Humaira Batool, 26, has been accused of attempting to evade justice after failing to appear for her sentencing hearing following a fatal 143 mph Lamborghini crash that killed her friend, Mohammed Shaan Hussain, 20. The pair were racing the rented £220,000 Urus supercar in wet conditions on December 21, 2022.
Hussain had hired the vehicle to collect a friend from HMP Leeds. Batool initially claimed she was asleep in the passenger seat when the car crashed through a barrier on the M62 and caught fire near Ripponden, West Yorkshire. The car overturned and burst into flames, with Mr. Hussain trapped inside.
However, CCTV footage shown to the court captured Batool and Hussain swapping seats at traffic lights shortly before the collision, proving Batool was driving. After being confronted with this evidence, she admitted driving but contended that Mr. Hussain had been interfering with the car's controls, causing it to accelerate unexpectedly. A Lamborghini expert testified that no such feature exists and that speed increases are solely dependent on the driver's foot.
Batool, of Bradford, was scheduled for sentencing at Leeds Crown Court but did not appear. She claimed a flare-up of endometriosis led her to seek emergency medical attention. Judge Ray Singh expressed skepticism, stating he believed she was using this as a ruse to avoid her sentence and issued a warrant for her arrest. Prosecutor Christopher Dunn echoed this sentiment, describing her illness as a "ruse" and asserting that Batool had "lied from first to last" and attempted to "thwart the proceedings."
Following the crash, the Lamborghini was engulfed in a significant explosion, with Mr. Hussain inside. Batool, who sustained serious injuries including burns and a shattered tibia, told witnesses the seatbelt melted, allowing her escape.