A lying driver who claimed she was asleep when her friend died in a 143mph Lamborghini crash has been accused of attempting to ‘avoid justice’ after she skipped her sentencing hearing.
Humaira Batool, 26, was facing jail at Leeds Crown Court today after she was convicted of causing the death of Mohammed Shaan Hussain, 20, by dangerous driving.
The pair had been racing the rented £220,000 Urus supercar in wet conditions in the early hours of December 21, 2022.
During her trial, jurors heard that Mr Hussain, of Bradford, had hired the vehicle to collect a friend from Leeds prison.
Batool claimed she had been sleeping in the passenger seat when the car crashed through a barrier on the M62 near Ripponden, West Yorkshire.
The car overturned and burst into flames with Mr Hussain trapped inside as motorists desperately attempted to rescue him.
But CCTV had captured the pair swapping seats at traffic lights shortly before the fatal collision, showing Batool had taken control of the vehicle.
After being confronted with the evidence, she admitted driving but claimed Mr Hussain had been fiddling with the controls inside the Lamborghini, causing it to repeatedly 'surge' in speed.
Humaira Batool at Leeds Crown Court... she initially claimed she was asleep in the passenger seat at the time of the crash
Mohammed Shaan Hussain died when the Lamborghini burst into flames after crashing
Footage shown to the jury showed Batool leaving the passenger seat and taking the driver's seat
A Lamborghini expert told the court there was no feature that would cause the car's speed to increase in such a way, other than a person's ‘right foot’.
Batool, of Bradford, was found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving in September.
She was due to appear for sentencing today but failed to show up, claiming a flare-up of endometriosis prompted her attendance at A&E in the early hours of the morning.
But Judge Ray Singh said he believed she was using this as a ruse to avoid her sentence and issued a warrant for her arrest.
‘The night before she is due to be sentenced in connection with this matter a call is made to the emergency services, who attend and advise her to go to A&E,’ he said.
‘They felt this was not life threatening and, indeed, did not feel it was necessary to rush her in an ambulance.
‘I'm told that is where she is at the moment, and it may well be the case.
‘I'm afraid I do come to the conclusion, despite all that has been said to me, that this is a case where she is avoiding being dealt with, by way of sentence.
‘Accordingly, I do issue a warrant for her arrest to be brought back before myself at the very earliest opportunity.’
Prosecutor Christopher Dunn described her illness as a ‘ruse’, adding: ‘The defendant has lied from first to last and has attempted, on a number of occasions, to thwart the proceedings. It is entirely clear that she is trying to avoid justice.’
Batool’s trial heard that, following the crash, the car was engulfed by a ‘very significant explosion’ with Mr Hussain trapped inside the vehicle.
Batool told witnesses the flames had melted the seatbelt, enabling her to escape the vehicle.
She was left with serious injuries, including burns to around 10 per cent of her body and a shattered tibia.
