Two drivers who killed a mother and her four-year-old daughter while racing their high-performance cars along a Leeds street have been jailed for 16 and 12 years respectively.
Justyna Hulboj, 27, and her daughter Lena Czepczor were walking to the girl's nursery when they were hit by a white Audi TT on the A61 Scott Hall Road on January 16 2023.
Sentences handed down at Leeds Crown Court
Hardeep Bhachu, the Audi's driver, pleaded guilty to two counts of causing death by dangerous driving. Jasskamal Riyat, who was driving a black BMW 135i closely behind, denied being involved in a race but was convicted of the same offences following a trial earlier this year.
At Leeds Crown Court on Monday, Judge Ray Singh sentenced Bhachu to 12 years and Riyat to 16 years behind bars.
Judge's remarks on the fatal crash
The judge told the pair: "A road is not a racetrack. A powerful car is not an invitation to test its limits on a public road."
Judge Singh added: "Two families must now live with a loss that can never be undone. Justyna and Lena should have gone to school that morning. They should have returned home. They should have continued with their lives. Instead, their lives ended on a pavement because two drivers chose to drive in a manner which placed speed and competition above the safety of everyone around them."
The judge concluded: "Nothing this court can do can restore those lives."
