GUILTY UK - Hashim Ijazuddin, 21, and Saqib Hussain, 20, car crash A46 Leicester 11 Feb 2022 *Murder Arrests*

[RusselSprout]

'Upsetting' comment made to Mahek in morning's hearing - too upset to continue​

The case has been adjourned by the judge because someone in the courtroom verbally abused Mahek during the morning session. Mr Justice Saini said the TikTok start was too upset to continue. He said: ""We're not going to continue again this afternoon. We'll start again at 10am tomorrow."
He said he would have the police investigate and if someone was identified and accused by the officers of making the comments the judge would have them in court. He said: "I'm causing an investigation into who those people are and when it's discovered who they are, subject to a witness statement being provided, I'll want to see those individuals in court."
The comments were made as Mahek was walking back from the witness box to the dock after giving evidence, while the jury was not in court, the judge told them.

Mahek Bukhari gives evidence in murder trial - day 17

Mahek has been giving evidence in her defence

www.leicestermercury.co.uk

Poor Mahek

 

[Legal]

Seeing as she's just spent the best part of 2 days slandering the man she's accused of murdering, I wouldn't be surprised if one of his family members lost it.

 

[Smkd]

Aww poor thing she was too upset to continue! More upset than when she heard Saqib die in fact.
If she’s convicted she’s gonna have a really hard time in prison if someone saying mean things to her is all it takes to make her that upset.

Anyhow, I really want to know what was said lol

 

[LouTennant]

Aww poor thing she was too upset to continue! More upset than when she heard Saqib die in fact.
If she’s convicted she’s gonna have a really hard time in prison if someone saying mean things to her is all it takes to make her that upset.

Anyhow, I really want to know what was said lol

Im guessing what was said was Lying (insert cussword here) Lying (insert cussword there) and then repeat until they dragged away. IMO

 

[Alyce]

Aww poor thing she was too upset to continue! More upset than when she heard Saqib die in fact.
If she’s convicted she’s gonna have a really hard time in prison if someone saying mean things to her is all it takes to make her that upset.

Anyhow, I really want to know what was said lol

It would be interesting to know exactly what was said that allowed MB to have the afternoon off.
The only times I have followed a trial where something was said by the public in the courtroom, the judge has either reprimanded the person or had them removed from the court - and the trial has then continued.

Taking into account how heavily backlogged our Courts are right now, it must have been something extremely serious to justify cancelling a half day of the trial.

 

[Legal]

It would be interesting to know exactly what was said that allowed MB to have the afternoon off.
The only times I have followed a trial where something was said by the public in the courtroom, the judge has either reprimanded the person or had them removed from the court - and the trial has then continued.

Taking into account how heavily backlogged our Courts are right now, it must have been something extremely serious to justify cancelling a half day of the trial.

My impression was she had left the witness box and she was walking back when the comment was made, so perhaps they were ready to wrap up for the day? The jury weren't even there.

Although, the judge already allowed Mahek to go back to her cell the afternoon the court was listening to her police interview, so perhaps he's a bit of a soft touch (assuming the judge is a man).

From the live feed:

The comments were made as Mahek was walking back from the witness box to the dock after giving evidence, while the jury was not in court, the judge told them.

 

[Alyce]

My impression was she had left the witness box and she was walking back when the comment was made, so perhaps they were ready to wrap up for the day? The jury weren't even there.

Although, the judge already allowed Mahek to go back to her cell the afternoon the court was listening to her police interview, so perhaps he's a bit of a soft touch (assuming the judge is a man).

From the live feed:

The comments were made as Mahek was walking back from the witness box to the dock after giving evidence, while the jury was not in court, the judge told them.

The comments were made during the morning session ( see Russ’s post 261 ) and the judge ( Mr Justice Saini ) said…we’re not going to continue again this afternoon.

 

[LouTennant]

Looking back at earlier articles, Saqib was a much loved person by his family and friends. Quite a bit got raised for his send-off. Its not that surprising then that emotions ran high in court.

On the flip side he did have a dark side to his personality. Nearly all relationships break up without black mail attempts and
him being accused of violence by a different girl he met a month before the crash does paint him in a dark light. He did not get charged for that so there may be more to that story.

A big part of me thinks that Ansreen did use him for her own gratification on more that is being reported. He was a very young man and probably fell in love with her. She was having trysts with him while apparently being in a good marriage.

She found out too late he was in love with her and tried to end it. Theres no way it lasted 3 years because he was always threatening her.

Theres more to Ansreen then meets the eye IMO

Family of A46 crash victim 'shocked and broken'

Five people have been charged with murder in connection with Saqib's death and that of his friend, Muhammed Hashim Ijazuddin

www.leicestermercury.co.uk

 

[muggles63]

TikTok star accused of murder tells court why she lied to police

Mahek Bukhari, 23, is one of eight defendants accused of murdering two men, one of whom, Saqib Hussain, 21, had a two-year relationship with Bukhari's mother Ansreen.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[RusselSprout]

I would really love a court sketch from this case. Are the 8 defendants all sitting next to one another in the dock?

 

[RusselSprout]

Mahek back in the witness box​

Mahek Bakhari is being cross-examined by the prosecutor Collingwood Thompson KC again this morning. Mr Thompson is asking about events back in Leicester after the fatal crash on February 11.

Rekan Karwan and his balaclava​

Mahek denied Rekan Karwan was wearing a balaclava on the night of the crash. Mr Thompson showed Mahek a CCTV still which he tells her is clearly showing Karwan wearing a balaclava. Mahek has said no one was wearing balaclavas from her memory.
Mr Thompson asked her if, looking at the still, she could see that Rekan Karwan was wearing a balaclava. She replied: "It doesn't look like a balaclava to me. It looks like a beanie."
Mr Thompson asked if she remembered him wearing any kind of hat. He said: "Are you saying you never noticed that?" She replied: "No, I didn't."

Mahek Bukhari gives evidence in murder trial - day 17

Mahek has been giving evidence in her defence

www.leicestermercury.co.uk

 

[RusselSprout]

Mohammed Patel and the wheel brace​

Next, Mr Thompson asked about the wheel brace, which Mohammed Patel said was handed to him from Mahek's Audi TT to use as a weapon.,
Again, she denied seeing anyone with a weapon or remember anyone opening the boot to her car. She has also denied seeing Patel putting it back in the car. She said: "I didn't see Mohammed Patel put it back in the boot."
Mr Thompson said: "If you were near that car you were bound to see that boot being open. You don't want to admit you knew a weapon had been taken to the meeting."
She replied: "No, that's not correct."

Mood among group after crash​

Mr Thompson asked Mahek: "What was the mood like after the events on the A46?" She answered: "We were walking. I wasn't paying any attention to anyone's moods. It was just quiet."
He said: "And no one said anything at all about what happened on the A46." She said no.
He added: "Despite passing a vehicle that had burst into flames?" She said she felt emotions but "kept it to myself".

Mahek Bukhari gives evidence in murder trial - day 17

Mahek has been giving evidence in her defence

www.leicestermercury.co.uk

 

[RusselSprout]

Horseplay​

Mr Thompson shows Mahek a clip of her co-defendant Raees Jamal "nudging" her and "flicking at her hair". Mr Thompson described it as "horseplay".
She said Raees Jamal was trying to cheer her up because she was "down". She said: "He knew my energy was down and he was just trying to cheer me up."

Call with Raees Jamal after police arrive​

Mahek said she was in her bedroom when the police arrived at her home in Stoke at 8.17am, nearly seven hours after the fatal crash. She said they went straight to her younger brother's bedroom.
She said: "I didn't think anything of it." She said she was "logging into work at the time".
There was a phone call between Mahek and her co-defendant Raees Jamal after the police arrived and before she was spoken to herself.
She said: "He just asked if I was okay from last night. And I mentioned the police were here, questioning my brother.
"And then the majority of the call was quiet because I wanted to see what the police were saying to my brother.
"He said I think they're going to ask you about where you was last night."
Mr Thompson asked if she was told Natasha Akhtar had been arrested but she said he hadn't.

Mahek Bukhari gives evidence in murder trial - day 17

Mahek has been giving evidence in her defence

www.leicestermercury.co.uk

 

[RusselSprout]

'If they ask if anyone else was in your car say it was just you and your mum'​

She got a SnapChat message from Raees Jamal. She told the jury that he had told her: "If they ask if anyone else was in your car say it was just you and your mum."
Mr Thompson asked if that wasn't a plot to lie to the police. She said: "I didn't want to involve anyone."
Mr Thompson said: "That's exactly what I just put to you. You didn't want to involve anyone."
She said: "It was my situation about me and my mum."

Mahek questioned about recorded prison conversation​

Earlier this week, the jury heard a recording of defendant Natasha Akhtar speaking to a woman on the phone from prison. She said to the woman there was a plan to make up a story about how they were just going to Nottingham.
Akhtar told the woman on the call: "We've made up a story and we're going to stick to the story. Those boys lost control and because our cars were there they thought it was us."
Mr Thompson asked if it was a co-incidence that Akhtar mentioned a made-up story about Nottingham and Mahek had told the police, just before she was arrested, that she had been to Nottingham that night.
Mahek insisted they had planned to go to Nottingham.

Mahek Bukhari gives evidence in murder trial - day 17

Mahek has been giving evidence in her defence

www.leicestermercury.co.uk

 

[RusselSprout]

'The pursuit was to try to stop him'​

Concluding his cross-examination of Mahek, Mr Thompson told her: "[Saqib] didn't fall into the trap you set, he was getting away. The pursuit was to try to stop him and the only way you were going to stop him was by blocking him in with your cars. The only other solution was to ram him off the road.
"He would be seriously injured or more likely killed and that was solve your problem. And that's exactly what happened."
Mahek replied. "No. That's not correct."

Mahek Bukhari gives evidence in murder trial - day 17

Mahek has been giving evidence in her defence

www.leicestermercury.co.uk

 

[RusselSprout]

One last question from the judge​

Mahek's time in the witness box ends with a question from the judge, who wants to know exactly what she saw of the fatal crash. She said she thought the Skoda lost control while turning to block the Seat Leon being driven by Raees Jamal. She replied: "It tried to block the Seat Leon off. It's gone towards the central reservation and then I've turned away."

Mahek Bukhari gives evidence in murder trial - day 17

Mahek has been giving evidence in her defence

www.leicestermercury.co.uk

 

[RusselSprout]

Raees Jamal - I was trying to get content off phone​

Raees Jamal is next to give evidence and has been sworn in on the Koran. His barrister, Leonard Smith KC, is the first to ask him questions.
Raees confirms his name and that he is 22 years old.
"I feel that if I wasn't going so fast and he hadn't driven so fast it wouldn't have resulted in a tragic accident.
"I was trying stop Saqib and get in front of him so I could retrieve content off the phone."

Mahek Bukhari gives evidence in murder trial - day 17

Mahek has been giving evidence in her defence

www.leicestermercury.co.uk

 

[Alyce]

I wonder what MB's barrister advised her re giving evidence. She has to be one of the worst witnesses I've ever heard and I've heard quite a few bad ones.

 

[RusselSprout]

He was told there were nude images of Mahek Bukhari​

He said Mahek had told him there were naked images of her on the phone.
"When I tried overtaking the Skoda the Skoda had tried blocking me off, which caused me to break and him going into the central reservation.

'He was constantly trying to block me off'​

Mr Smith asked: "Why did you brake?" He replied: ""I didn't want to come into contract with the Skoda."
He was asked: "Had you come into contact with the Skoda before?"
He said: "When he tried to block me off before, yes. He was constantly trying to block me off after we got onto the A46. I tried overtaking him one other time and he tried blocking me off.
"When he tried blocking me off the cars have come into contact then. The Skoda came into contact with me.."
He said that happened near the Shell services on the A46 and was only "light" contact and it was the only time the cars came into contact with each other - he did not ram the car off the road, he said.
Mr Smith asked: "When the Skoda came off the road had you made contact at all?" He replied: "No."
He was then asked: "Did you see the Skoda come off the road?" He said: "Yes I did. It was dark at night. All I could see was the Skoda going into the bushes."

'I knew they were dead on the spot'​

When asked about what happened after the crash he said he turned to come back towards Leicester, thinking the Skoda had just driven across the central reservation onto the southbound side.
Describing what he saw, he said: "The car was in flames.
"I was traumatised. I knew they were dead on the spot."

Mahek Bukhari gives evidence in murder trial - day 17

Mahek has been giving evidence in her defence

www.leicestermercury.co.uk

 

[RusselSprout]

'I was trying to cover my tracks'​

He said the stopped and he switched with Natasha Akhtar, who took over the driving. He said: "Everyone was going mad, saying what the **** has just happened."
He was asked about a phone call - on Mohammed Patel's mobile phone - from the other car. He said "The idea was to drive up to Leicester and park up."
He was asked: "Why not call 999?" He replied: "I was ****ing myself."
Mr Smith asked: "Thinking of yourself, were you?"
"Yes I was. I was trying to cover my tracks.

Mahek Bukhari gives evidence in murder trial - day 17

Mahek has been giving evidence in her defence

www.leicestermercury.co.uk