars, will attempt to be acquitted.

Mahek Bukhari, 24, and Ansreen Bukhari, 45, hatched up a gruesome plot to "silence" Saqib Hussain, 21, after he blackmailed the mum with sex tapes.

He was killed in a 100mph crash alongside his friend Hashim Ijazuddin after their Skoda was rammed off the road in Leicestershire.

Mahek was jailed for 31 years and eight months on Friday for the "cold-blooded" murder.

Sentencing Mahek on Friday, the judge described her as "self-obsessed" with an exaggerated sense of entitlement. He said: "You are oblivious to the damage you do."

Saqib had been in a relationship with married Ansreen for about three years and "appeared to be in love" with her.

He splurged around £3,000 on the mum, who had attempted to end the relationship after he became "increasingly obsessive".

As a result, he "took to attempting to blackmail Ansreen" by threatening to send their sex tapes to her husband.

Mahek and her mum lured Saqib to a car park near the Tesco in Hamilton, Leicester on February 10 last year with the offer of getting his £3,000 back.

He and Hashim were then rammed off the road - with their Skoda "split in two" after it hit a tree on a central reservation.

Mahek and her mum denied two counts of murder but were convicted by jurors after a retrial.

Ansreen Bukhari was also jailed for life on Friday but was handed a minimum of 26 years and nine months.

The jury in the second trial reached its verdicts on Friday 4 August, with Mahek, her mother Ansreen and two others - Rekan Karwan and Raees Jamal - all being convicted of murder by the jury. Three others were convicted of manslaughter.

Unless her appeal is successful, Mahek must spend the next 31 years and 8 months behind bars before she is eligible to be considered for parole for what Judge Timothy Spencer KC described as a "cold-blooded murder".

The others found guilty of murder were also given lengthy minimum jail terms.

But Mahek's barrister, Christopher Millington KC, said his client would be requesting leave to appeal against the conviction.

The first step will be an application to a High Court judge for leave to appeal.

If that is granted, the case will go to the Court of Appeal and if it is rejected she will be able to have a second attempt to get leave to appeal in front of a panel of judges.

At the sentencing hearing at Leicester Crown Court on Friday the barrister for another defendant, Natasha Akhtar, announced that his client was going to appeal.

Several others - possibly including Mahek's mother Ansreen - will also consider an attempt to appeal, according to Leicestershire Live.

The jury spent about five days considering their verdicts in the case.

Leicestershire Police's senior investigating officer for the case, Detective Inspector Mark Parish, said: "This was a callous and cold-blooded attack which ultimately cost two men their lives.

"After setting Mr Hussain and Mr Ijazuddin up, chasing them at high speed and then ultimately ramming their car off the road, none of the defendants made any attempt to help the victims or to call for help.

"Instead they drove on and then even drove back past the collision site. Still no one attempted to offer any help.

"As the defendants found guilty were arrested, charged and stood trial before a court, lies were continually told in order to try and cover their tracks.

"Their only concern during the whole incident and investigation has been for themselves."

Each of the eight defendants had been charged with murder and an alternative charge of manslaughter, with additional charges of causing death by dangerous driving for Rekan Karwan and Raees Jamal.

Akhtar was found guilty of manslaughter but not murder and the same was the case for defendants Ameer Jamal and Sanaf Gulammustafa. The eighth defendant, Mohammed Patel, was cleared of all charges.

These are the sentences for all seven defendants who were convicted, which have all been decreased to reflect time spent on tagged curfew between the two trials:

Ansreen Bukhari (46) of George Eardley Close, Stoke - Life with minimum of 26 years and 9 months for murderMahek Bukhari (24), of George Eardley Close, Stoke - Life with minimum of31 years and 8 months for murderRaees Jamal (23) of Lingdale Close, Loughborough - Life with minimum of 36 years for murderRekan Karwan (29) of Tomlin Road, Leicester - Life with minimum of 26 years and 10 months for murderNatasha Akhtar (23) of Alum Rock Road, Birmingham - 11 years and 8 months for manslaughterSanaf Gulammustafa (23) of Littlemore Close, Crown Hills, Leicester - 14 years and 9 months for manslaughterAmeer Jamal (28) of Catherine Street, Belgrave, Leicester - 14 years and 8 months for mansalughter

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