Driver denies causing mum and daughter's deaths

A man accused of racing a motorist moments before the other vehicle struck and killed a mother and daughter has denied charges of causing their deaths by dangerous driving.

Justyna Hulboj, 27, and four-year-old Lena Czepczor were hit by an Audi TT on the pavement on Scott Hall Road in Leeds while walking to nursery on 16 January 2023.

Jasskamal Riyat, 37, was driving a BMW 1 Series closely behind the Audi and is on trial at Leeds Crown Court.

The driver of the Audi, Hardeep Bachu, has already pleaded guilty to the same offences and will be sentenced after Riyat's trial.

Opening the case earlier, prosecutor Carmel Pearson said the men, who were not known to each other, had been racing on the 40mph road.

She described their driving as "competitive" and "aggressive", telling jurors they had been "egging each other on" during the morning rush hour.

Riyat, of Buck Stone Avenue in Leeds, had initially been driving behind Bachu but moved into the inside lane to pull up alongside him at a set of traffic lights, the court heard.

According to Pearson, witnesses reported seeing the pair weaving between other cars and driving at high speeds, although Riyat's exact speed was never calculated.

"The fact that they both slowed down for speed cameras will help you with the fact that they were driving faster than 40mph," she told the jury.

At one set of lights Riyat had waited for Bachu to catch him up then wound down his window to talk to him.

The prosecutor said there was a "discussion about horsepower [and] Bachu talking about the full throttle, and Bachu thanking the defendant for the compliment he had just paid him about his car".

"They were together throughout, matching each other's speed and mimicking each other's driving," she added.

Riyat was "right behind" Bachu when he was measured travelling at 89mph 60 metres away from the point of collision with the victims, Pearson said.

He was also said to have been holding his phone and recording Bachu as he set off from some traffic lights, telling the video: "Watch this guy let it off."

The court heard he was forced to stop by the wreckage of the fatal crash, but after taking photos he drove around the scene and travelled on to work.

He did not report the crash to police, Pearson said.

"Just because this defendant didn't crash his car doesn't mean he escapes responsibility for those deaths," she told the jury.

"His behaviour leading to the collision is what makes him jointly responsible for those deaths."

Jonathan Asquith, who witnessed the men driving as he drove along Scott Hall Road on his school run, told the court: "I remember seeing both cars brake for the speed cameras, then just continue the manner they were driving in.

"If you blinked you would miss them."

Pearson said Riyat later told police be had been filming Bachu "because of how badly he was driving, how reckless he was being".

"[Riyat] denied any responsibility for the deaths and denied any suggestion that his driving was dangerous. Rather, Bachu was solely responsible."

The prosecutor said Riyat was in fact "delighted at the speed, excited at the drama and encouraging his behaviour".

Riyat's barrister asked Asquith if he had "formed an impression but can't be sure" his client's car was starting to mirror the Audi, to which he replied: "Yes".

He put it to Asquith that Bachu's Audi was travelling "far beyond" the speed of Riyat's BMW when he saw them.

"I would say they were both the same," the witness replied.

The trial, which was previously postponed due to illness, continues.

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