Speeding driver jailed for fatal Lamborghini crash

A driver who caused the death of her friend when she lost control of a rented Lamborghini and crashed into a motorway barrier has been jailed for 10 years.

Mohammed Shaan Hussain, 20, died when Humaira Batool crashed the £200,000 supercar on the M62, near Ripponden, in West Yorkshire, in December 2022, causing it to flip over and burst into flames.

During her trial, jurors heard Batool, 26, from Bradford, had been driving at speeds of up to 140mph (230km/h) in wet conditions shortly before the crash.

Passing sentence, Judge Ray Singh said Hussain died as a result of Batool's decision to drive the "powerful performance vehicle" at "eye-watering extreme speeds on a damp motorway in darkness".

The judge said: "This was not a momentary lapse of concentration. It was a conscious decision to drive at extraordinary speed in conditions that made such driving especially dangerous.

"You deliberately exposed your passenger, yourself and other road users to an obvious and grave risk of death or serious injury. Tragically, that risk materialised."

During the trial, the court heard Hussain, also from Bradford, had rented the vehicle and was driving to HMP Leeds with Batool to collect a friend.

The pair switched places en route and the car crashed off the carriageway within eight seconds of Batool taking the wheel.

In court, Batool tried to blame Hussain, saying he had "reached over" while she was driving and touched something, causing the car to surge, but this was rejected by the judge.

Hussain died as a result of the injuries he sustained in the crash, while Batool suffered serious injuries, including burns to around 10% of her body and a shattered tibia.

Batool had been due to be sentenced on Monday but did not appear.

Her barrister Richard Dawson said she had gone to A&E due to a flare-up of endometriosis, but prosecutor Christopher Dunn said that was "clearly a ruse".

Singh issued a bench warrant for Batool. She was later arrested at hospital and taken to court, where she was then remanded in custody to be sentenced on Tuesday.

Singh told the court Hussain's death had been "tragic and entirely avoidable" and his life had been brought to a "sudden and horrific end".

"The suffering inherent in those final moments is difficult to overstate," he said.

"Death came not immediately upon impact but afterwards, whilst he remained unable to escape. That is a truly dreadful way for any human being to die."

In a victim statement read to the court, Hussain's mother Nasreen Akhtar said he was a "beloved son and cherished brother, a loyal friend and light in all our lives".

"Every day has been a struggle," she said.

"What has made this unbearable pain even worse is the impact of trying to mourn our son when we have had to listen to others try to tarnish him."

His brother Mohammed Souhail Hussain added: "Shaan was our older brother then. His is our older brother today and he will always be our older brother."

Batool was sentenced to 10 years in prison, disqualified for driving for 10 years and told she must pass an extended driving test.

Det Insp Paul Conroy said: "When any of us get behind the wheel we need to accept the responsibility of controlling a machine which can cause devastation if not handled responsibly.

"This especially applies when handling a car of the nature Batool drove that evening. Her driving put herself and anyone near her on the motorway at risk and it sadly resulted in the tragedy we have seen in this case."