A woman who killed her friend by crashing a rented Lamborghini at high speed has been jailed for 10 years. Humaira Batool, 26, reached speeds of up to 143mph in pitch-black, wet conditions on the M62 in West Yorkshire in the early hours of December 21, 2022.
Batool had been taking a turn driving the hired Lamborghini Urus, with her friend Mohammed Shaan Hussain, 20, in the passenger seat. She lost control of the car and smashed into a barrier, causing the vehicle to flip over and ignite. Mr Hussain was recovered from the wreckage but had been fatally injured.
Attempt to blame the victim
During her trial, Batool tried to blame her friend for the crash, saying he had pushed buttons in the car causing it to “boost” to those speeds. Prosecutors said Batool was “entirely in control throughout” and responsible for the “grossly excessive speeds in the wet, at night”.
A victim personal statement from Mr Hussain’s mother said Batool’s attempt to make him “seem responsible for his own death” had prolonged the family’s agony “a thousand times”. The statement, read in court, said: “Instead of being allowed to mourn our son, we had to listen to others tarnish his name… No parent should have to fight for the honour of their child.”
It added: “He was kind, he was careful, he was loved beyond measure and he was our hope for a better tomorrow.”
Court proceedings and sentencing
Batool, from the Bankfoot neighbourhood of Bradford, was charged with causing death by dangerous driving in January 2024. She was found guilty by a Leeds Crown Court jury in September. The court heard Mr Hussain, known as “Shaan”, went to Batool’s house in the early hours of the morning behind the wheel of the Lamborghini. A short distance away from the house, they got out of the car and swapped seats.
Sentencing Batool, Judge Ray Singh said she got into the driver’s seat of the high-powered vehicle “with the clear intention of driving at extraordinary speeds”, telling her: “You needed no encouragement to take up that challenge.”
The judge said: “During the trial, various alternative explanations were advanced on your behalf, all of which were rejected – the possibility of mechanical failure, aquaplaning and your suggestion that, just prior to the collision, the controls of that vehicle had been tampered with by Shaan.”
“The jury rejected those explanations. I do likewise. The sole cause of this collision was the manner of your driving. You deliberately exposed your passenger, yourself and other road users to an obvious and grave risk.”
Attempt to avoid sentencing
Batool had been due to be sentenced a day earlier but failed to attend court on Monday, with her barrister saying she had had a flare-up of endometriosis and gone to A&E. Mr Dunn said it was “clearly a ruse” by Batool to avoid sentencing, and that she had made several attempts to “thwart the prosecution” throughout the case.
Judge Ray Singh issued a bench warrant for Batool, saying she was “avoiding being dealt with”, and the defendant was arrested and brought to court from the hospital. Richard Dawson, mitigating for Batool, said she had suffered significant injuries in the crash herself and these had worsened her existing mental health difficulties, leaving her with flashbacks, panic attacks and anxiety. He said she was “clearly and profoundly distressed” by the loss of her friend, telling the court: “She has struggled every day with the consequences of this collision. She cannot bear that she is responsible for the death of another person, let alone a close friend.”
