Speeding driver jailed for fatal Lamborghini crash

A woman in a white collared shirt walks outside court, her ponytail blown sideways by the wind, with a brick building and metal railing behind them.

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 jury.

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."

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 was found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving in September.

A young man seated inside a vehicle. He has short, dark hair with the sides cut shorter than the top and is in the center of the frame looking towards the camera. He has light facial hair on his chin.

Batool had been due to be sentenced on Monday but did not appear, with her barrister saying she had gone to A&E due to a flare-up of endometriosis.

Prosecutor Christopher Dunn claimed it was "clearly a ruse" and the judge issued a bench warrant for her arrest.

The judge 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."

Get in touch

Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.

Related internet links

Original source Speeding driver jailed for fatal Lamborghini crash

Back to home