A driver who caused the death of her friend when she lost control of a rented Lamborghini has been jailed for 10 years. Humaira Batool, 26, was driving the £200,000 supercar at speeds up to 140 mph (230 km/h) on a damp motorway when she crashed, killing 20-year-old Mohammed Shaan Hussain.
The incident occurred in December 2022 on the M62 near Ripponden, West Yorkshire. The vehicle flipped and caught fire after hitting a barrier. Batool suffered serious injuries, including burns and a shattered tibia, while Hussain died from his injuries.
During the trial, jurors heard that the pair had switched places en route to collect a friend from HMP Leeds. The crash happened within eight seconds of Batool taking the wheel. She had attempted to blame Hussain for the crash, claiming he had interfered with the car's controls, but this defense was rejected by the jury and the judge.
Judge Ray Singh stated that the crash was a direct result of Batool's "conscious decision to drive at extraordinary speed in conditions that made such driving especially dangerous." He added that she "deliberately exposed your passenger, yourself and other road users to an obvious and grave risk of death or serious injury."
Batool was sentenced to 10 years in prison and disqualified from driving for a decade. She will also be required to pass an extended driving test. In a victim statement, Hussain's mother described the "unbearable pain" of mourning her son and listening to attempts to tarnish his memory. His brother also spoke of his enduring presence in their lives.